19th Hole: Curtis Schriever

Photo: Golfdom Staff

Curtis Schriever

Greenkeeper // Wichita (Kan.) CC

Curtis, what can I get you? I’ll have a Yuengling since that just became available in Kansas. We put a tap in at the clubhouse.

Tell me about Wichita CC. It was founded in 1900; it’s been at this location since 1950. We’re going to embark on a big renovation soon with Tripp Davis & Associates. Greens, tees, irrigation upgrades and a few bunkers — the bunkers here are still pretty new. It’s going to be an exciting time.

How did you get into the business? I discovered golf late in life, probably during my sophomore year of high school. I started playing on sand greens. After high school, I got a job at Lowe’s and started playing at Carey Park in Hutchinson (Kan.). They had grass on their greens, so to me, that was the crème de la crème. To keep playing golf, I took a job at Willowbrook, a nine-hole private golf community. The superintendent was Charlie Thompson. He could drive his golf car to work and play whenever he wanted. I asked him halfway through that first summer, ‘How do I get your job?’ He said, ‘I went to (Kansas State University) for golf course management.’ It was a done deal after that; I enrolled at K-State for golf course management.

Tell me about your family. My wife Hannah and I met at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego. She also went to K-State, but I (already) knew of her … she was the beer cart girl at my course. I finally went up and talked to her in San Diego, and the rest is history. We have two kids; our daughter Juniper is seven, and our son Charleston will be two in May.

And your wife is a pastry chef. What’s her specialty? Yes, it’s definitely not good for my waistline! On my birthday, she’ll make me Guinness brownies that are out of this world.

OK … how does your dog know Kid Rock? I was working at The Patriot GC in Owasso, Okla., for a Folds of Honor event called the Patriot Cup, which was a celebrity tournament. It’s after the tournament, and I’m around the cottages picking up signage. It’s early morning, so I’m trying to be quiet, and I lost track of my dog, Jovie. I start running around the cottages, kind of whisper-yelling for her. I come around one of the cottages, and there she is, just sitting with Kid Rock, waiting for treats. I was about to apologize, but he just sort of waved at me like, ‘Hey, she’s OK; she’s just hanging out with me.’

We’re both Chiefs fans. What was your Super Bowl experience? I was on a Disney property during the Super Bowl. We watched the first quarter on the bus back to the hotel. My family quickly fell asleep after we got back to the hotel. I was standing in front of the hotel TV, trying not to yell, so they could sleep while I watched the game! That was my Super Bowl experience, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. My kids had a great day, and they all woke up to a Chiefs win.