The 19th Hole: Justin Sudo

Justin Sudo
Superintendent // Kahkwa Club, Erie, Pa.

So, what’s the best microbrew here in Cleveland? Hands down, it’s Fat Head’s. Try their Head Hunter.

Tell me about your family. My wife, Jessica, and I have been together 21 years — married for 14. Our son Caleb is 12, our daughter Aubrey is 8. And we have a Shiba Inu named Mr. Miyagi.

How did you meet Jessica? When we were kids growing up in Cleveland, we lived just a few blocks away from each other. She would walk by our house with her brother all the time — she called it “the cute boy house.” Eventually, her brother and I became best friends. I had to beg him to let me ask his sister out — eventually he did — and we started dating as teenagers. I’m still best friends with her brother, too, which makes family get-togethers fun.

What teams do you root for? All things Penn State, especially wrestling. All the Cleveland teams. And whoever is playing Ohio State — their fans are so obnoxious!

What’s the most dependable item of clothing you own for getting the job done? I wish I could say my boots, but I still can’t find any that hold up to wetting agents. My Carhartt bib overalls are dependable.

Who is the most interesting character on your crew? Dan Daub, who is one of our two assistants, along with James Hayes. Dan has been at the club since 1981. He went to Cornell for turf, but before that he studied to be an airplane mechanic. He’s got a borderline genius IQ — he can fix anything. We have equipment still running that should have been dead a long time ago.

What posters did you have on your walls when you were a kid? I haven’t thought of that in years (laughs). I never had the Alyssa Milano poster. The one I most remember is Don Majkowski, the quarterback for the Packers before Brett Favre. Remember him? They called him “the Magic Man.” I also had a Spud Webb poster. And an NWA poster…

NWA? Yeah, my friends and I thought NWA was the coolest thing. We listened to a lot of rap — my brother was into old-school rap, like Spoonie Gee.

This Head Hunter is solid. I’ve had it before, but I never knew Fat Head’s called Cleveland home. The old standby in Cleveland is Great Lakes Brewery — it’s great too. Now there is a brewery on every corner. It was hip to like Fat Head’s before this microbrew scene was popular. Sort of like those people who say they liked Johnny Cash before it was hip to like Johnny Cash.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, Jan. 2, 2018.

Photo: Golfdom