The 19th Hole: Jeff Christensen
Director of GC maintenance // Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley, Birmingham, Ala.
A cold beer. Any kind.
Seen any good movies lately?
I saw Ted, it’s hilarious. It’s not one to watch with your kids.
How old are your boys?
Jack is 14 and Sam is 13. Jack is big into baseball, science and fish. Sam is into football. He’s an offensive lineman, he’s built like his dad.
It seems like the time commitment of having kids in sports is different than when we were kids. Doesn’t it though? I go to every game. Go to a baseball or a soccer field and it’s not hard to figure out why there aren’t as many people on the golf course on a Saturday as there used to be.
Do you take more after your mom or your dad?
Both. Dad was in the highway landscaping business, so that’s how I got into what I do. When they built a new road, he’d go in and plant the grass. Dad was a get-it-done type person, which I think I am. My mom is a retired English teacher and I’m a fanatic for spelling. I think I got good parts from both of ‘em. And probably some bad parts.
What do you mean by ‘get-it-done’ type person?
Well, if something doesn’t work, just get on with it. For example, my older brother is a CPA. Back before he was, he was doing some paperwork, and he was using an adding machine. Something was different about the adding machine, and he kept hitting the wrong key, and he was swearing at it. So my dad took it, unplugged it, stomped on it and shouted “Now go buy one that works!”
How long have you been at RTJ Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley?
For 15 years. My wife was pregnant with my older son when we moved here. And then also going from 18 holes to 54? No stress there!
Why not make a bunch of major life changes at once, right? How’d you handle it?
It went well. I’ve got the best superiors. We’re owned by the teacher’s retirement fund. I don’t work for doctors and lawyers, and people that grow a lawn so they think they know how to grow grass. I work for golf people.
What’s your favorite tool in the shop? Chain saw comes to mind, but any power tool, really.
Kind of like your choice of beer — anything cold, right?
Yes. Anything power.
As interviewed by Seth Jones on January 30th, 2013.