Jim Nantz Recognized by MetGCSA

Congratulations to Jim Nantz, "the voice of the Masters," who has been awarded the John Reid Lifetime Achievement Award by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association (MetGCSA). Nantz received the award at the MetGCSA’s Annual Winter Seminar Luncheon at Westchester Country Club in Rye, NY, on January 14, 2009.

Awards committee chairman and past MetGCSA president, Will Heintz says

“Through the years, Jim has been complimentary to grounds crews and superintendents while covering golf tournaments on national television. His impeccable image and reputation, along with his support has helped to promote the professional image of the golf course superintendent, the very premise on which the Reid Award was founded.”

Nantz is the 19th recipient of the John Reid Lifetime Award, which is presented to an individual who promotes the science and art of golf course management and the professional image of the golf course superintendent. John Reid, “The Father of American Golf,” introduced the game to America in 1888, founded Saint Andrew’s Golf Club (America’s oldest enduring golf club) in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and later assisted in the formation of the United States Golf Association and Metropolitan Golf Association.

Nantz has covered multiple CBS Sports events including NFL football, NCAA basketball, the Winter Olympics and is the anchor for the network’s golf coverage.

“I have always felt that the golf course superintendent is the unsung hero of the sport,” Nantz states. “I am particularly impressed by those who have made golf in the Metropolitan area so special. Here, you deal with all forces of Mother Nature, yet we are blessed with the greatest assemblage of golf courses anywhere in the nation. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the men and women who’ve ensured that golf in the Metropolitan area represents the best of the best.”

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo