The 19th Hole: Greg Burleson

By |  January 22, 2015 0 Comments

CGCS //  Augusta (Ga.) CC

greg_burlesonWhat’s your favorite drink after 18 holes of golf?

A Luzianne sweet tea.

Where are you from originally?

I’m from Gastonia, N.C. I went to school at UNC-Charlotte and got a business degree. I knew after three years that I didn’t want to do that, I knew I wanted to be on a golf course. So I went to Catawba Valley Technical College in Hickory, N.C., and earned an associate’s degree in turfgrass management.

Tell me about your family.

My wife, Connie, and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in June. We have two girls, Hannah (24) and Haley (22). Hannah is getting married this year, and Haley is graduating college, so 2015 is going to be a big year!

What’s on the radio during your commute to work?

Going to work I listen to the local news and weather. On the way home I’ll listen to country music — I like Kenny Chesney and also Zac Brown Band.

What is Masters week like for you and your team?

The week itself, if the weather cooperates, goes pretty smooth. The weeks leading up to that is when we see the Masters effect — we work hard to get the course dialed-in for that week. Aesthetics and playability are equally important that week… We’re not trying to create championship conditions because most of the play is new play, people who don’t know the course. Monday is the slowest day, but Tuesday through Sunday? We’re slam-packed, and that’s a good thing.

You’re on Jeopardy!, and you’ve got a slim lead. What category do you hope pops up on the screen for Final Jeopardy? And if you say ‘turf science,’ I’m going to demand a second answer…

OK, but I’ll give you one really close to it: Plants and shrubs. I like plants and shrubs as much as I like turf.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

The mountains of North Carolina. It’s a pretty area and a different pace of life. Very relaxing, and everyone is nice. I feel like I can go up there and get away from the hustle and bustle.

So where’s the best place to go when you’re there?

The top of Roan Mountain. It’s right on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, about 6,000-feet elevation. You have to check out that view, you can see forever in all directions.

Photo: As interviewed by Seth Jones, Jan. 8th, 2015.

This is posted in People

About the Author: Seth Jones

Seth Jones, a 25-year veteran of the golf industry media, is Editor-in-Chief of Golfdom magazine and Athletic Turf. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jones began working for Golf Course Management in 1999 as an intern. In his professional career he has won numerous awards, including a Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) first place general feature writing award for his profile of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman and a TOCA first place photography award for his work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his career, Jones has accumulated an impressive list of interviews, including such names as George H.W. Bush, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong and Charles Barkley. Jones has also done in-depth interviews with such golfing luminaries as Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Lorena Ochoa, to name only a few. Jones is a member of both the Golf Writers Association of America and the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association. Jones can be reached at sjones@northcoastmedia.net.


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