New job takes super in an old direction

For 22 years, Ted Shurling took a left turn to go to work.

On Monday, Shurling went right.

Shurling, who lives in Appling, Ga., goes to Thomson now instead of Augusta each working day.

He's the new golf course superintendent at Belle Meade Country Club. That's the same position he'd held since 1989 at Augusta's Forest Hills Golf Club, where he worked since 1983.

"It was really strange," said Shurling of his new route to work.

Shurling wrestled long and hard before deciding to leave his co-workers and the members at Forest Hills, which he said "are like part of the family."

"It was hard to say goodbye to the people, especially the guys that work for me," Shurling said.

But the lure of returning to Belle Meade as head superintendent was just too strong.

"It's the only course I'd leave Forest Hills for under any condition," Shurling said.

Shurling, 45, grew up in Thomson and got his start in the golf course business in 1976 at Belle Meade, working on the maintenance crew for two years before going off to college, then starting at Forest Hills on its crew.

"It's the place I learned the game and where I had my first job," Shurling said of Belle Meade. "I'd like to see it back to the state it was in at that time. At that time, it was one of the better golf courses in this part of the state."

To bring Belle Meade back to that standard, the course recently closed for renovation work and won't open before August at the earliest.

Shurling is an expert on renovation work. He headed up a seven-month renovation project at Forest Hills in 2003 that drew generally positive reviews.

"He led us to do the right things; he set everything up," said Forest Hills head pro and general manager Robby Watson, who promoted Shurling's assistant, Darrin Davenport, to take over as head superintendent.

"Ted had a plan for us every day," Watson said of the renovation work. "They want to turn Belle Meade back around, and he's the guy that can do it. Having Ted is definitely a plus for them."

After the monumental task at Forest Hills was complete, Shurling didn't think he'd ever go through another golf course renovation.

"I was convinced of it," he said. "Before we started it at Forest Hills, everybody said, 'Once you do it, you'll never want to do it again.' Some of them wonder if I'm nuts doing it again, especially this soon. But Belle Meade is the only course I'd do it at."

There's a long service road at Forest Hills that winds its way to the maintenance building, where Shurling had his office.

That road seemed longer than usual last Friday afternoon when Shurling drove it for the last time.

"There is the sadness of leaving, but also a lot of excitement about starting this new project," he said. "There are a lot of good people down there (at Belle Meade) too."

HALL OF FAME CLASSIC: Augusta native and 1987 Masters Tournament champion Larry Mize will be the chairman for the inaugural Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Golf Classic.

"I'm happy to be part of this," Mize said.

There will be six qualifying tournaments across the state for the four-player team event, starting at Augusta's Forest Hills Golf Club on March 7.

There is a limit of 25 teams per qualifying site.

The top four teams from each qualifying tournament will advance to the championship round, which is May 16 at The Club at River Forest in Forsyth.

The qualifying tournaments will follow a scramble format off the tee, then go to best-ball. The final 18-hole score will be determined by the Callaway Handicapping System.

Under this system, a team's handicap is determined by deducting from the team's gross score the scores of the worst individual holes. A team must use at least two tee shots by each player.

"The GSHF has produced a good concept for Georgia's golfing community that will be memorable for its participants," Mize said.

Entry fee is $150 per person. For an entry form or more information, call the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame at (478) 752-1585, extension 101 or visit www.georgia sportshalloffame.com.

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.