SUPER IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Coming Around After working on a landscaping crew as a teenager, Brandon Haynes vowed to “never dig another hole in my life.” And when he started his first job at a golf course, he thought greens were artificial surfaces. But from there it’s been nothing but an enjoyable ascent to a “job I love” at California’s Oak Tree CC. By Jeff Bollig, Contributing Editor
IT’S A GOOD THING BRANDON Haynes didn’t take the advice of his 16-year-old self when it came to pursuing a career—if he had, he would have missed out on what he now calls the “best experience of his life.” Haynes, now 47, is the golf course superintendent at Oak Tree Country Club, which is part of the Bear Valley Springs community in Tehachapi, Calif. His first exposure to anything resembling golf course work came as a teenager working on a landscaping crew, where he spent most of his time with a shovel in his hand. “It’s funny,” Haynes says. “I hated it. I told myself I never wanted to dig another hole in my life. It was not a good experience. But here I am today—I have a job I love. I don’t mind that I have a shovel in my hand from time to time.” The fact that Haynes is even a golf course superintendent is a story itself. Born in Arcadia, Calif., but raised in Santa Clarita, golf was not even in his 46
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vocabulary. He was into hiking and motocross activities. In fact, Haynes sheepishly admits that on his first day working at a golf course, he learned that the putting green was not an artificial surface. So let’s get this straight: Haynes grew up not knowing anything about golf, disliking landscaping, and not knowing that putting greens featured “real” grass? How does one with that background become an accomplished golf course superintendent? It’s a long story—and one marked by talent and determination. C+RB Tell us about the progression of your career. HAYNES I graduated from high school in 1991 and became an electrician. I did that for four years and in 1995 decided to join the Army. I was a member of the 82nd Airborne stationed at Fort Bragg. After my tour of duty was done in 1999, I came back home and became an
ASAE-certified master automobile mechanic. About 10 years after I came back, I was visiting my father in Tehachapi, Calif., when I heard the golf course needed a mechanic. Actually, I was on the shooting range when a person there told me about the position, so I dropped off a resume with the course and I was hired almost right away. There was a dire need. That’s how I got into golf. C+RB When did you trade wrenches for a Stimpmeter? HAYNES I began as the equipment manager in June 2010. It was not your typical equipment manager position, because they had a fleet of vehicles and equipment to service all of the needs of the entire Bear Valley Springs Association. It was a big job. Four years into it, the assistant superintendent left the facility, and I was promoted to be both the equipment manager and the assistant superintendent. But that did not last long. www.clubandresortbusiness.com
