Kevin Smith accepts job in Japan

One of North Carolina’s most recognizable turf managers is taking his vast knowledge to Japan.

In a letter to industry friends Thursday, Kevin Smith announced that he accepted a position in Tokyo and will be relocating to Japan on June 13. Smith spent 13 years with Pinnacle Golf Properties and currently serves as the company’s vice president/director of agronomy. Smith oversees the daily maintenance of Bryan Park Golf Course, a 36-hole facility in Greensboro. Wes Crompton will replace Smith at Bryan Park.

Under Smith’s guidance, Bryan Park resurfaced and/or modernized putting surfaces and bunkers, removed hundreds of trees, regrassed a large percentage of the playing surface, replaced a pump station, upgraded the daily conditioning standards, and improved irrigation coverage and programming within a fiscally conservative framework.

Smith, a 1981 Michigan State graduate, worked Troon Golf & Country Club, The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and The Golf Club at Eagle Mountain before joining Pinnacle Golf. Known for his willingness to share ideas, Smith organized a Turfhead Summit that annually attracted some of the region’s top turf minds to Greensboro.