Ryan Mahaffey

Ryan has been around golf course construction since he was 13 years old when he helped construct the bunkers at Wolf Point Golf Club. During high school, as a member of the golf team, he was a four-time All-District and Regional Qualifier, and a one-man maintenance crew for his golf team’s home course, 9-hole Edna Country Club.

After high school he studied at Cameron University graduating with a BS in Environmental Science and was a four-year member of the NCAA DII national qualifying golf team. Ryan interned at Dismal River Golf Club in NE, Paramount Country Club in NY, and Hazeltine National Golf Club in MN. Don teeing off on #1 at The Old Course at St Andrews.

Following graduation, Ryan joined Medalist Golf Inc. as an Assistant Construction Superintendent and Geospatial Tech; working on projects at River Oaks Country Club, Bluejack National Golf Club, Carmel Country Club and Quail Hollow Golf Club.

Ryan joined Greenscape Methods in 2016 and has worked on our projects at Winter Park 9, The Greenbrier Resort, Top of the Rock and Payne’s Valley courses at Big Cedar Lodge, Nine Grand Golf Course at Grand Oaks Reserve, West Bend Country Club, Saratoga Golf and Polo Club, Memorial Park Golf Course, and BraeBurn CC. At Memorial Park, Ryan’s focus was on golf feature creation from demolition to grassing. At BraeBurn Ryan has spent most of his time on a GPS equipped JD 750 dozer. Over 95% of BraeBurn is in the flood plain and it was Ryan’s job to grade/shape most of the course with precision. Ryan is an experienced shaper, drainage installation manager, and finisher. His attention to detail in these areas makes him a vital part of our team. He also helped manage the technical aspects of the project, assuring that every piece of infrastructure installed was accurately mapped and added to record drawings.

Ryan commenting on a recent project. “I’d been fortunate to have seen and played many of the great golf courses in the USA. But until I was faced with the drainage challenges at the new Nine Grand Golf Course in Cleveland, TX, I hadn’t fully understood high level functionality in golf construction and design. At Nine Grand we had a site that flooded frequently and provided little topographical relief for drainage. The challenge was we couldn’t perform major grading because we were in a flood plain, and we couldn’t install sub surface drainage in fairways because it would silt up from the frequent flooding. In place of drainpipe and basins the design and construction team created a network of swales that tied into the bayous that cut through the property. These swales added strategic golf interest while also serving as our storm drainage system. The work required painstakingly accurate grading/shaping and I spent as much time shooting grades as I did shaping, but I am very proud of the outcome as the course sits very naturally within its surroundings, has flooded twice in the last year with no damage, and provides challenging and fun golf for all levels.”

Ryan’s favorite golf courses in the world are National Golf Links of America, and Greywalls Golf Club in Marquette, MI. He is an enthusiastic outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing, a devoted Houston Texans fan, and a passionate student of golf courses.