Nothing in the golf business makes me happier than to see one of our golf course superintendents be recognized for the great - and often thankless - jobs they do.

I've always appreciated the things superintendents and their staffs do to give us immaculate playing conditions. But I learned an even greater appreciation for these guys a few years ago while writing a series of articles profiling many of the guys here in Moore County.

One of the USGA's longest-serving turfgrass experts received the Distinguished Service Award from the 1,800-member Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association when Patrick O'Brien, southeast region director for the USGA Green Section, was honored at the association's annual conference in Myrtle Beach in November.

The award is the highest that the organization bestows and recognizes outstanding achievement and contribution in the service of golf course superintendents and the golf industry in the Carolinas. Some of the most respected golf course superintendents in the region credit O'Brien as one of the reasons behind the Carolinas' national reputation as a golf leader.

"He has had a tremendous influence on the view that many of the best golf courses and maintenance programs are in the Southeast," said Bill Anderson, certified golf course superintendent from Carmel Country Club in Charlotte.

A Carolinas GCSA past president and an earlier recipient of the DSA, Anderson added, "I think he's a great choice for this award. He is an amazing individual and always, always supportive of the golf course superintendent. His credibility is unshakeable."

O'Brien is director of the USGA Green Section's southeast region, which spans the Carolinas as well as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Bermuda. Each year, assisted by southeast region senior agronomist Chris Hartwiger, he serves about 250 golf courses, including public, private, military and resort facilities, providing advice, recommendations and strategies on golf course health. Together, they also speak at more than 50 turfgrass seminars, university and technical schools and green committee meetings.

Carolinas GCSA president Paul Jett, certified superintendent at Pinehurst No. 2 and two-time U.S Open Championship host, praised O'Brien's ability to communicate with all aspects of golf club management.

"Pat has the kind of credibility that allows him to be heard, not just by superintendents, but green committees, club managers and club presidents," Jett said. "He can be heard in a way that helps get everybody on the same page."

On issues such as reducing overseeding, use of the new ultradwarf grasses, shade and trees, sand topdressing and aerification, bunkers or moderating green speeds, O'Brien has waged long-running campaigns to maximize superintendents' ability to succeed.

He is based in Griffin, Ga., and received his bachelors degree from Marietta College in Ohio and his masters degree in agronomy from West Virginia University. After a brief stint with the USGA Green Section's Mid-Atlantic Region, he transferred to the Southeast Region.