Gcsaa Member Eric Johnson, Former Shepherd, Preps Chambers Bay For U.S. Open

Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) member Eric Johnson reflects on his shepherd past as he prepares Chambers Bay for the U.S. Open

On the verge of perhaps his biggest professional moment, Eric Johnson fondly recalls two relatives who helped prepare him for it., director of argonomy at Chm

Johnson serves as director of agronomy at Chambers Bay, which is the center of the golf universe this week. The golf course, located in University Place, Wash., is hosting the 115th U.S. Open. Johnson, 52, certainly has an employment history that paved his journey to something so special.

The resume of the 22-year member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) reads like a list of the West Coast’s famed courses: golf course superintendent at Old Macdonald in Bandon, Ore.; golf course superintendent at Bandon Dunes in Bandon, Ore.; and golf course superintendent at Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, Calif.

You get the picture.

Now, picture this: When he was 20-something, long before Chambers Bay existed, Johnson gained a wealth of experience that came in handy — probably somewhere you never would have imagined.

He was a shepherd.

On his aunt and uncle’s farm in Oregon, Johnson was called to duty. Hal and Dolores Vrooman raised purebred North Cheviot sheep for show breeding. When Hal suffered a stroke, Johnson entered the picture to help care for the flock.

“I performed a lot of work on my own. It was a great experience,” says Johnson. “It helped develop the work ethic I have today.”

Johnson’s hard work will be showcased this week, along with Chambers Bay’s fine-fescue surfaces. It will be the first time in U.S. Open history that the tournament will be played on all fine-fescue turf. The fine fescue plays a key role in Chambers Bay’s sustainability efforts because the grass requires much less water and fewer inputs, such as fertilizers and pest control, than other grass types typically used in the region.

Both the long hours required to host a golf championship and the dedication to Mother Nature harken back to Johnson’s experience as a shepherd. Johnson compared it in many ways to hosting a golf tournament. This week, though, is no ordinary tournament.

“Sheep patterns reflect tournament prep. When you have 100 head of sheep that need to be fed every day, taken to pasture or have one that could give birth at 2 in the morning, you are married to the farm,” he says. “You also can’t take Saturdays and Sundays off.”