Golf Rio Olympics Golf Course
Cleverly, by nature
His calm demeanor belies an adventurous nature that leads his friends to call him the Indiana Jones of golf course management. Yes, Neil Cleverly welcomes a challenge, and he has certainly had one in the past two years as he brings the Olympic golf course in Rio de Janeiro to fruition
24 I PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
W
hen Neil Cleverly was hired back in May 2013 to be the Course Superintendent for the Olympic golf course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he
initially thought there was plenty of time to get things done. He had tackled start-up golf course constructions in remote areas many times before - Egypt, Dominican Republic and Mexico, to name a few. But nothing had prepared him for the challenges in Rio. “I don’t panic. I am a thinking person,” said
Neil, “But when I saw the equipment I had and the novice workforce I had, I thought, ‘Oh my God, are we really going to do this?’ It has been insane. But I love this job.”
Now, two years into the job, there is no
question in Neil’s mind that the golf course will be ready to host an Olympic event in August 2016, despite numerous challenges. “Neil has been dedicated to this project
above and beyond what any superintendent should be asked to do,” said course architect Gil Hanse. “I can’t imagine we could have found anyone better for this project. His passion, tenacity and discipline have really been invaluable.” “You have to embrace the culture around
you,” Neil said. “It is what you make it. You can’t import Florida into Rio. It just doesn’t work that way. You have to be resourceful. There is no outlet here where I can go to buy
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