| Club Staff
Rodney Young
Director of Golf
405.325.6881
rodneyyoung@ou.edu
A native Oklahoman, Rodney has played golf for 35 years and has been a PGA Golf Professional for 21 years. He began collegiate golf at the University of Oklahoma and then finished with All-America and Academic All-America honors at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla.
After graduation, Rodney worked at Oakwood Country Club in Enid, Okla., until achieving PGA Membership and then moved to La Quinta, Calif., to work and assist in opening Rancho La Quinta Country Club, four-time host to The Skins Game.
In 1996, Rodney went to work at Castle Pines International in Castle Rock, Colo., and assisted with the PGA TOUR International Golf Tournament before moving back to the Desert to be the Head Golf Professional at Desert Willow Golf Resort and Mission Hills Country Club. While back in the Desert, Rodney assisted the hosting of four Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational’s and two Kraft Nabisco LPGA Major Championships, respectively.
Rodney became the General Manager/Director of Golf at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, Calif., in 2001, where he was able to increase facility revenues nearly 100% from $5M to $10M annually and was named by Golf Inc. in 2005 as one of the Nation’s Most Admired Operators.
In 2007 Rodney moved back to his roots to join the University of Oklahoma and the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. While at the OU Golf Club, Rodney has overseen the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, the 2010 Big 12 Women's Golf Championship, as well as the many improvements to the course and clubhouse.
The OU Golf Club has been one of Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play each year that Rodney has been Director of Golf.
Head Golf Professional
405.325.9031
jfjohnson@ou.edu
A native of Stroud, Okla., Johnny has been playing and working in the golf industry for 40 years. He played collegiately at Central State University and in 1986, became the assistant Golf Professional at Cushing Country Club, where he was promoted to Head Golf Professional just six months later.
Johnny left to take the same position at Stroud Municipal Golf Course in 1992 and later became the Head Golf Professional at Eagle Crest Golf Course in Muskogee, Okla., in 1996.
In 2004, Johnny and his family moved to the Norman area when he became the Tournament Director at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
He is now the Head Golf Professional at Jimmie Austin and has seen the course emerge as one of the best public facilities in the state. Johnny has been a Golf Professional for 25 years and a proud member of the PGA for 20 years.
He has served as Tournament Director for the South Central Section and a rules official for the NCAA Championship, Nike Tour and the Big 8 Conference. Johnny served as Golf Coach at the Special Olympic World Games held in North Carolina and was one of five Golf Professionals from the South Central Section to qualify and compete in the 2009 National Senior Club Professionals Championship.
He is a certified club fitter with Ping and Titleist and is very qualified with all golf club manufacturers. He enjoys teaching, organizing, and running golf events.
Golf Professional
405.401.4823
woodwardt@ou.edu
Tyler is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, with a Business Management degree and Marketing minor. Born in Edmond, Okla., Tyler has been an Assistant Golf Professional at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club since 2006.
He has played golf for 24 years and is a Level 3 PGA Apprentice. He enjoys teaching both junior and adult golf lessons, as well as operating a club repair business. Tyler stays up to date with the new clubs and equipment that come to the retail market and is a Certified Club fitter for Taylormade, Titleist, Cobra, Callaway, and Ping.
Tyler was one of the Volunteer Chairs and was very involved with the organization and operation of the 2009 USGA Amateur Public Links Championship, 2010 Women's Big XII Championship, and looking forward to the 2012 NCAA Men's Regional, 2013 NCAA Women's Regional, and the 2013 USGA Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
Golf Professional
405.325.6716
src@ou.edu
A native of Paris, France, Sebastien has played golf for 21 years and is currently a Level 2 PGA Apprentice.
Before moving to Norman he participated in the Leadbetter Golf Academy in Paris for two years to improve and learn more about the game. He then went on to manage the Callaway Golf Event for South Europe.
Sebastien moved to Norman in 2006 and has been with the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club since his move to Oklahoma. He participated in the organization and operation of the 2009 Amateur Public Links Championship and is a certified club fitter with Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist.
In addition to helping run the Golf Shop, he also teaches lessons and clinics.
Golf Professional
405.325.6716
lancemaxwell@ou.edu
Lance, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, is now in his fourth year as Assistant Golf Professional at Jimmie Austin. He is a native Oklahoman, born and raised in Oklahoma City, but attended high school and played most of his competitive junior golf in the Dallas area.
Having played for 21 years, Lance has an extensive knowledge of the game and is devoted to developing it through instruction of both juniors and adults. He specializes in instruction improving golfer's course management and the mental aspect of the game as well as priding himself in exhaustive and thorough research of the industry's latest technology.
