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Presented in partnership with Eagle One Golf Products YOUR GAME
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Dream comes true at Senior Open
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Tommy Robinson, superintendent at Ravinia Green CC in Riverwoods, Ill., and the winner of the 2004 GCSAA golf tournament, became the first working superintendent to qualify for a major USGA championship when he competed in the 2008 U.S. Senior Open. Photo by Sam Greenwood |
Not making the cut in the 29th U.S. Senior Open a couple of months ago was a bummer for more than 90 golfers in the field, professionals and amateurs alike. But, at least one of them, GCSAA member Tommy Robinson, says he would try it again in a heartbeat.
In fact, the experience of competing in the Senior Open at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colo., was an unforgettable one for Robinson, superintendent at Ravinia Green Country Club in Riverwoods, Ill., who not only was a first-time competitor in the event, but was also the first working superintendent to play in a major USGA championship.
Robinson shot rounds of 81-84 and was indeed bummed out initially, but upon reflection, he says he realizes it was a childhood dream come true.
“The whole range of emotions you go through in something like that — the joy, the excitement, the embarrassment of a bad shot, being asked for your autograph, sitting at a table next to Tom Watson and Peter Jacobsen, walking to the range with Fuzzy (Zoeller) and being next to Tom Kite on the range — to be in the same situation as guys like that for a week was very exciting,” says the 55-year-old Robinson, one of 27 amateurs in the 2008 Senior Open.
Robinson described the Open as “hard golf” — the scope of the event, the course (Broadmoor’s challenging East Course), the hot, dry conditions and the pressure of playing under so much scrutiny. To be sure, he admits he was out of his element.
“Most of those guys just pack up their bags and go to the next tournament, and I came home and went back to my real job (he was mowing fairways at Ravinia Green when contacted for this article in mid-August). It’s a different life,” Robinson says, adding that the event reinforced his decision five years ago to opt out of trying to qualify for the Champions Tour.
“The excitement of playing tournament golf is still there for me. To be able to experience it at the highest level was really rewarding and humbling, too. I wish I could have played better, but that kind of golf course and everything else involved magnifies any flaws in your game,” he says.
That said, however, Robinson, GCSAA’s 2004 national champion, says he’ll try to qualify for the 2009 Senior Open at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind. The 32-year member of the association, who was among the top 10 players in driving distance in the first two rounds at the Broadmoor, says he has a lot of work to do on his short game and putting.
Robinson says the highlight of his week at the 2008 tournament was the support he received before, during and after, not only from family, but many others as well.
“It was really a humbling experience to find out how many friends and people wished me luck. And the support from the membership here, letting me take the time off, was very encouraging,” he says, noting that the Senior Open also turned out to be an opportunity for his assistant, Tino Villagomez, to manage the course for a week in the dead of summer.
Robinson enjoyed a cheering section during his play at the Broadmoor. His wife, Barbara, daughter Amy and other family members were there, as well as three friends he’s known since kindergarten in Deerfield, Ill., and another buddy from college (Southern Illinois). His playing partners, Rod Nuckolls of Wichita, Kan., and Steve Kane of Phoenix, also had several family members and friends in the gallery.
“I talked to some of the other guys, pros and amateurs, and they all said the same thing ... the support they got from their club members or family and friends and some local media was just unbelievable,” Robinson says.
Nor was Robinson’s “real job” lost on his fellow competitors.
“Many were very congratulatory, ‘Good for you, that’s a great story,’ things like that. They were as excited for me as I was to represent GCSAA.”
Ohio is joining the ranks of states conducting economic impact surveys to communicate the impact golf has on the economy to state legislators and other lawmakers. The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation’s board of directors decided to execute a statewide economic impact survey for the turfgrass industry for the first time in almost 20 years. The Strategy Team Inc. will perform the survey and report the results back to the board to share with industry professionals, lawmakers and others with a vested interest in the industry. Results will include information about jobs created, tax revenues and benefits to the environment. The unique challenges that multicourse ownership groups face were the center of discussion at the National Golf Course Owners Association’s 13th annual leadership retreat in Monterey, Calif., this summer. More than 50 representatives of the industry’s multicourse owners gathered to discuss strategic planning at organization and industry levels. On the agenda were discussions about nontraditional methods to increase rounds and revenue, golf’s perception as an environmental steward, availability and cost of labor, competition for consumers’ leisure time and the effects of rising fuel costs. Also present were industry suppliers and manufacturers, plus Steve Mona, chief executive officer of the World Golf Foundation; Brian Whitcomb, president of the PGA of America; David S. Downing II, CGCS, GCSAA president; and Mike Hughes, chief executive officer of the NGCOA. |
