The 19th Hole: Steve Loughran
Superintendent // Rock Ridge CC, Newtown, Conn.
What are you drinking?
I love the Brooklyn Summer Ale this time of year.
Tell me about Rock Ridge CC?
It’s a nice private 9-hole course in beautiful Newtown. Very family oriented. It’s a pretty special golf course — a beautiful design, and even though it’s nine holes, you go through it twice and you see many different shots.
And you recently rebuilt a green?
We rebuilt the ninth green. Prior to rebuilding, it was severely pitched from back to front, not many pin locations. Back in the ’50s, when the green was mowed at higher cuts, you could get away with it.
Favorite club in your bag?
My driver, a 913 Titleist D3, 9.5-degree. It’s a stick.
Are you getting out there to play as much as you’d like?
I get to play a lot of golf at my club with my membership — it’s my public relations night. It’s one thing to send out an email blast, another to go play golf with the members. That’s where you really get to answer questions, and it’s an easier setting.
And your family — you and Amanda became parents recently?
We have a 7-month-old baby girl named MacKenzie.
Getting any sleep?
Not anymore since she just started teething. It’s fun though, she’s starting to laugh, giggle, crawl all over the place, she’s a very happy baby.
What are your teams?
I’m a New Yorker through and through. Born and raised in Staten Island, so I’m a Yankees fan, a Rangers fan, a Giants fan.
Did you enjoy speaking to the students at Jacobsen’s Future Turf Managers event?
It brought me back to when I was there (as a student) in 2007. It was nice to see a lot of young faces, just to pass along a little of my experiences as an assistant and now a superintendent. They were eager to get the most of the situation.
As interviewed by Seth Jones, June 2nd, 2015.
Photo: Seth Jones