Tom Alex Sits Behind His Desk at Grand
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GotUUStO? Tom Alex does, and he's brought plenty of it to his job as superintendent of Orlando's Grand Cypress Resort By Anthony Pioppi, om Alex sits behind his desk at Grand he does is apparendy contagious. Nearly 30 of Contributing Editor Cypress Resort, and its easy to see he Alex's former employees have gone on to finds great happiness in his position as become superintendents, including Mark director of grounds for one of Orlando's Michaud, the superintendent at Shinnecock most prominent golf resorts. Hills Golf Club. TYou would expect his enthusiasm to be a bit Alex offers no secret for his longevity. tempered; after all, he's had his hands on the "I like coming to work every day," he says as Grand Cypress reigns for more than 20 years. he sits relaxed in his small, comfortable office. But the 44-year-old Alex acts more like he has Continued on page 68 just taken over the job. His eagerness for what west Connecticut town of Washington Depot, where he excelled in baseball under the tute- lage of his father, who coached the Washing- ton High School team for more than 30 years. During his sophomore year Alex took his first summer job, shagging golf balls at the nine- hole Washington Golf Club. As the club pro gave lessons, Alex picked up balls one at a time and made 50 cents a lesson. Alex graduated to the grounds crew and spent much of the next two summers push- ing a rotary mower. "When they finally put me on equipment, that's when I screwed it up," he says. After graduating high school Alex had no intention of going into golf course main- tenance for a living, nor did he have any intention of going to college, especially with his below-average grades. However, nearby Hotchkiss School, an exclusive private academy whose students come from money and go on to the Ivy League, needed a shortstop and Alex needed some direction in his life. His father used a connec- tion, made a phone call and Hotchkiss suddenly recognized "my academic potential," Alex says, shaking his head with a wry smile on his lips. Alex spent a year at Hotchkiss doing noth- ing but playing baseball, soccer and studying. "You didn't have any extra time, especially when you weren't brilliant," he says. Alex, who is the only Continued from page 66 superintendent that Grand And this is no cushy private facility job. The Cypress has known, confers 45 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus see plenty Although Alex can spend a with Larry Smith, the club's of play. "We're busy all the time," Alex says, maintenance shop manager. pointing out that Grand Cypress has a tourna- good part of his day attending ment office to book all the outings the club hosts. On the Grand Cypress property are 144 meetings, he's still out on the villas. The nearby Hyatt Regency Grand Cy- press has 750 rooms, and its guests have course every chance he gets. access to the courses. Although Alex can spend a good part of his day attending meetings, signing purchase orders and the like, he's still out on the course It was during his time at Hotchkiss that he every chance he gets. It's there that he finds his began thinking seriously about college, and most enjoyment. the idea of going to turf school appealed to Grand Cypress has had only one head him. While his classmates went off*to the likes superintendent since the first course opened in of Yale, Princeton and Brown, for Alex it was 1983. Alex grew it in, maintains it and has made the University of Massachusetts-Stockbridge occasional renovations to it since arriving from and a two-year degree in turfgrass science, a the TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. major his guidance counselor at Hotchkiss The long way around to a career in course didn't even know existed. maintenance began for Alex in the small north- Continued on page 70 Alex (center) is most happy Continued from page 68 the Washington town garage," he says. when on the golf course. The unexpected twists and turns in Alex's The next few months were made up of Here he talks with assistant life were far from over. 90-hour weeks and a severe learning curve, superintendent Erin Gal- He excelled in his studies in his first year at part of which included getting to run heavy loway (Left) and senior UMass and was intending to head back to equipment for the first time. Alex also esti- superintendent Pat Gibaratz Washington Golf Course for the summer when mates he spent part of at least 100 days with about a tee addition project. he was approached in the midst of final exams course designer Pete Dye. by legendary Stockbridge Professor Joe Troll. Often that meant Dye standing there as Alex Troll asked Alex a question that would change raked out the final grades on greens. Alex did- his life: "Have you ever been to Florida?" n't just rake the grades, he also contributed to Alex had not, but he found himself there a forming them. He recalls Dye querying him few weeks later as an intern working on what once from off the green as he smoothed out a would become TPC Sawgrass under grow-in putting surface, "Hey Tommy, can we put a pin Superintendent Dave Postlethwaite. Alex there?" When Alex said, "Yes," they moved on. arrived in north Florida in March and went Another time Dye couldn't figure how to to work in the swamps as part of the early grade the right side of the 14th fairway. After stages of clearing. His companions were local failing on more than a few occasions to get it lumberjacks and snakes — large snakes. But right, he climbed off the bulldozer and left with Alex knew he was on to something special. instructions to Alex, "Do something." "The maintenance facility was bigger than Continued on page 72 Continued from page 70 One of those, Mark Heater, is the So Alex shaped the right side. When superintendent at The Loxahatchee Club Dye returned, he was ecstatic about the in Jupiter, Fla. Heater had already been work and left it as is. "That's the way he a superintendent when he came to did things," Alex says with a shrug. Grand Cypress, but his work experience Sawgrass was the first TPC course and had been at a small-budget facility, noth- as a result the PGA bigwigs were often ing like Grand Cypress. around, including then-PGATour Com- "I had never seen an operation like missioner Dean Beaman, whose idea it that," Heater says. "When I saw how good was to create TPCs. Alex made fantastic the golf course was, it opened my eyes." connections within the golf maintenance Heater, bursting with enthusiasm world, even being offered a chance to about his job at 44, says he fed off the forgo his last year of college to move on same attitude from Alex. to another course construction project in "I loved working for him. It was a Florida. He intended to take the position, blast for me," Heater says. "He's the per- until he phoned his father with the news. son who made me discover my own "He told me to get my butt home work ethic." and finish school," Alex says. Chris Neff is superintendent at Alex returned home to finish school Timuquana Country Club, the oldest and he graduated from UMass in 1981. course in Jacksonville. He was not sure He returned to Sawgrass shortly after and what he was going to do after college but stayed until June of 1983. He was the act- discovered his calling about a week after ing superintendent for six months at Saw- going to work for Alex. Alex helped Neff grass before he left for the opportunity to nurture that enthusiasm. at Grand Cypress and was replaced by Bobby Weed. (Weed would later join Dye's firm as a designer before forming his Alex's intention was to own architecture company. Weed has since made numerous alterations to Sawgrass.) build the Grand Cypress Also on the TPC staff was current USGA Championship Agronomist Tim course and keep moving Moraghan, who had come to Sawgrass from Pinehurst, where he was a super- on, but Orlando has intendent. Like Alex, he too is from northwest Connecticut. been home since. Alex left Sawgrass for another grow- Medallion® fungicide is the in. Initial clearing at Grand Cypress had emerging standard for snow mold just begun when he took the job. Alex control. Make one application before says his intention was to build the course "If you showed interest in what he and keep moving on, but Orlando has was trying to accomplish, he showed snow cover, and your course is been home since. In that time he's grown interest back," Neff says. protected from both pink and in a third nine holes, a teaching center This is not to say it was all fun and gray snow mold all winter long. and the 18-hole New Course, all Nick- games under Alex's guiding hand. That's the power of Medallion. laus designs. "At first he was a tyrant," Heater says. While Alex was tending to the turf, he "He's very disciplined and regimented was also cultivating new superintendents. in getting the job done." He says teaching people is as important Neff concurs. "You're going to take to him as tending turf.