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The 19th Hole: Tyler Andersen, University of Texas Golf Club

By |  February 18, 2016 0 Comments

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Superintendent // University of Texas Golf Club, Austin

What can I get you?

An ice-cold Shiner Bock. A good ol’ Texan beer.

Are you married? Got kids?

I’m married, a little over three years now, to Kristen. No kids yet — unless you count my 4-year-old German shepherd, Layla.

Favorite thing about Austin?

It’s definitely the music, the food and the culture. Keep Austin weird, right?

Tell me one place I have to go next time I’m there.

Franklin Barbecue. He makes enough for the day, and only stays open until he’s sold out. He sells out every day. It’s amazing barbecue, especially the brisket.

What are your sports teams?

Anything Florida Gators, that’s where I went to college, and now I’m happy to cheer “Hook ‘em Horns,” too. And the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tell me about the University of Texas Golf Club.

It’s a great championship golf course in northwest Austin, out in the hill country. We’re home to the men’s and women’s golf teams, as well as a nice little private membership. Opened in 2003-2004. A relatively young club, but we’re booming.

So then, you hang out with Jordan Spieth daily?

You didn’t hear? I’m rooming in his new $12 million mansion. I take his plane to work every morning! No, he’s a good guy; he’s around sometimes. He does a big event here every year through the American Junior Golf Association. He really gives back, it’s good to see him then.

OK, say you could visit only three websites for the entire year. What websites?

That’s tough. Definitely the National Weather Service, ESPN.com and of course, Golfdom.com.

I’m happy to see another golfer who keeps a Bluetooth speaker in his golf bag.

Keep golf fun; It’s already got enough rules. We’ve got to find ways to keep people interested. I love listening to music when I’m playing. I’m an old soul, I’ll listen to classic rock, blues, a lot of outlaw country. I’ve got a JBL Flip, it’s Bluetooth and syncs to my phone. It’s perfectly round and fits into most cup holders.

Do you have a claim to fame?

I can honestly say I’m one of the only people in the world to have sodded Bobby Jones’ gravesite. I was at Atlanta Athletic Club, working for Ken (Mangum, CGCS) in 2007, and he said, “Grab these tools, and hop in the truck.” Before I knew it, we’re at Oakland Cemetery in downtown Atlanta and we’re standing in front of Bobby Jones’ gravesite. A couple pallets of Zeon zoysia show up, and we sodded it. We cut a cup next to his grave and put an AAC flag in it.

As interviewed by Seth Jones, Jan. 2016, 2016.

This article is tagged with and posted in 19th Hole, People

About the Author: Seth Jones

Seth Jones, a 18-year veteran of the golf industry media, is Editor-in-Chief of Golfdom magazine and Athletic Turf. A graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jones began working for Golf Course Management in 1999 as an intern. In his professional career he has won numerous awards, including a Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) first place general feature writing award for his profile of World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman and a TOCA first place photography award for his work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In his career, Jones has accumulated an impressive list of interviews, including such names as George H.W. Bush, Samuel L. Jackson, Lance Armstrong and Charles Barkley. Jones has also done in-depth interviews with such golfing luminaries as Norman, Gary Player, Nick Price and Lorena Ochoa, to name only a few. Jones is a member of both the Golf Writers Association of America and the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association. Jones can be reached at sjones@northcoastmedia.net.


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