Short Shots

PGA golfer Woody Austin is a new partner at Willowbend Golf Club

Willowbend Golf Club owners Rod and Rick Nuckolls have a new partner: PGA Tour golfer Woody Austin.
“I will not be a silent investor who will not show up,” Austin says. “Part of the allure for me is I love to tinker…I will be out on the golf course trying to fix a bunker or fix a green. It’s a

big, long-term deal for me. It’s nothing on a short-term basis.”
   The Nuckolls brothers say they couldn’t have a better partner than Austin.
   “Everyone knows that Woody Austin is truly one of the best players in the world,” Rick Nuckolls says.
   He says Austin’s presence will have an impact with members and the club.
   “The capital influx will definitely help us run the operation,” Rod Nuckolls says. “There’s been a lot of things we wanted to do.”
   Austin’s first goal?
   “First and foremost for me would be to fix the driving range so I will have a nice place to practice when I’m home and getting ready to go back out on the road.”
   Austin travels 35 weeks a year.
   Rick Nuckolls says partnering on Willowbend and having more time to play themselves is “kind of the dream job, if you will.”
   “No true golfer wants to be stuck behind the desk all the time,” Austin says.
   He says that’s especially true for Rod Nuckolls.
   “That guy can flat out play, and he shouldn’t be stuck behind a counter,” Austin says.
   The Nuckolls brothers previously negotiated to sell to the owners of Echo Hills Golf Club, but Rick Nuckolls says it wasn’t anything they set out to do.
   “They came to us,” he said.

Southern Senior Tour plans Ft. Riley stop
   The Southern Senior Golf Tour will be making a tournament stop on July 19-22 at Custer Hill Golf Course on the Fort Riley base near Manhattan. Approximately seven amateur golfers fitting the eligibility criteria will be allowed into the field.
   The SSGT is a senior golf tour for professional and amateur golfers age 47 and older. The

SSGT is open to players that do not currently have full exempt status on the Champions Tour, The European Senior, PGA and Nationwide Tour.
   Players that had full exempt status, on any of the four major tours the past three years are not eligible. If you have the desire to compete at a very high level, and test your ability against some of the finest senior players in the country, this tour is an excellent proving ground, according to SSGT officials.
   The SSGT will be conducting senior professional events honoring United States military service members and their families during the 2010 season. Events will be held at military installations throughout the south central region of the country, including stops in Louisiana, Texas and Colorado.
   For more information go to www.southernseniorgolftour.com or contact David Crawley, head professional at Custer Hills, at (785) 784-6000.

Kansas superintendents elected to key GCSAA posts
   Sanford G. Queen, manager of golf operations for the city of Overland Park, was elected Sandy Queen

secretary/treasurer of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America at the association's annual meeting Feb. 12, and William H. Maynard, of Milburn Golf and Country Club in Overland Park, was elected to the GCSAA board of directors. Both are GCSAA-certified superintendents. GCSAA, with more than 20,000 members in 72 countries, is headquartered in Lawrence.
The annual meeting was held in conjunction with the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show last month in San Diego. Queen will serve until the 2011 annual meeting and election. Maynard will serve until 2012.
Queen has been the manager of golf operations for the city of Overland Park since 1984. Previously, he served as superintendent for the city of Overland Park. A GCSAA member for 32 years, Queen is a member and past president of the Heart of America GCSA, a member of the Kansas Turfgrass Association and Bill Maynard

The First Tee of Greater Kansas City. He also serves on The Environmental Institute for Golf Board of Trustees.
Maynard has been the certified golf course superintendent at Milburn since 1999. Prior to that, he was the superintendent at Champion Hills Club in Henderson, N.C., and the Virginian Golf Club in Bristol, Va. He has served as a board member for both the Carolinas and Heart of America chapters, including service as president for the Heart of America GCSA. Maynard has served on a GCSAA national committee every year since 1999, and he is also a member of the Kansas Turfgrass Association. A native of Nashville, Tenn., Maynard earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Tennessee in 1986.

Foundation benefits from online golf publication subscriptions
Help Support the Kansas Golf Foundation by signing up for your free subscription to the Global Golf Post. This online publication is delivered to your e-mail address before 7 a.m. EST, each Monday, 50 weeks per year. It includes a complete summary of the competitive game of

golf as played around the world the previous week, at both the professional and amateur levels. It also provides serious golfers with the latest equipment news and credible travel features.
   In addition, all KGA members who sign up will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a golf package (does not include travel or airfare) for four to Bandon Dunes Resort this fall. The prize package includes: accommodations and food for four nights, and a round of golf with caddy on each of Bandon Dunes’ four courses.
   It has never been easier to support the Kansas Golf Foundation. By signing up for your subscription to the very first ever designed-for-digital weekly golf news publication, Global Golf Post will donate $1 to the KGF.
   Help The Foundation spread the word by sending an invitation to family, friends, and fellow golfers. It is a great way to not only support the KGF, but to stay informed about the latest golf news around the world.
   Go to www.GlobalGolfPost.com to donate $1 to the Kansas Golf Foundation and receive your free subscription to Global Golf Post.