Q&A: Chris Rowe, Director of Golf at Whispering Pines Golf Club
Alex Elias
As you've served as the Head Golf Professional, and now Director of Golf, at Whispering Pines Golf Club since it opened in 2000, can you briefly describe what your time here has meant to you?
When Mr. [Corby] Robertson [Jr.] hired me, I had been at Colonial [Country Club] for ten years, and I had come in second for three major jobs—jobs that, had I gotten them, I would likely still be at today. As a result, I started to wonder if I wasn’t meant to be a golf professional, and I was actually thinking about leaving the business and going into teaching full time.
Around that time, I was giving a lesson to a guy—to this day I can’t remember his name, which is funny because I can still remember every member number from Colonial, but not this member’s name. Anyway, I had decided that after that lesson, I was going to Leonard Golf Links to speak with someone I’d worked with previously about teaching full time. So I finished the lesson, and the guy asked, “What’s on your mind?” I said, “Nothing,” but he insisted, so I told him. He looked at me and said, “You are meant to be in the golf industry.”
We ended up talking so long that I never made it to Leonard Golf Links that day. That same week, the Head Golf Professional position at Whispering Pines opened.
To me, it really felt like everything aligned at the right time. My goal had always been to work at a highly ranked golf course while still having time to spend with my family. With Whispering Pines open only six months a year, I’ve been incredibly grateful to be part of a special club while also having that time at home with my family.
The greatest thing about being the Director of Golf at Whispering Pines is that I arrived at the start, when I was 33, meaning I haven’t just worked here—I’ve helped build it. Within six months of my arrival, Corby built a teaching facility. More recently, I recommended a new tee box on Hole 7, and he immediately approved it.
But it’s not just the golf course—it’s the culture. We’ve built the culture. This year marks the 12th annual Spirit [International Amateur Golf Championship], featuring the world’s greatest men and women amateur golfers from 20 countries. We’ve also grown the Member/Guest event, taken the Robertson Cup—an annual Pro-Member tournament—from four teams to 16, bringing in some of the best clubs in the U.S., and started the Straight Down Pro-Pro.
As you mentioned, teaching has long been a passion of yours, even to the point of almost going into teaching full time. Even so, you recently won PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year—when did merchandising become a passion for you?
Merchandise was never really a passion of mine until recently. I don’t mean this in a bragging way, but I’ve won the Harvey Penick Award (presented annually to someone whose leadership exemplifies Excellence in the Game of Life) three times, but I could never break into the Top 100 in Golf Digest.
When I accepted this job, I felt I was getting closer to that ranking, but I realized it couldn’t just be about teaching. It had to be about the operation as a whole. Long story short, when I arrived we were budgeted to do $80,000 in merchandise on 6,000 rounds. Last year, we did $1.8 million on 13,000 rounds.
What do you think were the main reasons behind being named PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year?
There are certainly reasons we won the award this year, but in reality it goes back many years. When I first arrived, the logo featured the same three pine trees along with the words “Whispering Pines Golf Club.” To me, that was too much, so we removed the text entirely. Fast forward twenty years, and we now have a members-only logo—the same mark, but with a gold ring around it.
As for a few reasons, because we close for half of the year, we lay all our sweaters on a table outside the golf shop that reads, “Sweater Sale: Everything 50% off—if you wear it for 18 holes, it’s free,” along with the weather report. I’ve had three people accomplish it—and let me remind you, it’s almost 100 degrees in May and June.
Also, during our Member-Guest on our signature 15th hole, we set up a display of polos, quarter-zips, and hats, and you can bet anything on the table up to $500. If you hit the green, it’s free. If you miss, you buy it. About 75% of people miss the green because they’re nervous.
Lastly, we’ve leaned into Texas colleges. We have a huge UT and A&M presence, so we offer hats with the three pine trees in either orange or maroon, with “Hook ’Em,” “Gig ’Em,” or “Pony Up.”
All of this is to say that we’re always looking for new ways to engage members and guests and encourage merchandise sales.
Circling back to teaching, it’s a broad question, but what are one or two core philosophies that guide your approach?
When I’m teaching, it’s about finding a swing that’s repeatable, not necessarily a swing that’s perfect. For example, I can swing 8 degrees out to the right, shut the face, flip my hands 60 degrees left, and hit a 7-iron 175 yards—but I can’t repeat that.
When I play my best golf, I swing 2 degrees to the right, 1 degree closed. I can repeat that, and it still produces the same result as the more “curved” one. You never want to be standing on the 18th hole trying to time a shot out.
After a lesson, one of the things amateur golfers don’t do—but should—is practice with a purpose. For example, a lot of amateurs make a swing change and say they felt really good on the range but didn’t hit it well on the course. But then you have to ask: what were you actually doing on the range? Were you aiming at a specific target? Were you hitting a 7-iron to a flag 130 yards away and flying it directly over it, or were you swinging with a purpose with a 9-iron right at a target? Once you’re hitting that 9-iron well, can you hit three quality shots in a row?
