Golfdom announces Herb Graffis Businessperson of the Year winner

North Coast Media and Golfdom magazine are proud to announce William Larson, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Town & Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., as the recipient of its 2015 Herb Graffis Businessperson of the Year Award.

The Town & Country Club of St. Paul has saved untold thousands of dollars thanks to the efforts of course superintendent Bill Larson. An alumnus of Penn State University’s Turfgrass program, Larson has held his position at T&CC since 1989. One of Larson’s recent victories at the club was a bunker renovation that eventually grew to a small course renovation, all performed in-house and at a fraction of the normal cost. Another success was his help designing the course’s maintenance facility. Using his experience visiting maintenance facilities around the world, Larson was able to create one of the most environmentally friendly, cutting edge maintenance facilities in the country.

“Our award isn’t given for longevity in the industry, overcoming adversity or being a nice guy. Each year we look for an exceptionally savvy businessman,” says Pat Roberts, publisher of Golfdom. “We have found that in Bill Larson — and it just so happens he is a nice guy, too.”

“Bill exemplifies what we look for in the Graffis award recipient,” says Seth Jones, Golfdom’s editor-in-chief. “He is a shrewd businessman who has made an enormous impact at Town & Country Club, on and off the course.”

Larson will accept the Herb Graffis Award in person at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio. Celebrated golf architect Rees Jones, “The Open Doctor,” will present the award. Herb Graffis was a close friend of Rees’ father, legendary golf course architect Robert Trent Jones.

Larson’s first reaction to learning he had won the award and would appear on Golfdom’s cover was that it should be him with his entire crew on the cover, not just him by himself. Thankfully, his club president convinced him to take the credit where credit was due.

“Work hard and good things will happen. You have to have a passion,” Larson says in his cover story, entitled ‘Man About Town.’ “I’m lucky that I’m at a place like Town & Country Club. I don’t want the limelight. I’m content to do the best we can do and then go home.”

For more information, read the Golfdom cover story on Larson. To contact Seth Jones, email sjones@northcoastmedia.net or call 785-690-7047. To reach Bill Larson, email tcturf@comcast.net.