THOMAS VLACH

Certified Golf Course Superintendent

PROFILE

A year and a half later, Tom had another excellent opportunity and he successfully interviewed at the famed Pine Tree Golf Club in Boynton Beach, Florida. He moved from a low-budget, low-pressure course to a high-budget, high-pressure facility. Money wasn't much of a factor and few excuses were accepted. In five years he completely restored the course to its original Dick Wilson design. While the job was fantastic, he and his wife wanted to move closer to family.

In 1999, Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama became Tom's new home. They had an established 18-hole course, and Tom built a new Rees Jones 18 holes. Everything seemed perfect for nine seasons. Then Fred Klauk, Superintendent at TPC Sawgrass, called to say he was retiring, and Tom asked if he should pursue a new career path with the TPC organization. Fred informed him of the demands at Sawgrass, but also of the many rewards working for TPC would provide. After a lot of soul-searching, Tom sent his resume. Following an exhaustive selection process, Tom was chosen.

During his time at Sawgrass, Tom led a massive renovation to the property and was awarded the National TPC Maintenance Award numerous times due to his leadership. The Players event was revitalized while he oversaw the event, coinciding with a new date and improved operational standards Tom implemented. He also developed into a very media-savvy professional through his industry-leading agronomy blog, patron education and utilization of videos on maintenance practices.

While Sawgrass is a great place to call home, TPC is a larger company that just Sawgrass. Because of Tom's experience and results, TPC asked him to overtake their Sugarloaf operation in greater Atlanta in 2015 to bring it up to the standards he established at Sawgrass. Tom accepted this challenge and is working diligently on the property transformation, including planning a $17M renovation slated to begin 2017.

After transforming Sugarloaf, Tom went to his next big opportunity at Grey Oaks Country Club. He was once again tasked to overhaul the entire operation, including 54 holes of golf. During his tenure, Tom has implemented his expert programs to transform the courses into championship caliber conditioning. Grey Oaks is currently undergoing a large renovation project with Tom as the lead.

For all of his hard work and dedication to the industry, Tom has received numerous awards and recognition. At TPC Sawgrass, he was honored with the National Award for Resort Category by ELGA (Environmental Leaders in Golf) and as previously mentioned the TPC National Operation Award. Tom's career is far from over, and he continues to build on his reputation in the industry with hard work, leadership, problem-solving, and above all--passion for success.