19th hole: Phil Rosati

Phil Rosati (Photo: John Paquette)

Phil Rosati
Assistant superintendent // Indian Hills CC

After 18 holes, what are you drinking? It depends. If we’re just hanging out, a couple IPAs; if we’re going to have a night of it, a Jack Daniels, Angel’s Envy or an Eagle Rare.

Tell me about Indian Hills. We’re celebrating our 60th anniversary this year. I’ve been there for 11 seasons working under John Paquette, superintendent. We were taken over by new ownership about five years ago. They let go of the reins and let us do our thing. We had a big tree removal program, some bunker renovations and a couple new green complexes. Things are going forward every year.

Do you have a family? My wife Patricia and I have been married for almost 12 years now. We have two daughters: Alyssa is 11, and Haley is 9.

What’s your favorite tool in the shop? My trusty sprayer. The way I look at things on the golf course is you can have all the mowers, all the irrigation and manpower, but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t keep it alive. That’s my go-to tool. Every day, that’s going out for something, whether it’s spot-spraying weeds or hitting greens, fairways and tees.

Who is someone you’d like to have met? Bobby Jones. When I was younger, getting started out in golf, I had an old man I used to work with who taught me a lot: how to grind, how to lap. He was an avid golfer, and he taught me the lessons that Bobby Jones would teach in his videos. Looking at those and the way Bobby Jones built Augusta National, I’d love to pick his brain.

What’s your personal motto? Don’t put off till tomorrow for what you can do today. Every little thing that makes the operation run smoother, rather than putting it off, get it done, rather than giving yourself more work the next day.

If you had an hour of free time, how would you spend it? I like taking a walk through the woods around the property. I like spotting deer or finding trails, or I look for anything old, maybe an old bunker here or an old green there. You never know what you’re going to find.

What’s on the menu at the Rosati household tonight? Well, it’s Friday, and we’re in New York. So, either pizza or pasta.

Fill in the blank: This golf season has been ___________. An adventure. A lot of ups and downs, especially here in the Northeast with the weather. Heat, heavy rains, damaging rains. Short-staffed. It’s been a challenge. “Adventure” is the word.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, Sept. 10, 2021.