The 19th Hole: Mark Semm

Mark Semm
Superintendent // The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch, Boerne, Texas

Mark, wait… you went to Iowa State? I transferred (to ISU) in ’96, graduated in ’98. I started out in Minnesota, played some basketball there… I decided I wasn’t going to be the next Michael Jordan, so I had to grow up.

Man, I had no idea you were a Cyclone. But OK… what can I get you? I’ll take a Makers and Seven.

So now you’ve got screws in your ankle… I broke my ankle playing baseball with my boy. Now I’ve got tension wire in my ankle… it’s like when you have tension wire to keep a foundation from cracking!

Is this your worst sports injury? I’ve never had a broken bone before. It’s humbling. Today was my first day back in three weeks… I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was worried — was I broke past the point of the 30-day exchange limit? I think the one thing I’ll learn out of this, with two kids… stop and take a breath and appreciate things.

What sports teams do you pull for? I’m Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks. I grew up just north of Chicago in Zion, Ill. They’re my hometown teams. I spent more time my senior year of high school in the bleachers at Wrigley than I did in school.

So what did you do when the Cubs won it all last year? I was here at the house with Meg… she was conked out. When we won it, I jumped straight up in the bed and I broke our ceiling fan. I’m not going to lie, I was in tears.

How did you and Meg meet, anyway? We met in Dallas, she was living in Wilmington, N.C., finishing her Masters… it was a wedding set-up. We walked down the aisle together. It’s going to be 13 years this fall. We have a daughter, Kaitlyn, a dance fanatic, and a son, Ryan, a baseball nut.

Tell me about the first and second time you met Arnold Palmer. I am humbled to talk about my time spent at Augusta, but… when I was an intern, I was on 13 green. Palmer, Nicklaus and Player are coming through. I got off to the side. I was a ways away, but Palmer starts walking towards me, which made me nervous. He introduced himself, and I was like, “Oh, (expletive.)” We talked Iowa State for a minute… I came back to Augusta the next year as an assistant. Those same three are coming down No. 15. Mr. Palmer sees me and says — like it was yesterday — “Hey Mark! Weren’t you here last year? How’s Iowa State? Did you graduate?”

As interviewed by Seth Jones, May 23, 2017.