Gray days on the West Coast

Thomas Gray, CGCS, calls himself a big Tiger Woods fan. Hopefully, Woods soon will be a Gray fan.

One of the busiest golf course superintendents on the West Coast ... or anywhere, for that matter ... has to be Gray. A member of GCSAA for 32 years, Gray works at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif., site of the PGA Cup that starts today. Not very long afterward, Oct. 6, CordeValle will welcome the Frys.com Open, a PGA Tour Fall Series event, which features Woods in the field for the first time.

"I'm a big Tiger fan, always have been," Gray, pictured above, told me this week. "I want to try to give him a good product, a great course, so maybe we can get him to come back next year."

Today, though, is all that matters to Gray. He wants to help put on a good show for the 25th annual PGA Cup, which is the golf club professional version of The Ryder Cup. Club pros from the U.S. meet a club pro team that is composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland beginning today. The red, white and blue has a decisive advantage in the series, entering with a 16-5-3 lead.

CordeValle seems to be in good hands. After all, Gray is a veteran of big events. Thirty years ago, he worked at Oakland Hills Country Club; the U.S. Senior Open was contested there in 1981. Four years later, the U.S. Open was there (Andy North won the event; he signed a flag for Gray, which is displayed in his office).

"The biggest thing the next few weeks is making sure the guys on the crew get enough rest, some time off between events," Gray said.

CordeValle, located in northern California, opened in 1999. The golf course, approximately 45 minutes north of Pebble Beach, has mostly avoided weather-related issues this year that have plagued courses throughout the country.

"Actually, we haven't had much rain, and overall, the temperatures have been very nice for us," Gray said. "I think we're in pretty good shape. A couple of guys from Great Britain said it is the best course they played all year."

Gray graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Crop and Soil Science. Besides his current job and Oakland Hills, Gray previously worked at Franklin Hills CC in Franklin, Mich., and Olympia Fields, Ill., CC. On occasion, he helped the Detroit Tigers at old Tiger Stadium. Currently, Gray serves on the USGA Green Section Committee and is a ratings panelist for Golf Digest.

Busy times, indeed. Gray wouldn't have it any other way.

"Things are going great; no complaints," Gray said. "Just a lot of fun."