19th Hole: Jeff White

Jeff White

CGCS / Indian Hills CC, Mission Hills, Kan.

Jeff, what can I get you? Titos, with a psshht of soda … and two limes.

Tell us about your course. Indian Hills CC is near downtown Kansas City. I’ve been there 13 years. It’s an A.W. Tilling- hast course. It turned 100 years old two years ago. It’s a traditional parkland-style golf course with tree-lined fairways. Lots of trees and lots of bunkers. The membership is gracious; it’s a great place to work.

Tell me about your family. My wife of 13 years, LeAnn, and I have two beautiful daughters, Maddie and Elle. Maddie just got married. Two dogs, Cyrus and Brodie. Cyrus used to be a golf course dog but then we got Brodie and they’re inseparable. Family is a big deal for me. I can’t do what I do without them.

You’re the current president of GCSAA. You’ve had some great mentors … how did they motivate you to give back to the industry and run for the GCSAA board of directors? They all had a part. It wasn’t until I lived near the headquarters that I made that connection. I was too busy working, playing golf and hanging out at West Coast Saloon. I had a lot of choices along the way, and they showed me that there’s a way to be involved in something bigger than “I” — there’s a lot of “we” in this industry.

West Coast Saloon is legendary in the golf world locally. It is. A lot of our joint friends in this world and in the publication world are frequent fliers. We should have done this interview at West Coast, with Bob watching with the towel over his shoulder!

Aside from three Super Bowl wins in the last five years, what’s the best thing about being a Chiefs fan? It’s awesome being a Chiefs fan. There’s Arrowhead and the tailgating and the camaraderie — the city as a whole is a welcoming community. But there were a lot of rough years. I remember my first playoff game, row 48. I bought a Miller Lite and a hot chocolate, and both were frozen by the time I got to my seats. I remember all the missed kicks.

Who would be in your dream foursome? Me, my dad and my brothers. And it never got to happen, and it can’t happen now because Dad isn’t with us anymore. I have one brother in Atlanta, another in Ames. And we’d play someplace cool.

Give me a recommendation — it could be anything. I’m going to go old school on a TV show sitcom, and it goes back to family … MASH. I remember watching it with my folks. It was funny, but it also had a dark political side. If I’m going to goof off and watch TV, I’m going to watch something from back in the day.

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