Craig Rush and his wife, Barb Rush supporting their son Corey who works for EKU Athletics.
Craig Rush and his family have been around The Woodford Club since 2000. They would’ve been here a year sooner too, if it weren’t for the infamous waitlist. Nevertheless, they found their way here and continue to enjoy every minute of it!
Originally from a small town in Northern New York called Massena, Rush had an exciting journey to get him where he is today.
“It was kind of by accident,” Rush said. “I applied to graduate school after doing a four year degree, and ultimately ended up at the University of Vermont, where I finished a PhD and got trained in behavioral pharmacology.”
From there, he worked at The University of Mississippi Medical Center for five years, before a series of “happy accidents” led him to The University of Kentucky.
“I had been offered a great job at the University of Texas in San Antonio for a lot more money than I was going to make here at Kentucky, but friend of mine convinced me to come up and interview and give a talk,” Rush said. “You know, the normal dog and pony show. The campus of The University of Kentucky reminded me of the campus of The University of Vermont, which Barb and I both loved.”
For most of his career, he said he’s been researching and working to identify new and better interventions for stimulant abuse like methamphetamine and cocaine.
While his job has taken him to many places and required a lot of hard work and dedication, Rush and his family always made time for the golf course. His children played there in school, and he felt it was important to continue to support the club over the years.
“My son, Corey became really, really good, and so I got many favorite memories out there with him, because we played a lot,” Rush said. “Corey worked at the golf course a few years when he was in high school cleaning off the carts.”
While he wasn’t able to participate this year, Rush said his favorite event the club holds is The Woodford Cup. He can recall memories of past years, playing with all his friends.
“The way I describe our membership, or have described it over the years, is it's our recreation, it's our exercise and socializing.” Rush said.
Rush plays with what they call the “Burke Group” and he’s been playing with them for a long time.
“It's just a great bunch of guys to play golf with, and there's kind of this group of women who play a little bit in front of us on the weekends,” Rush said. “And my wife is now a part of that women's group. So, yeah, we got a ton of friends out there…we kid when we're done playing golf that, you know, 80% of the fun is sitting around having a beer.”
It’s been a fun journey for Rush and his family. Coming to Kentucky in 1999, moving to Versailles, and becoming a member at The Woodford Club has awarded them friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime.
“It was just one of those accidents, that was a good accident.” Rush said.
We appreciate Craig Rush and his whole family for continuing to make an impact here at The Woodford Club!