19th Hole: Kyle Johnson

By |  September 30, 2019 0 Comments
Kyle Johnson (Photo: Lou Ferraro, South park Photography)

Photo: Lou Ferraro, South park Photography

Kyle Johnson

Superintendent // Carolina Country Club, Raleigh, N.C.

What can I get you? You know me, Miller Lite. I’m classy that way.

I’ve got good news for you, Kyle — the Underdogs calendar is back in 2020! That is good news, bubba, because I want Storm on the cover this year!

Tell me about your family. I’ve got a beautiful 3-year-old girl (Chandler) and a wife (Anna) I’ve been dating since high school. She supports my career and has moved with me a couple times now. We’ve been dating since 11th grade.

What do I need to know about Carolina CC? The club was first established in 1910. In my opinion, it’s a hidden little gem. When you get out on the golf course, you see all our elevation changes. We’ve got a great membership, and they want it to be the best. And we’re the home course to Webb Simpson.

Why do you think the SEC deserves two spots in the college football playoffs every year? I can answer that question with a question, buddy. Do you watch ESPN?

What was the best thing you did this weekend? I’m fortunate in that I have a lot of good assistants … I usually work on Saturday but I got most of this weekend off. This weekend I built a playhouse for my little girl, and I smoked a tri-tip steak on my Big Green Egg smoker.

Next time I’m in Raleigh, where should we go? I haven’t found any places here yet. But if you’re ever back in my hometown of Birmingham, Ala., you have to go to Baumhower’s. They have these cheesy fries that they call Spencer’s Gooey Fries. They’re curly fries. They dump queso blanco and homemade ranch on there … it’s literally the best and worst thing I’ve ever eaten.

Who would be in your dream foursome? Me, my dad, Chipper Jones and Tiger Woods.

So how’s Alice Cooper these days? He’s really busy — only comes around when school’s out. OK, that’s a bad joke. He’s a really great golfer for his age. I had to get a photo with him and send it to my dad.

Your friends tell me that crazy stuff always happens when you’re around. Is this truth or rumor? It’s true. Like me walking in on that guy having a heart attack after we got done golfing at Reunion Resort. That is probably the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me. Then it turns out the restaurant host was an EMT, and he started doing chest compressions! But most of the time the crazy stories are for the best — I’m glad I was there to find that guy when he needed some help.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, Aug. 19, 2019.

 

ICYMI: Last month’s 19th Hole with the Superintendent of Glen Arven CC, Jason Tharp

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About the Author: Seth Jones

Seth Jones, a 25-year veteran of the golf industry media, is Editor-in-Chief of Golfdom magazine and Athletic Turf. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jones began working for Golf Course Management in 1999 as an intern. In his professional career he has won numerous awards, including a Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) first place general feature writing award for his profile of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman and a TOCA first place photography award for his work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his career, Jones has accumulated an impressive list of interviews, including such names as George H.W. Bush, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong and Charles Barkley. Jones has also done in-depth interviews with such golfing luminaries as Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Lorena Ochoa, to name only a few. Jones is a member of both the Golf Writers Association of America and the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association. Jones can be reached at sjones@northcoastmedia.net.


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