Lance is a certified clubfitter for TaylorMade, Callaway, Titleist, and Ping.
Sr. Superintendent of Golf & Grounds Maintenance
codyelwood@ou.edu
Hired in May of 2011 as head golf course superintendent, Elwood had spent the last five years as director of golf course grounds and maintenance at Oak Tree Country Club, a private 36-hole Pete Dye facility in Edmond, Okla. At Oak Tree, Elwood was responsible for the oversight and operation of the two 18-hole courses, including all budgeting, staffing, training and agronomic planning.
In 2009, Elwood assisted Mark Hayes & Associates Golf Course Design with a complete renovation of the Oak Tree East Course, including the resurfacing and grow-in of 19 Bentgrass greens, new irrigation, construction of two lakes, additional tee boxes and bunker renovations.
Prior to his stint at Oak Tree, Elwood served as golf course superintendent at The Vaquero Club in Westlake, Texas, from 2001-07. During Elwood’s tenure, Vaquero was voted the best overall country club in the DFW Metroplex by Avid Golfer (2003 and 2005), received the No. 1 ranking in the Dallas Morning News’ “50 Best Courses in Texas” (2005), and was named the “Best New Golf Course in Texas” by the Dallas Morning News in 2003.
Elwood earned a bachelor's degree in horticulture and landscape architecture from Oklahoma State University in 1999, with a major in turfgrass management and a minor in agronomy.
Prior to his arrival at The Vaquero Club, Elwood served as first superintendent at Bridlewood Golf Club in Flower Mound, Texas. The Oklahoma native also served as groundskeeper at Bear Creek Golf Club in Denver, Colo., during a summer internship prior to his final year at OSU.
Elwood was named Sr. Superintendent of Golf & Grounds Maintenance at Jimmie Austin in December of 2011.
Golf Course Superintendent
eddie.roach@ou.edu
Eddie Roach, Jr., joined the staff at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in October of 2007 as the Assistant Golf Course Superintendent and was promoted to Golf Course Superintendent in December of 2011.
A native from Claremore, Okla., Eddie was introduced to the game of golf at a very young age and has continued to play ever since. He got his start in the golf course industry in 1998, working golf course maintenance at Gordon Golf Course in Claremore; a nine-hole facility where he worked throughout high school and his first two years of college.
While attending school at Oklahoma State University, he began working on the maintenance staff at Lakeside Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla.
Eddie later went on to work at Quail Creek Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City, where he completed an internship and was promoted to an Assistant-in-Training position.
Eddie has a degree in Turfgrass Management from Oklahoma State University and is a member of the Oklahoma Turf Research Foundation, Oklahoma Golf Course Superintendent’s Association and the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America.
Nathan Eckert
Food & Beverage Manager
405.325.8982
nathaneckert@ou.edu
Nathan Eckert is the Food and Beverage Manager at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club. He grew up in Noble, Okla., and graduated from Noble High School. From there, he moved to Arizona to obtain a Culinary Arts Degree from Scottsdale Culinary Institute.
He is a certified Le Cordon Bleu Chef who has worked at places such as Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, the Royal Palms in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Rio Grande Club in South Fork, Colo., and Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas Virgin Islands, among others.
Nathan began working at the OU Golf Club in March of 2009.
Retail Manager
405.325.5855
erinpatton@ou.edu
Erin grew up in Oklahoma City and began her retail career in 2002 at The Apothem on Campus Corner and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2005. She later joined the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in July of 2008 and enjoys buying the latest trends in golf and university spirit gear. Erin has enjoyed the opportunity to oversee the renovation of the Golf Shop and looks forward to the continued success of the club.
Sales & Marketing Manager
405.325.5420
philliprogers@ou.edu
Phillip Rogers joined the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in May of 2010 as the Sales and Marketing Manager after spending the past four years in the OU Athletics Communications Department. Rogers previously served as the sports information contact for the men’s golf and women’s gymnastics squads and earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in Intercollegiate Athletics Administration in May of 2010.
Rogers’ media guides were consistently voted among the best in the country by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
In addition to his communications role, Rogers served as tournament director for multiple golf events and was the media contact for the 2008 Big 12 Women’s Gymnastics Championship and the 2008 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics South Central Regional Championship.
Prior to his time with OU Athletics, Rogers worked for the OU Alumni Outreach Program, where he raised funds for various university programs and student support services.
An avid golfer and native of Enid, Okla., Rogers earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism – Public Relations from OU in 2007.
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