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SUPER SPOTLIGHT SurvIvIng Hard Times ron Kuhns of Sun Willows golf Course Story by Symone Kennedy Sun Willows, a municipal course in Pasco, Wash., first opened in 1960, and was redesigned in 1980. photos by Tyler J. Baum Ron Kuhns loves his grass. Golf course turf has been a central aspect of his life since he got his first job working main- tenance just after high school. now he's the superintendent of the Sun Willows Golf course in the Tri-cities area of southern Wash. Over the past 11 years, ron has fought economic and environmental hardships to maintain the course and has become part of a unique symbiotic relationship with the other public and private golf courses in the area, a relationship he never experi- enced before in his professional career. Getting Started ron was born and raised in albany, Ore., but finished high school in Pasco, Wash. when his dad's company trans- ferred him in 1976. He has been in Washington ever since. Straight out of high school, he went to work at the Tri- city country club as a summer mainte- nance worker, and then did night water- ing the following year. In 1978, ron started full-time work at Meadow Springs country club in richland, Wash. as a member of the day 12 www.westernturfmag.com crew, and the rest is history. "I really liked it," he said. "[I] worked my way up through the crew, made assistant and then when the superintendent left, I got offered the head job." He was superintendent at Meadow Springs for five years before he and his wife, Sandra, moved to Spokane, Wash. in 1990. He was super- intendent at the Spokane country club for eight years, until he and Sandra moved back to Pasco in 1999. after the move back to Pasco, he got out of the golf business for a year, but soon realized that he "missed it like crazy." When Sun Willows needed a new superintendent, a friend of ron's put his name forward. He's been there ever since. Perpetual Fixer-Upper Sun Willows struggled for a few years before ron became superintendent, but he was able to return it to glory. He said, "It was really fun to bring it back, give it some food, take care of it." Part of that Sun WilloWS golF CourSe pasco, Wash. • 6,715 yards (back tees) • 5,695 yards (forward tees) • par 72 • 18 holes • 387 feet (pasco elevation) • pasco population: 63,186 www.playsunwillows.com