By Geoff Johansen
BEST Professional Products
This month’s superintendent profile will focus on the host of the Hi-Lo superintendents Association annual Scholarship and Research tournament.
Ty Broadhead was born and raised in San Marino California and moved to the desert his freshman year in high school. He graduated from Indio high school in 1980, and immediately after graduation went on his mission assignment with The Church of Latter Day Saints in London England. After completing his mission he enrolled at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona (GO BRONCOS) to complete his degree in Horticulture and Turf Management. While attending Cal Poly one of Ty’s major influences was Dr. Kent Kurtz.
After graduation Ty landed his first superintendent job at Ivey Ranch golf course. His tenure was a year then he was hired at Desert Island golf club. Ty spent the next two years working at Desert Island before he was hired at the Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert. Ty recalls one of the funniest things happening to him while he was at The Lakes. It was right around overseeding time, and he was busy looking at the golf course getting ready for the oversee process. His mind was going in a thousand different directions (As all of us Desert Rats can attest to) when he began to drive against the flow of play on hole number six. He drove over a small mound on the right hand side of the hole in a Daihatsu with no roof. On the other side of the mound was a bunker in which he flew the cart right into the middle of the bunker. He was not thrown out of the vehicle, and was not hurt accept his pride of course. He drove the Daihatsu out of the bunker, and raked it up very quickly! I think all of us in the business have similar stories. Ty was the superintendent at The Lakes Country Club for four years. From The Lakes Ty was hired at La Quinta Country Club. During his eight year tenure at La Quinta Country Club Ty went through a complete renovation of the golf course in 1999, and hosted several Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Tournaments’. Ty was then hired to run the operations at his current position Tradition Golf Club. He has been there nine years and running. If you ever get a chance to visit the golf course make it a priority. It is definitely a top five golf facility here in the Coachella Valley.
Ty and his wife Denise have four sons Kirk 23, Cameron 18, Nick 16, and Jarrod 14. The Broadhead family schedule is quite filled with attendance at wrestling and basketball practices and competitions. When there is spare time in the schedule Ty enjoys watching college football. Growing up in a suburb of Southern California Ty is an avid fan of USC Football. Yours truly also growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles was an avid fan of U.C.L.A. football and basketball. Ty did admit he was a U.C.L.A. basketball fan growing up and attending the John Wooden camps. When not watching college football, and attending to his kids schedules Ty is very involved with the local chapters of The Church of the Latter Day Saints. Ty served as a Bishop at one of the local stakes here in the Coachella Valley for five years, and now proctors/mentors each of the local area Bishop’s.
Ty originally thought he would be a landscape architect instead of a golf course superintendent. He credits Dr. Kent Kurtz, Dennis Orsborn, Bruce Deanow, and Gary Peterson for mentoring and “straightening” his views out about the golf industry. When asked about the industry and how it has changed in the last twenty four years, Ty believes the biggest difference has been how the golf course superintendent is viewed. Twenty or so years ago the superintendent was the third most important aspect in the operation of a club. In today’s world the superintendent is often viewed as the second most important part of any operation right behind the general manager/director of golf. With the help of people like Ty Broadhead the business of golf maintenance will continue to gain acceptance, notoriety, and admiration from all.
