New Cherokee Country Club Superintendent David Garrett's first day on the job was June 13.
Garrett was officially awarded the job earlier this month. His first day on the post was June 13th.
“I’m really thankful to have this opportunity and I’m looking forward to improving this course as much as I can,” Garrett said. “I want to give everyone a good golf course.” Garrett is a native of Centre. He attended both Cherokee County High School and Auburn University. The 47-year-old has lived at the Cherokee Country Club for the past 12 years.
“I live just off of the driving range,” Garrett said. “ It’s nice being so close to where I work.”
Garrett is no stranger to the game of golf either. He says he’s been playing since he was old enough to grip a club, and he’s been playing on the Cherokee County course for quite a while.
“I remember when the golf course had just been built back in 1969,” he said. “ I have played on this course for decades, so I’ve got a good feel for how to golf it and how to maintain it.”
Steve Baker, club manager, has known Garrett for quite some time and is looking forward to working with him.
“I have known David since we were kids,” Baker said. “He has been doing a great job so far, and he has some good ideas for the course.”
Aside from being an amateur golfer and playing in various amateur tournaments over the years, Garrett has held several positions with the Cherokee Country Club.
“I have served on the board of directors six times,” said Garrett. “ I have also been the president four times and served as interim superintendent twice.”
The club averages about 260 members, and being superintendent of a smaller course often translates into more work.
“Being on a smaller course means that I have to be more involved in everything that goes into keeping up this course,” Garrett said. “I supervise less employees than some larger courses, but that means I know more about the daily routine and maintenance.”
It appears being a golf course superintendent is a very tedious and detailed job, even for a small course. It doesn’t all happen overnight either, Garrett said.
“To get this course where I would like to see it will probably take at least a year or two,” he said. The course if open year round, too, so there is never a day off.”
Taking care of the greens is a big priority.
“Things like wild weeds and crab grass are a problem,” said Garrett. “We have to work on that first.”
The crab grass and weeds are not only cosmetic issues that can ultimately effect a golfer’s game. Improving the course and greens to help a golfer’s game is one of the challenges Garrett wants to undertake.
“When the greens are healthy and taken care of, that will make the ball easier to hit and make the course more uniform,” said Garrett. “Those things are a big part of playing golf.”
The club had several greens replaced last year due to chemical damage, but they have been doing well over the past year, Garrett said.
“Those greens are healthy now,” he said. “They need to mature, though, and that will take two or three years, but they have been doing really good.”
Having someone do all of these things helps ensure a good-looking course, but playing the game is what attracts most people.
According to Baker, the club has a lot of that going on this summer, including a junior golf clinic.
“We have been having the clinic since school let out, and we average around 20 kids a day,” he said.
The clinic is open for kids ages 8-17. The fee is $5 per day. There will also be a breakfast scramble on July 4, and the Dub Ellis Men’s Invitational will be July 16-17.
For more information about the Cherokee Country Club, call 256-927-5070.
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