I was introduced to golf when I was 11 years old and played my first 9 holes at Uvalde Municipal Golf Course. Back then, it was only 9 holes. I mostly enjoyed golf because I enjoyed being outside. At age 16, my grandfather helped me find my first job at Woodlake Country Club. I had a choice: work in the golf shop or work in golf maintenance. Working outdoors appealed to me and I quickly fell in love with golf maintenance as I was able to work all day and then go enjoy that which I worked so hard on. I also figured out that waking up early for work meant finishing work with plenty of time to play a few holes every day. I was sold! 

After two years at Woodlake, I followed my boss to the Quarry Golf Club in 1993. I worked summers while I attended Stephen F. Austin (go Lumberjacks!) and upon graduation, my boss, Bruce Burger, told me to find a job to gain some bentgrass experience. Soon after, I accepted a job at River Crest Country Club in Ft. Worth. The second piece of advice was to be willing to move. I took that to heart and two years later moved to sunny La Quinta, California in the Coachella Valley. I spent 19 years in the desert with exceptional clubs: PGA West, The Vintage Club, Rancho La Quinta Country Club and finally The Madison Club. In the desert I was fortunate to experience the overseeding market and managing bentgrass in an extreme environment where temperatures climb to over 120 degrees in the summer. Yes, it is a dry heat, but it gives hot a whole new name!

California offered a tremendous experience with the golf industry but not as tremendous as the life-changing experience of meeting my bride. Married on a beach in 2012, Rachel and I have three children: Uriah (7), Simon (5) and Taya (4). We are an active family as we like the spirit of adventure, spending most of our time outside. Each of my kids loves to ride around ‘daddy’s course’ and they are excited at the prospect of seeing deer and armadillos. I grew up hunting and fishing in Bracketville and Pearsall and I look forward to getting our kids out on some Texas adventures and hunts. Rachel and I are also looking forward to great Texas BBQ!

We are excited to be here and join the Cordillera Ranch family. I am equally excited to bring to you and your guests a quality playing experience from amazing putting surfaces and enhancing the beauty of the Club. If you see me, flag me down and chat for a while. We can talk golf or turf and, who knows, you may even find out a few more interesting tid-bits about me, like having volleyball as my favorite sport or a story about riding a unicycle at a Spurs half-time show. All in all, I am honored to be here and to serve you and your family well.  

See you on the course!

Stu

Stuart Rowland is the Director of Agronomy at The Clubs of Cordillera Ranch. He can be reached at srowland@cordilleraranch.com and 830.336.3710.