In this month’s Superintendent Spotlight we feature Tim Cloninger who’s worked at Eugene Country Club for the last two years.

Describe your facility in 10 words or less:
Big trees and Great Greens

What is a little-known fact / fun fact about your facility?
In 1967 Robert Trent Jones reversed the Chandler Egan routing.

What’s your favorite hole at your facility?
Hole No. 8

What’s the biggest challenge your facility presents to you as superintendent?
Aging infrastructure that needs renovation.

What is your go-to club in the bag?
7 iron

You are interning for a different position at your facility (for a day), what would that role be?
Chef

Excluding your current facility, what is the top golf course you’ve played?
Winged Foot

Who joins you in a dream foursome?
My Dad, My Brother, and My Uncle.

What’s your favorite sports team and why?
I grew up in St. Louis. Cardinals baseball is a way of life there.

What’s your favorite tool in your tool box?
Soil Probe

On your last day, what is your meal of choice?
Lasagna

What led you down the path of becoming a superintendent?
Keith Foster got me a job at Forest Hills at 16 years old. I liked it from the start and worked for good supers that helped me.

What’s the biggest change that has occurred while you’ve been in the industry?
The greens roller and soil moisture meter. The first few courses I worked at didn’t even have a roller.

What would you invent right now to make your professional life easier?
Automated lake fills with lake level sensors

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve witnessed or done as a superintendent?
Fall overseeding and bermuda/rye transition at Shadow Creek. Basically two full grow ins every year.

Who is your mentor?
Dr. David Kopec at University of Arizona and every superintendent I worked for have helped me.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to become a superintendent?
Be willing to take a risk and take on more responsibility early in your career