b'BY M I KE BAI LEYDr.GreenThink Your Playing Conditions are Good?Thank Director of Agronomy Eric Bauer.N o job has ever been too big for Eric Bauer.Bauer, who now oversees a committed team of 36, is responsible Not when he took care of Jack Nicklaussfor maintaining the award-winning championship golf course, The yard, not when he got his first superinten- Playgrounds, practice grounds, club amenities, and community. dent job at age 25, not in his long tenure at The Club atWhen I saw it, he said, I was like, wow, if somebody gets ahold of Carlton Woods, and not when he helped open and maintainthis, this could be really special.the first Tiger Woods design in the U.S. Bauer was able to influence the turf selection at Bluejack, in Since graduating from Michigan State Universitysparticular the decision to go with zoysia. They were originally going highly-acclaimed turf grass management program 28 yearswith Bermuda grass for the tees, approaches, and fairways, Bauer ago, Bauer, the director of agronomy at Bluejack National,says. The choice of turf grasses, how well they are maintained, always had the Midas touch. Nicklauss early endorsementincluding the near-perfect Tif-Eagle greens, are why Bluejack haswhen Bauer was in his early 20s, as he took care of thean Augusta-like appearance.grounds around the Golden Bears North Palm Beach, Fla.,Those decisions came as Bauer got to work with and know Woods estateincluding coddling his grass tennis courtswasand his design team. Shortly after Bluejack opened, Bauer attended a great start. But Bauer has shined at every turn. It is whythe Masters. He will never forget when Woods picked him out of a he was the perfect choice in 2014 for Bluejack National.crowd as he was making his way from the practice green to the first tee And Bluejack National was the perfect choice for him. at Augusta. He high-fives me, gives me one of these shoulder bumps, Bauer excelled at Carlton Woods, known for its spectac- and asks, Hows Bluejack? That was when I knew how special Bluejack ular conditions. But when he first toured the then-shutteredwas to Tiger and how much he enjoys being a golf course designer.Blaketree National Golf Course, the site of what is nowOf course, Tiger must LOVE having Bauer make his design look Bluejack, he knew he wanted to be involved. and play like one of the best in the world. bluejacknational.com 41'