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A Legacy of Excellence; How one Family Impacted Golf in North Carolina

By Harris Prevost
June 12, 2007

Dean Smith is respected as much for the assistant coaches he developed into great head coaches as he is for winning basketball games for the North Carolina Tar Heels. When TV announcers start talking about coaches like Roy Williams and Larry Brown, they'll usually say they are part of Dean Smith's "coaching tree."

In the town of Linville, with a population of only three or four hundred people, a "golf course superintendent's tree" began in 1924 that far surpasses any basketball coaching tree. In fact, this "tree" has had a major positive impact on golf in the High Country, even extending across the state of North Carolina.

A superintendent is the most important person at a golf course. If the grass doesn't grow and the course isn't in great shape, it doesn't matter who else is there. And one Linville family is responsible for a lot of golf courses being in great shape for a lot of years!

The "tree" was planted by John Forbes, who built the Linville Golf Course in 1924 and was its first superintendent. When Forbes retired in 1942, his son-in-law, Arl Greene, took over. Arl was running a nursery in Linville at the time.

Greene was superintendent until he retired at age 69 in 1968. His protege, George Cooke, then became superintendent and served for 32 years. George said of Arl, "He really knew what he was doing. What he did worked, and his methods still work today. He taught me just about everything I know." Arl also taught his sons everything they knew.

George Cooke retired in 2000 and his brother David became Linville's superintendent. David worked for George 28 years and has now been superintendent for seven years.

Arl Greene had two sons who were superintendents, Arl Jr. and Bernard. Arl Jr. helped build Mountain Glen in Newland and was its first superintendent. He was also superintendent at the Colonial Country Club in Thomasville, Pine Needles in Southern Pines and Raintree in Charlotte. His last job brought him home to build Linville Ridge and serve as its first superintendent. Arl Jr. died in 1983.

Arl Jr.'s two sons Johnny and Steve both became superintendents. Johnny's first superintendent's job was at Granada Farms Country Club in Granite Falls, then he became head man at Blowing Rock Country Club. Johnny left Blowing Rock to help build Diamond Creek in Banner Elk and become its first superintendent. Johnny now works for private individuals on special real estate projects in addition to running his own landscaping business in Newland.

Steve Greene was superintendent at what is now called the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville, then he went to Granada Farms. He now is in the heating and air conditioning business in Granite Falls.

Arl Jr.'s brother Bernard Greene built Cleghorn Plantation in Rutherfordton and was its first superintendent. He also built the Seven Devils Golf Course (now abandoned). Bernard was superintendent at Whispering Pines and the Country Club of North Carolina. He is retired and living in the Pinehurst area.

Bernard's two sons, Sandy and Randy, were superintendents as well. Sandy and Randy both got their start working at Grandfather Golf & Country Club. Sandy then worked as superintendent at Beech Mountain, then went to Foxfire in Pinehurst until his retirement. He is living in Linville now.

Randy was superintendent at Oakwoods in Wilkesboro, then Southern Pines Country Club. His final club was Beacon Ridge in West End, eight miles west of Pinehurst. He is retired and living in Pinehurst.

In addition to Arl Jr. and Bernard, another of Arl Greene's sons is Floyd Greene, who for years ran the old Linville Food Center as a family business. Floyd's grandson Bill Daniels is currently superintendent at Sugar Mountain Golf Club.

Arl's daughter, Betty Costner Wright, continues the tradition on her side of the Greene family. Her son William Costner got his start as superintendent at Roan Valley Golf Club (now Red Tail Mountain) in Mountain City, TN. Costner helped grow in the course as it was being built and he served as its superintendent for 6 1/2 years before taking the assistant superintendent's job at Grandfather Golf & Country Club.

Costner then got the head job at the Grove Park Inn Country Club in Asheville. He now sells equipment to golf courses and does consulting work with Mountain Glen on the side. He commented, "Golf courses are still in my blood." William's brother, Morgan, worked for Bernard at Seven Devils and Cleghorn Plantation. He is now in the construction business in Avery County.

Into its third generation, the Arl Greene family has produced nine head golf course superintendents who have taken great care of 23 golf courses in the High Country and throughout the state.

Replacing Arl Jr. as Linville Ridge's superintendent in 1984 was Steve Sheets, who continues to oversee all golf and outdoor operations for The Ridge as its Mountain Manager. Steve, an NC State graduate and Asheboro native, came to Linville Ridge from The Belvedere Plantation Golf & Country Club in Hampstead, near Wilmington.

Before becoming superintendent at The Belvedere, the two-time president of the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association was mentored by Bernard Greene at Whispering Pines. Thus Steve Sheets has become a part of the Greene family "superintendents tree" by working for one brother and following another.

Sheets, in his 30-year career as a superintendent, continues this incredible "tree" with an impressive list of his own people, 19 so far, that he has mentored to become head superintendents or assistants at some great golf courses across the Southeast. There is no telling how far the Linville/Linville Ridge branch of the "superintendents' tree" will spread in the next generation.

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