It’s a lot of early mornings and beautiful sunrises for Rick Van Rooyen. His job isn’t for the weak! If you ever wonder why our greens are beautiful or why our course is one of a kind, he’s a part of the answer!

Rick’s been at The Woodford Club since December of 2023.

“I help take care and maintain the whole outside of the course, from greens, bunkers, rough and the whole outlook of the course,” Van Rooyen said.

You’ve probably seen a picture or two on our Facebook or Instagram that showcase the sunrise through the trees, fog on the grounds, or a rainbow over the pond. He’s got quite an eye for that.

“The most beautiful thing or moment on the course is when we start in the dark (early morning) and while we’re working we can watch the most beautiful sunrises coming up over the course,” he said.

Although it’s a lot of hard work, the payout is more than worth it.

“I just love being out there on the course and seeing what it looks like after we are done with our job for the day and seeing how good it looks,” Van Rooyen explained.

Over the past year, he’s had the pleasure of being a part of all different events at The Woodford Club. One of his favorites was The Woodford Legends Invitational.

“Definitely because it was my first one, the week of the Legends of the LPGA was my favorite,” Van Rooyen said. “The course was perfect and beautiful and I think we did a great job and had a great week.”

Many of the Legends boasted about our course conditions. They applauded Rick and the rest of our team for the hard work they did and the beautiful greens they maintained. These ladies have played across the world, and considered The Woodford Club one of their favorites.

At the end of the day, Rick explained how grateful he is to be a part of The Woodford Club family.

“I’m forever grateful to owners, Mr Chet Blackey, Mr Randy Clay, PGA Pro - Bob Baldassari and Scott Dornbrock, our previous Superintendent, that gave me the opportunity to work at this amazing golf course.
I also want to say Thank you to the great team that I can work with starting with everyone in the Pro shop and then to Joey Walls and Jon Perry who work with me everyday outside on the course.”

We appreciate Rick for all the hard work he does! Thank you Rick!