Like father, like son

For years, sons have followed in their fathers’ footsteps careerwise. President George W. Bush followed his father to the White House, and Peyton and Eli Manning have each taken snaps in the NFL, like their father Archie did many years ago.

Golf course superintendents are no different. Despite the long hours, stressful situations and rigorous demands of the profession, many sons have joined the industry in the wake of their fathers.

Legacy
Paul B. Latshaw began working for his father, Paul R. Latshaw, when he was 12 years old. Having grown up on some of the most prestigious golf courses in the country, the younger Latshaw had no doubt in his mind what he’d be doing for a living.

“At an early age, I knew this is what I wanted to do,” he says. “I can honestly say, in the beginning, I worked on golf courses, and Dad didn’t think I’d get into [the business].”

Now the certified golf course superintendent at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Latshaw honed his skills while helping his father at gems like Oakmont, Augusta National, Congressional and Winged Foot.

Bob Frase, seated in the center, has watched his sons and daughter follow him into the golf industry and may watch his grandsons do the same at his family-owned and operated Sable Creek Golf Course in Hartville, Ohio.

Bob Frase, superintendent and owner of the Sable Creek Golf Course in Hartville, Ohio, has had four of his sons (and a daughter) join him in the golf industry. Scott Frase, CGCS at Congress Lake Club, also in Hartville, and his brother Jeff aren’t too far from the family course where Dan has assumed superintendent duties from his semi-retired father and David runs the clubhouse with sister, Theresa Headley.

“It’s pretty nice,” Bob Frase says of having his family so heavily involved. “It’s rewarding seeing them have the same interests. They’re so talented, but I never pushed for them to go into the business. They wanted to go in on their own.”

The Frase family built Sable Creek from scratch on the family farm, but this wasn’t the first time Bob Frase went through the process. He helped build three of the previous four courses he worked at, including Tannenhauf, in Alliance, Ohio; Bob O’Link (now the Sanctuary) in North Canton, Ohio; and Seven Hills, in Hartville. The only course he worked without building is Congress Lake.

David Frase and his siblings, like Paul B. Latshaw, started following their dad to the course at an early age.

“We started by going to work with Dad,” he says. “We stuck around until he started paying us.”

He adds the family also worked a sod farm and grew and sold sweet corn while growing up.

Having seen all the hours a golf course superintendent puts in, some people would shy away from the golf industry – not David Frase.

“It’s a situation where you learn that work is a natural part of your life,” he says. “You expect to put in the hours.”

Frase admits he and his siblings don’t put in the hours his father did while trying to raise the family.

The younger Latshaw had no problems with the extended hours either.

“My father instilled an excellent work ethic in me,” he says. “He’s the hardest working man I know. This occupation is something you get very passionate about. The hours never bothered me – I actually liked it.”

Latshaw joked that his classmates thought he went away for summers because of all the time he spent working on golf courses. They’d see him on the last day of school and then not again until school started back up in the fall.

Bruce Williams, CGCS at the Los Angeles Country Club, worked with his father, Bob, at Bob O’Link Golf Course in Highland Park, Ill. He was at Bob O’Link for 21 years, following the 21 years his father worked the course.

Bruce and Bob Williams share another unique distinction. They are the only father/son duo to serve as presidents of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Bob served in 1958, and Bruce served in 1996. They also are past presidents of the Midwest and Chicagoland associations as well.

Bruce, who calls his dad a great role model and great leader by example, has two sons and two daughters; but there’s no pressure for any of them to follow their dad.

“They can be whatever they want to be, and I will support them in that endeavor,” he says.

Unlike Latshaw and Frase, Bruce Williams wasn’t working directly for his father at a young age. Instead, he and his brother, Robert, worked for hall of fame club maker and pro Hubby Habjan at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Ill. Bob Williams says Habjan instilled a lot of self discipline in his sons.

The senior Williams, who says Bruce following in his footsteps is the greatest thing in the world, puts his son at the top of the profession.

“I’m very proud of him,” he says. “He does one of the finest, if not the finest, job of any superintendent.”

Advice
Having a wealth of experience in the family has its benefits. Whether there’s a trouble spot on a green or a tractor is acting up, younger superintendents can turn to their fathers for advice.

“The guy really knows his stuff,” David Frase says of his father while admitting there can be added stress within a family environment. “In a family situation, you can argue a little more, but you have a better relationship overall. You really start to mesh as a team.”

Bob Frase doesn’t generally offer suggestions because he has confidence in his sons, but questions are always welcome.

“It’s pretty neat when they ask, but I don’t just offer advice,” he says.

Paul B. Latshaw, whose dad is now a consultant, says talking shop comes naturally to him and his father.

“When we talk, it’s usually about golf course-related stuff,” he says. “We sometimes talk sports, but [the golf industry] is a common thread.”

Bruce Williams talks to his father, who is now 90 years old and retired, on a daily basis and says their conversations touch on myriad topics. Discussions can range from the 1930s to ’90s.

His father offered him one piece of advice when he entered the industry.

“You’ve got to make your superiors see how good you can make them look,” Bob Williams said.

Judging by the pristine greens and manicured fairways at the Los Angeles Country Club, Bruce Williams took that to heart. GCN