{"id":24676,"date":"2025-10-08T05:32:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T09:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/10\/08\/jeff-plotz-retires-as-director-of-golf-course-maintenance-at-tpc-sawgrass\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T05:32:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T09:32:23","slug":"jeff-plotz-retires-as-director-of-golf-course-maintenance-at-tpc-sawgrass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/10\/08\/jeff-plotz-retires-as-director-of-golf-course-maintenance-at-tpc-sawgrass\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Plotz retires as director of golf course maintenance at TPC Sawgrass"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/10\/08\/jeff-plotz-retires-as-director-of-golf-course-maintenance-at-tpc-sawgrass\/#Plotz_who_also_worked_at_TPC_courses_in_Scottsdale_and_Memphis_will_be_replaced_by_assistant_director_Lucas_Andrews\" >Plotz, who also worked at TPC courses in Scottsdale and Memphis, will be replaced by assistant director Lucas Andrews.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/10\/08\/jeff-plotz-retires-as-director-of-golf-course-maintenance-at-tpc-sawgrass\/#Jeff_Plotz_had_an_old-fashioned_approach\" >Jeff Plotz had an old-fashioned approach.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/10\/08\/jeff-plotz-retires-as-director-of-golf-course-maintenance-at-tpc-sawgrass\/#Lucas_Andrews_interns_at_St_Andrews_at_TPC_Sawgrass\" >Lucas Andrews interns at St. Andrews at TPC Sawgrass<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p><story-emphasis util-module-path=\"elements\/story\" section=\"sports\" link=\"\/sports\"><\/story-emphasis><\/p>\n<hr class=\"colorbar\" style=\"background:#009bff\">\n<h2 class=\"display-5 subhead spacer-small\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Plotz_who_also_worked_at_TPC_courses_in_Scottsdale_and_Memphis_will_be_replaced_by_assistant_director_Lucas_Andrews\"><\/span>Plotz, who also worked at TPC courses in Scottsdale and Memphis, will be replaced by assistant director Lucas Andrews.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"82488153007\" title=\"Players Championship 2025: Playoff gusty winds at No. 17\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/16\/SGLF\/82476239007-usatsi-25681309.jpg?crop=5999,3375,x0,y307\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>Players Championship 2025: 17th place in playoff high winds<\/p>\n<p>The Players Championship Playoffs are fanned by 30 mph winds along the 17th green ahead of the deciding tiebreaker in 2025 at TPC Sawgrass.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p><story-highlights class=\"spacer-small column ten-column no-gutter\" util-module-path=\"elements\/story\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jeff Plotz has retired after 10 years as Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations for TPC Sawgrass.<\/li>\n<li>Plotz was praised by players for the clean condition of the Players Stadium course during the Players Championship.<\/li>\n<li>He will be replaced by Lucas Andrews, who has served as assistant director for the past seven years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/story-highlights><partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"><\/partner-banner>\n<p>Jeff Plotz has retired as TPC Sawgrass&#8217; Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations after nearly a quarter century with TPC Networks and the last 10 years at TPC Sawgrass, where he led the staff in preparing the Players Stadium course for The Players Championship. <\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"><\/partner-banner>\n<p>Plotz, whose retirement was officially announced on October 8th, will be succeeded by Lucas Andrews, assistant director at TPC Sawgrass. Lucas Andrews is an English native who has worked at TPC Sawgrass for 16 years and in his current position for seven years. <\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/06\/NFTU\/81689518007-full-size-render.jpeg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/06\/NFTU\/81689518007-full-size-render.jpeg?crop=3604,2703,x0,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/06\/NFTU\/81689518007-full-size-render.jpeg?crop=2266,3021,x669,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/06\/NFTU\/81689518007-full-size-render.jpeg?crop=3604,2027,x0,y0 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Garry Smits\/The Times-Union\" caption=\"TPC Sawgrass superintendent Jeff Plotts displays the device he carries with him to measure the height of the rough at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"><\/media-image><\/p>\n<p>Plotz is a University of Georgia graduate who came to TPC Sawgrass from TPC Scottsdale in August 2015. He oversaw the conditioning of the Stadium Course under two difficult circumstances: the last three years in May and then a transition period back to March. <\/p>\n<p>Each time, players raved about the conditions provided for the tour&#8217;s marquee event. <\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"((300, 250), (3, 3))\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"><\/partner-inline>\n<p>\u201cEverything the Tour has done at (TPC) Sawgrass, the whole experience on the golf course&#8230; it always looks so perfect, so immaculately groomed,\u201d 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas said ahead of the 2025 Players. <\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"><\/partner-banner>\n<p>Rory McIlroy, who won his second Players Championship, said golf courses are keeping pace with the growing importance the event brings to tour membership. