A business trip unlike any other

Fazio Design’s major year, hints of E-Z-Go’s big summer and a few new connections made at the first major of the year.

The trip from Golfdom editorial headquarters in Kansas to Augusta National is perhaps my most exciting trip of the year, just because you never really know what will happen once you hit Augusta. Will this be the year I get a huge interview? Or the year I miss a huge interview? You never know.

Here’s a quick rundown of my 48-hour visit to the Peach State for the first major of the year…

TUESDAY: Driving down I-20 from Atlanta, navigating the swarm of state troopers trying to cash in on golf tourists, I got a nice email from my friends at Jacobsen (don’t worry, I was stopped at a Wendy’s at the time). They were at the E-Z-Go house in Augusta (both companies being brands of Textron), relaxing with some supers. Would I care to join?

This was totally spur-of-the-moment, but absolutely perfect, and exactly the thing that can happen when you’re at the one place where the world of golf is all meeting that week. Upon 15 minutes of entering Augusta, I was sitting with some old friends and making some new friends (in this case, a couple superintendents from California.)

Always happy to make connections on the golf course, it was a little bit of luck that Seth ran into loyal Golfdom reader Jeff Wetterling, CGCS at Greenacres CC in Lawrenceville, N.J.

After sharing a few stories there (special thanks to Jacobsen’s Dava Wanta for setting me up to tell my John Daly Hooters story) it was off to downtown Augusta for dinner and to meet up with some friends from golf car manufacturer E-Z-Go, headquartered in Augusta.

E-Z-Go director of communications Brandon Haddock told me that the company will have big news this summer with a new product. I couldn’t get him to tell me any more, but be sure that we’ll share the news as soon as E-Z-Go is prepared to release it.

Following dinner I made my annual trek to Wild Wings Café, where I always see a few of my superintendent friends. But in the interest of keeping those friends, I’ll not share any stories or even names from that place…

WEDNESDAY: After arriving at Augusta National, I made my way over to No. 2 tee to visit with old friend Tom Marzolf of Fazio Golf Course Designers. Fazio Design has an exciting year ahead of them. Tom Fazio’s company will be the consulting architects for all three American majors this year — the Masters, the U.S. Open at Merion and the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

“We’re trying to figure out if anyone’s ever done that before,” Marzolf told me, saying he’s consulted with some experts in the field to help him answer the question. “I think the only time it could have really even been possible was when Robert Trent Jones was working here at Augusta.”

We’ll have more on this topic in a future issue of Golfdom, naturally.

My sad moment of this trip then came when I headed over to meet with Tom Fazio himself. …I could not find Mr. Fazio at our meeting place. Of course, maybe I should have heeded Chubby Chandler’s Tweet when he wrote, “Lots of meetings today under the ‘tree’… people from all over the world here all thinking this is a good place to meet!!”

We’ll try again to connect with Mr. Fazio later this year, and please, Mr. Fazio, if you’re out there, I’m sorry I missed you! (So to answer the above question, this would be the year I miss a huge interview. Dang!)

I then met up with my brother-in-law, Mark Johnson, who joined me for the trip. It was his first visit to the Masters, and seeing his reaction to the course made my visit all the more special. Mark was walking on air the entire time, mesmerized by seeing the beauty of the course in person for the first time. “The golf course is the real star of this tournament,” he told while we were still on the front nine. “Just wait until we get to the back nine, that’s where the show really starts!” I told him.

It was a good day for Seth’s brother-in-law Mark, who not only got to see Augusta National for the first time, but also made a new business contact on the course and even met Rees Jones at the GWAA dinner.

One note about Mark being there: As luck (or maybe the Golf Gods) would have it, he made a business contact as well. My brother-in-law is in the architecture business, and he happened to be talking to someone outside the gates when the conversation drifted to the, “so what do you do?” topic. Turns out they were in similar fields, and business cards were exchanged.

Fast forward two hours later. Mark sees the group again, this time inside the gates of Augusta National. Everyone’s mood has obviously improved, as they’re on the inside of the gates of golf’s hottest ticket. The conversation continues, and lo and behold, an invitation is extended to my brother-in-law to fly out to pitch this company on a project.

See? Business happens on the golf course.

A little later, more luck: I ran into 30-year superintendent Jeff Wetterling, CGCS at Greenacres Country Club in Lawrenceville, N.J., around No. 3 green. I was sure to snap a few photos of and with him, something I’ll surely be able to use in the magazine soon.

We stuck around the course long enough to get some great shots of the crew at work. Click here and here to see those shots. It’s always fun to see the crowd reaction to the crew… they’re really just as popular as the pros. Someone sitting in front of me saw the train of fairway mowers and said to his friends, “I’ve always wanted to see this!”

That’s a bold statement from someone sitting at Amen Corner when there’s not a Tour player in sight.

We had to leave the course in time to make the annual Golf Writers Association of America awards dinner. It was great to catch up with folks like Steve Mona, former CEO of the GCSAA and current CEO of the World Golf Foundation, many of the GCSAA board of directors, and even our old friend Rees Jones. The GWAA dinner, which starts at 7 p.m., makes for a long day, but the cocktail hour is an excellent chance to meet people and exchange business cards. I’m always glad to see the GCSAA board there, as it’s a great chance for them to get some extra exposure in the business.

Golfdom editor Seth Jones and a couple members of the GCSAA board of directors, John J. O’Keefe, CGCS at Preakness Hills CC, Wayne, N.J. and Keith Ihms, CGCS at CC of Little Rock (Ark.).

I booked a hotel room in Atlanta for Wednesday night, so we left the dinner a little early to prepare for the 2.5 hour drive back. In all it was a whirlwind. I’m still disappointed I wasn’t able to connect with Fazio, but overall, I have to say that was another great trip to Augusta National.

At the GWAA dinner, Seth ran into his old boss, former GCSAA CEO and current World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona. “I’m thrilled to report that Steve still reads Golfdom,” Seth says.