What do ya say we add a bunker today? Speedy Victor completing the trio of bunkers on the short par 4 16th hole.

#17 back tee box at Grand Teton Club. Uninterrupted, eye level views of the entire Teton Range skyline — from Yellowstone to the north and Teton Pass to the south. Crux of this sneaky good par 3 might be not letting the mountains distract you.

“Does the new course have any water features planned?” Me normally: “No” The last two Saturday mornings: “Maybe we do, actually”

We show a lot of the land. The dirt. The equipment. The construction progress. And that’s because watching something get built from nothing is genuinely exciting to us and for all our future guests to see. But over the next few weeks, I want to start highlighting the people actually making this thing happen. Because Candyroot doesn’t exist without them. First up: Carson Shaw. Carson is our Golf Course Superintendent and — more importantly — he was our very first full-time hire. A Statesville, NC kid who studied at NC State and went on to work at Quail Hollow — one of the most respected clubs in the country and host of major championships. He could have gone a lot of directions from there but chose to bet on something brand new instead. Right now, during grow-in season, his job is everything. Growing grass on a golf course is both science and patience. You’re managing soil, water, seed, weather, and time — and the margin for error is real. Carson is locked in. But that title also means something different at a startup than it does at an established club. It doesn’t mean you clock in, do your job, and go home. It means you show up every day to a place that doesn’t fully exist yet, figure out what needs to get done, and do it — whether it’s in your job description or not. For Carson, that’s meant leading media walkthroughs, being present for investor visits, handling the hundred small things that don’t have an owner yet, and he’s doing all of it with an attitude and work ethic that sets the tone for everyone who comes after him. This is what building looks like. Dirt and equipment, yes. But mostly people like Carson. 🌱

A little surprise on Tuesday morning. Thanks for letting me write, @SethAJones. Probably owe ya some more columns for @Golfdom

No course walk is complete without some Eugene pets.

Morning course walk and this was too good of a shot to walk by without snapping a photo.

Friday, 9:19pm. Being baptized into superintendent-dom. Friday night scramble at Spudgusta interrupted by word of a “geyser” back on the rim near the old sales center. Not technically my responsibility…but we all know how that goes.

At a course that could have an argument for many signature holes, the par 3 12th is undeniably a standout. That’s why it’s got the first swing joints in the ground and will be numero uno for seeding.

Love the robot stripes, always keeping our 10th tee and wedding ceremony site looking sharp

Finally pulled the trigger myself on a home robotic mower. He’s out maintaining the wedding lawn where we got married last September. It’s pasture grass and rougher than I’d normally recommend to clients, but once I filled in a few holes, it’s been smooth sailing.

Most days it feels like I’m drinking from a fire hose out here, but at least the scenery keeps me calm.

It’s still underappreciated how quickly we’ll see dispersion of these robots. You could easily spend 3x the cost of this one on a riding mower, or even double that annually for a lawn service. These are going to be adopted so much faster than robotic vacuums were.

Rainy weekend in the Tetons meant sneaking away to join this one at the City of Rocks.

Dale laying down some absolute lasers amidst the Friday night Spudgusta scramble!

Who said robots can’t mow (disc golf) greens?