19th Hole: Micah Pennybaker

Photo: Lou Ferraro, Park South Photography

Micah Pennybaker

Superintendent // South Course, Carmel CC, Charlotte, N.C.

After 18 holes, what can I get you? A Juicy Jay IPA. It’s a Charlotte beer I’m pretty fond of.

Tell me about your club. Carmel is a 36-hole facility. Brannon Goodrich is the director of operations. We’ve got the best of both worlds here. We’re bentgrass on the South Course, which I oversee, and the North Course, which Eric Downs oversees, is Ultradwarf Champion Bermuda. Members get to enjoy a little bit of everything. We’re in south Charlotte; we’re next door neighbors to Quail Hollow.

You worked at Quail Hollow, right? Yeah, for five years. I started out at Victoria National, in southern Indiana — one of the most brutal internships of my life! Then Quail, then an assistant’s job at Charlotte CC under John Szklinski. Then a superintendent’s position opened here. I’ve been here for three-and-a-half years.

Tell me about your family. You’ve got a couple little ones? I met my wife here in 2014, and we got married in 2016. We’ve got a 2-year-old son, Brooks. And Hadley Grace is our newest addition, she was born March 30, in all this COVID-19 stuff.

That’s a stressful time to be in the hospital! You ain’t kidding, but it was smooth. Two days, in and out. That was it.

What’s the golf scene like in Charlotte? Rounds are up, a lot. Everyone wants to get out and play — it seems like you can’t do anything else. You can’t travel, so the golf course is where you want to be.

What’s your favorite tool in the shop? I’m pretty fond of the greens mower. We have the Toro Flex 21s. I like hopping on a mower every once in a while and showing the guys how to mow straight lines.

When was the last time you saw something at work that was so stupid you just had to laugh? This morning. I had a guy out topdressing some tees, and he topdressed right over a bunch of leaves. That kind of defeats the purpose.

What’s your fantasy football team named? Penny for Your Thoughts. I’ve been in a league since 2008, and I’ve won it four times. I’ve got my name on that trophy in a couple spots. My best record is probably 12-1. I’ve never had a perfect season, but I’m usually in the playoffs.

What’s the most unusual thing you keep in the shop there? … I know. We have a snowplow that we can put on a skid-steer … for all the snow we get here in Charlotte.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, June 15, 2020.