Hueston Woods greenskeeper reflects on golf journey

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Photo by Egor Zotov

Chris Dynes shows the course.

By Egor Zotov

Chris Dynes has been the superintendent of the Hueston Woods Golf Course for just over a year and a half. In that time, he flipped what was once a dying course in dilapidated conditions to one of the best in the area.

“It is night and day from what it used to be. Chris has put in so much effort to make the course look this good,” said Noah Siman, a Miami student and a member of the club golf team.

Dynes, 33, a native of Darrtown, was not introduced to golf until he was offered a job at Buck Point Golf Club (now Harbor Links Golf Club) in Liberty, Indiana, as a teen. He remembers this experience as the first time he was given the opportunity to be his own boss and go out into nature with power tools, which he said was one of the best times of his life.

“I remember, my supervisor would just give me my tools and a task, and I would go and do it,” Dynes said.

Dynes studied agriculture at The Ohio State University. He was assigned into a greenskeeper placement program upon graduation and eventually ended up at The Grove, a golf course near London, England.

“When I was in the program, I really wanted to go to Southeast Asia, but my advisors told me to go to England as it would have been less of a culture shock, ” Dynes said. 

Dynes met his wife Chloe while located at The Grove. He was an assistant greenskeeper, and she worked at one of the three restaurants.

After eight years away from home, Dynes took on the superintendent position at Hueston Woods. 

“Chris is an awesome guy who definitely knows his stuff. He is turning Hueston Woods into one of the premier courses in the area,” said Charlie Winkler, a local golfer who grew up playing the course.