I would like to begin my first newsletter by saying that I look forward to serving you all for the upcoming year 2016 and I want to thank Thomas Speakman for setting the bar so high as your outgoing President. Thomas did a great job this past year organizing some great events. I would also like to thank Jim Papa for serving the past two years as Past President.  Jim's guidance for Thomas and I was invaluable as we press on into 2016.  Also, thanks Pat Brown, Rich Cope and Jason Weideman for their service on the Board of Directors.  I would like to welcome our new board members voted on by the membership. Wayne Slayton, Matt Cowan and Jarrett Eledge will be serving as the superintendent members. Corby White and David Shackelford will be the affiliate members. We have a great group of Board of Directors, a good mix of some new faces and some returning ones. I think 2016 will be a great year. 

I would like to let you all know of some things that will be coming in 2016. Our first meeting of the year will be an educational meeting held at Cabela's. This meeting will take place January 19th. This meeting will feature Armen Suny as our guest speaker. Armen has a very long and impressive resume growing grass at some of the finest properties in the country.  Armen is also a principal in the design firm Suny Zokol Golf Design and he is the primary superintendent headhunter for Kopplin & Kuebler Search Firm. Armen will share some insight into resume building and career development. I think this will be a great educational meeting for all of us. Our Turf Show/Scholarship Tournament will be held at The Bandit Golf Club in New Braunfels. Please come out and support that event. More details on future events will be coming in our next newsletter. 

It is my goal to bring education back to several of our meetings. Even if these educational meetings are only an hour long, I feel it is important to offer this to the membership. Also, if you have not had time to do so, please visit our website. Carol Cloud took it upon herself to build a new site for us and it turned out fantastic. The website is very informative and up to date. 

In closing, if there is anything that we as the Board of Directors can do to enhance your membership please do not hesitate to contact myself at DLatham@clubatsonterra.com or Carol.  I look forward to a great year.

Have you heard the one about the UT biochemist turned superintendent?
by Brian Cloud
originally printed at http://gcsaa-south-central.blogspot.com/  - 2014

I am often amazed at the non-conventional and successful career paths of many superintendents in the South Central region. Last week, I was paired with GCSAA Class A member Donny Latham at a Central Texas GCSA event at Olympia Hills Golf Club in San Antonio. Although I had met Donny before and worked with him while he served on the CTGCSA Board of Directors, I didn't know him very well. I sure enjoyed getting to know him better and hearing about what he calls his "bizarre story" from biochemist to self-proclaimed "grass farmer." We all know there is no better way to get to know someone than to spend 18 holes and four hours together on the golf course!

In 2013, Donny accepted the position of director of golf course management at The Club at Sonterra, a 36-hole private facility managed by Century Golf. He is a native Texan and grew up in Little River - Academy, a very small town near Temple and one that only the most experienced Texas travelers would ever have heard of or visited. He headed south to Austin and earned a degree in biochemistry from the University of Texas. His career then took him to Seattle, Wash., where he worked in the biochemistry industry until he literally woke up one day and knew he needed a change in scenery and career path. He remembered that a close childhood friend, Justin White, had a degree from Texas A&M and was working in an industry that involved golf courses and growing grass. He checked into the details, and faster than a walking greensmower, he made a 180-degree change in careers.

Donny and his wife, Laurie, picked up from Seattle and headed south to Tucson, where he enrolled in the turf program at the University of Arizona. On his very first day in Tucson, another one of those bizarre twists happened when he met a golf member at The Gallery Golf Club while having dinner and watching the Holiday Bowl featuring the U of Texas and the U of Washington. The member introduced him to superintendent Paul Ellwood, who hired Donny despite his lack of experience or knowledge about golf course management. It turned out to be a great hire as Donny was instrumental in the building and opening of the South Course at The Gallery. Donny calls Ellwood a true professional superintendent and credits him with shaping his career.

From Arizona, Donny and his family made successful steps to the University of Texas Golf Club where he served as assistant superintendent under Rich Cope and then to his first superintendent position at The Republic Golf Club in San Antonio. Donny says he feels very fortunate to have worked with some great people along the way, which is evident in the way he talks about Ed Miller, with whom he had the privilege of working for at The Republic: "Ed is an amazing man who taught me so many things both professionally and personally. I only hope to someday positively affect the next generation of grass farmers in the way he influenced my career."

Donny and Laurie's pride and joy are their children: Grace, age 10, and Blake age 3. Donny also volunteers his time and expertise at the San Antonio First Tee when he's not at work or chasing the kiddos. Like all Central Texas GCSA members, he is very excited about the 2015 Golf Industry Show coming to San Antonio. Donny appreciates that his employer, Century Golf, is a huge supporter of participation and attendance at both local and national association events.

Hands down, the best part of my job is getting to know members on a personal basis. Thanks Donny, for a great day on the golf course and sharing your story. Hope you have a great 2014 season!