Been waiting to say something for a while, but it's now official. Russ will do a GREAT job at LACC, especially with the upcoming renovation work.
Here's the link:
http://www.southcentralgolf.com/Russ Myers, who helped Southern Hills present itself in spectacular fashion to the world at the 2007 PGA Championship and the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship and to members on a daily basis, has resigned as course superintendent effective Jan. 1, 2010, to become the superintendent at Los Angeles Country Club.
Myers said it was an extremely difficult decision for him to leave Southern Hills, where he has been superintendent since 2006, but he was also excited by the challenge ahead at the exclusive Beverly Hills club, which opened in 1911, has 36 holes and is in the midst of a major renovation.
"I can't have a better situation than I have right here," Myers said. "At the same time, I'm a little bit of a risk taker and I felt like this was enough of a challenge and an opportunity that I didn't want to pass it up.
"I thought I would be in Tulsa for the rest of my career. There are only about five courses in the country that would have interested me, and this was one of them. I've always had a fascination with Riviera Country Club which is right down the road. This will be similar as far as great weather 350 days a year and a classic golf course."
Southern Hills has retained Tim Moraghan, former chief agronomist for the USGA who in 2007 formed his own consulting firm called Aspire Golf Consulting, to help it identify the next superintendent. Moraghan recommended Myers to Southern Hills General Manager Nick Sidorakis in 2006 and also was involved in Myers move to Los Angeles Country Club.
"Tim is very well networked," Sidorakis said. "This is going to be a very attractive job and we're going to get a great superintendent."
Sidorakis was highly complimentary of Myers, with whom he developed a close friendship as well as a working relationship.
"Russ came in at a very critical time. We were on the back end of a major course renovation and just 11 months prior to the PGA. He really did a tremendous job for us. He got the golf course to a level where our expectations were met and then he exceeded them. We're sad to see him go but it's a great opportunity for him.
Sidorakis said he hopes to have a new superintendent in place by March.
"It's actually pretty good timing," Sidorakis said. "We're into winter and we're not doing any major projects. Russ is here until the end of the month and the assistants will do a good job after that until the new superintendent starts. He's going to inherit a very well conditioned golf course. This was one of the best, if not the best, years for conditioning that we've had."
The move will conclude a busy fall for Myers. Since the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills in August, he married the former Lindsay Patterson of Tulsa, purchased a house and attempted to sell his first house.
Myers said he was proud of the job he and his crew did for the two major championships and also in making other improvements to turf conditions and in rebounding from a major ice storm. Mainly, he said Sidorakis and the board at Southern Hills made his job difficult to leave.
"It was more about the relationships that were fostered and the trust that was there. That freedom to do your job the way you know it should be done is not easy to get and a hard thing to walk away from. I hope it's the same situation in L.A."
Myers first rebuffed the offer but was approached again and an interest was kindled. He is a fan of architect George Thomas Jr, who designed the course in 1921, and is also appreciative of the efforts in the current renovation to restore the course to a classic look. The North Course is ranked No. 20 by Golfweek in its list of Top 100 Classic U.S. Courses (before 1960) and 46th by Golf Digest in its list of Top 100 Courses in the U.S.
Prior to Southern Hills, Myers was the superintendent at Card Sound Golf Club in Key Largo, Fla., for eight years. Myers' first job after graduating from State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill with a degree in plant science was as an assistant at Augusta National, where he helped for four years with preparations for the Masters."
This is TREMENDOUS news for LACC!
Tony Nysse
Pine Tree GC
Boynton Beach, FL