AZ Golf Hall of Fame welcomes Mark Woodward, CGCS

Headshot: Mark Woodward

The Arizona Golf Hall of Fame Committee added four inductees to the 2020 class, which is comprised of three modern candidates selected by the voting delegates: John Gunby, Tina Tombs and Mark Woodward; and one Legacy candidate by the selectors committee: Desert Mashie Golf Club. The Legacy Division recognizes those in Arizona who have made contributions to golf, but due to the historical nature and having occurred decades ago, their impact is not known to modern voters.

The dinner and induction ceremony will be held Feb. 16, 2021. Invitations and RSVPs to the ceremony will be available at a later date.

Currently the director of agronomy at Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, Mark Woodward is a Certified Golf Course Superintendent/Director of Agronomy (CGCS) who has over 50 years of experience in many facets of the golf industry, 45 of those in Arizona. His diverse career has included both stints as a superintendent and administrator.

As the City of San Diego’s golf operations manager in 2005, Woodward was responsible for preparing the Torrey Pines South Golf Course to host the 2008 U.S. Open, working closely with the United States Golf Association (USGA). For his efforts at Torrey Pines, Woodward was recognized by Golf Inc. Magazine as one of golf’s “Most Admired Operators” in 2006 and in the Top 35 “Most Powerful People in Golf” in 2008 and 2009.

He served as CEO of the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America (GCSAA) from 2008 through 2010, and was a senior vice president of operations for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based OB Sports Golf Management from 2013 through 2017. Woodward served on the Cactus and Pine Golf Course Superintendents Association board of directors on three separate occasions dating back to the 1980s, and currently serves as president.

“I was extremely humbled and taken a little off-guard to be selected for this honor,” Woodward said. “By far, the most rewarding part of my career in golf has been all the inspirational people I’ve met and worked with. They are the true foundation of the golf industry.”