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This tournament seems to be getting bigger and better every year with the development of golf courses and facilities,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"((300, 250), (3, 3))\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"><\/partner-inline><cta-atoms-container-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/cta\" class=\"spacer-large\"><\/cta-atoms-container-inline><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jeff_Plotz_had_an_old-fashioned_approach\"><\/span>Jeff Plotz had an old-fashioned approach.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Much of it has to do with Mr. Plotz, who actually disparaged some of the infrastructure available, such as the precision air system that removes moisture from the greenery and pumps warm air underground. <\/p>\n<p>Plotz used it only under the most dire circumstances. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mother Nature knows best,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We should adapt to her, not the other way around.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"><\/partner-banner><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/15\/NFTU\/82451490007-jki-031525-the-players-saturdsay-de-24.JPG bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/15\/NFTU\/82451490007-jki-031525-the-players-saturdsay-de-24.JPG?crop=4249,3186,x0,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/15\/NFTU\/82451490007-jki-031525-the-players-saturdsay-de-24.JPG?crop=2390,3186,x637,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/03\/15\/NFTU\/82451490007-jki-031525-the-players-saturdsay-de-24.JPG?crop=4249,2390,x0,y398 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Doug Engle\/Florida Times-Union\" caption=\"PGA Tour pros such as 2019 and 2025 Players Championship winner Rory McIlroy praised golf course conditions under Director of Course Maintenance Jeff Plotts.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"><\/media-image><\/p>\n<p>But Plotts also had to provide a high-quality product to resort guests at both the Stadium Course and Dais Valley Course for the remaining 51 weeks of the year. <\/p>\n<p>TPC Sawgrass general manager Matt Bolotz said Plotz was instrumental in the growth of the resort course and The Players. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe sincerely appreciate Jeff&#8217;s hard work, dedication and many contributions over his 10 years at TPC Sawgrass and over 23 years with the TPC Network,\u201d Bolotz said in a letter to TPC Sawgrass members. &#8220;His leadership has strengthened our golf courses and played a critical role in shaping the evolution of both TPC Sawgrass and The Players.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Prior to his nine years at TPC Scottsdale, Plotz worked at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in South Korea, TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, Bear&#8217;s Best in Atlanta, and Eagle Landing Country Club near Atlanta. He graduated from Georgia State in 1989 with degrees in environmental science and horticulture.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"><\/partner-banner>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lucas_Andrews_interns_at_St_Andrews_at_TPC_Sawgrass\"><\/span>Lucas Andrews interns at St. Andrews at TPC Sawgrass<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A native of Portsmouth, England, Andrews graduated from the University of Guelph and completed internships at St. Andrews and TPC Sawgrass before joining the school after graduation. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLucas is a valued member of our agronomy team,\u201d Bolotz said in a letter to TPC Sawgrass members. \u201cHis depth of experience and commitment to excellence give us full confidence that he will continue to maintain the high standards expected of him.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The Players Championship will be held from March 12th to 15th, 2026. <\/p>\n<lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2025-10-08 09:06:04 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2025-10-08 09:06:04 +0000 UTC\"><\/lit-timestamp><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plotz, who also worked at TPC courses in Scottsdale and Memphis, will be replaced by assistant director Lucas Andrews. Players Championship 2025: 17th place in playoff high winds The Players Championship Playoffs are fanned by 30 mph winds along the 17th green ahead of the deciding tiebreaker in 2025 at TPC Sawgrass. Jeff Plotz has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[17],"class_list":{"0":"post-24676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}