The 19th Hole: Matt McDonald

Matt Mcdonald

Superintendent, Water’s Edge Golf Club, Worth, Ill.

Matt, what are you having?

I’m having a beer, and I’m not too picky. I’ll go anywhere from Miller Lite to IPAs or whatever they got.

Tell me about Water’s Edge.

It’s a municipal course owned by the Village of Worth. It’s your typical 1990s construction. We’ve been through our ups and downs like every other place did with the economy the past 25 years. But we’re moving in the right direction.

How did you get into the business?

I went to Penn State as a chemistry major. I quickly realized I didn’t want to spend all my time in a lab. The guy living next to me was a turfgrass science major — I didn’t even know that was a thing. After that first semester, I transferred with no golf course work experience prior to that.

Did you keep in touch with your neighbor?

I did. We’ve had a text string going since college. But he’s not in the business anymore. 

What do you and your wife do for fun?

We enjoy hosting cookouts at the house or just sitting around, maybe having a glass of wine. And we go to concerts.

What are your music tastes? Give me a recent show.

The most recent was Gary Clark Jr. and the Black Keys. I wasn’t a big Black Keys fan going in, to
be honest, but they opened my eyes … they were amazing.   

What teams do you root for?

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and only moved out to Chicago about 15 years ago. Being raised in Pittsburgh, you can’t get rid of those allegiances.  

Do you have an all-time golf highlight?

I made my first hole-in-one last year. It was during our superintendent’s match play event, too, so it meant something … although we ultimately went on to lose the match, which was unfortunate.

Tell me the story… what course, club, and did you see it go in?

It was No. 11 at Rolling Green CC, Arlington Heights, Ill. We were down three, and I hit kind of an easy nine. I thought it was a decent shot but you never expect it to go in, I hit it up there close, it took a couple bounces and caught a hillside … so I just bent over to pick up my tee, and the other guys are like, “I think that went in!” I looked up, and there’s no ball up there.

Was it a costly celebration?

Actually, no. It was just the four of us, and my playing partner was pretty upset with the way he played — we lost the match on the 18th. He didn’t want anything to do with anyone, so he was out. And one of the guys on the opposing team is not a drinker. It was low-key, I got off easy.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, Sept. 18, 2025.