'Chasing Rivermont' is a Rockbottum film series about a country club near Atlanta with a practical, comprehensive plan for facing the future of golf.

Chris Cupit, Owner/GM of Rivermont, grew up in the golf industry, thoroughly grounded in realistic golf management.  Cupit is not one of the wild-eyed money people that burst into golf during the artificial growth spurt triggered by a foundation.  He is very aware of the difference between the game of golf and the corporatocracy of golf.

Mark Hoban, a veteran CGCS, has a style that blends well with Cupit's philosophy.  Hoban is an inventive problem-solver, with a reputation for experimenting with leading edge methods.

I first met Hoban when he was working as Palmer Maple's assistant at the old Standard Club in '72.  Mark took the time to teach a numbskull kid how to construct a proper drain line . . . and I'm still good at it.

. . . with the zeal of a mad scientist

Our little family of superintendents always kept an eye on Mark, especially when he started testing wildflowers and native grass areas in '84.  (We did, however, give him the arched eyebrow when he used a kitchen funnel to individually fill 6000 deep-tine holes with sand.)

Mark is pushing hard on the organic golf envelope, with the zeal of a mad scientist.  His initial results are positive; his soils have improved, costs have been reduced, Rivermont is gaining a healthy environmental image with the neighbors and the strong emphasis on playability and golfer satisfaction is attracting lots of players.

If I were a GCS and not a professional clown, I would be keeping a close eye on Hoban and Cupit, rather than find myself chasing Rivermont.