The 19th Hole: Cliff Moore, Mountain Ridge Country Club

Superintendent // Mountain Ridge CC, West Caldwell, N.J.

What can I get you?

What can I get you to drink? Tito’s and club.

I can’t believe we let you take all those dollar bills off us at Pinehurst during the putt-off (see November 2015 Golfdom Gallery). How much did you rake in?

I think it was about $85 to be honest with you. And there were only about nine of us in it. If I hadn’t made that last putt I don’t think we would have finished. We were lighting the green with our phone flashlights!

Are you married? Kids?

I have a beautiful wife, Laura, and son Michael, 6 years old. Right now he’s big into football, but he’s a big (New York) Rangers fan… he’s going to want to learn to skate, I think that’s our next adventure.

That leads into my next question: What team do you root for?

The University of Notre Dame.

How did you become a Notre Dame fan?

Originally I’m from South Haven, Mich., on the Indiana/Michigan border. My grandfather retired early and stumbled onto Notre Dame. He became friendly with the landscapers and the people in the kitchen, the guards there — he knew everybody. So he got season tickets and took me to all the games. We were there for every game in 1988 when they won the national championship.

How did you get into this business?

I’ve always golfed, my dad was a huge golf fan. When I was 14 I started working at Kalamazoo (Mich.) CC with John Fulling (CGCS-Ret.) I went to Western Michigan University for a degree in finance. Every summer I went back to work for John, and he finally said, ‘Why don’t you go to the 2-year program at Michigan State after you graduate?’ I said ‘OK.’ The rest is history.

I bet the finance degree comes in handy.

Absolutely. There’s a lot more to this business than just growing grass.

You recently re-contoured a couple greens?

Our 18th green used to have some big slope from front to back. We used GreenScan. We dropped 1.75 degrees in pitch. Now 60 percent of that green surface is cuppable, as opposed to 30 percent.

Would you like to do more?

As old as this course is (1932, Donald Ross), there are still six greens (where) I’d like to reduce the slope. There were two things I was told would never happen at this club; rebuilding the greens and cutting down the oak tree on No. 18. So far we’ve done one out of the two.

Should the old oak tree be nervous?

It’s funny, it’s the most loved/hated tree on the golf course. If I ever do get the OK to do it, I want to make sure the board members and everyone are present so they don’t think I did it on my own.

Last question: What thought is going through your head when there’s $85 laying on the green, and you have the putt to win?

“Please go in.”

Photo: As interviewed by Seth Jones, Dec. 14, 2015.