James Graham PrusaJames (Jim) Graham Prusa has a passion for golf, course management and has been engaged with golf since 1963. He’s known for wearing many professional hats working simultaneous jobs and says he “would be bored to death” in a single occupation employment and thinks that “most people could accomplish much more than they do.” As an extensive ‘hands-on’ executive in many facets of hospitality, recreation and event management he is first and foremost a third-generation member of his family in golf who began working in the golf industry as a laborer when his father built a golf course in 1963 near Cleveland, Ohio, USA. After the Vietnam War service flying electronics warfare combat support missions north of the DMZ and flying typhoon reconnaissance, low-level penetrations throughout Asia Pacific for the US Navy, he became the Superintendent of Buildings & Grounds in 1977 for Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California. At Pasatiempo he developed and implemented a major plan to restore this famed Alister Mackenzie course to re-recognized glory. In 1982 the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) recruited him as their national Director of Education. While concurrently serving additionally as the Technical Editor of GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT (GCM) Magazine and Chief Operating Officer (COO), he completely redirected the association’s certification and education program as well as the Conference and Show that is today called the Golf Industry Show. Prusa additionally worked as a chief executive and consultant for various national trade associations in the USA including the Diving Equipment Marketing Association (DEMA).In the early 2000s Prusa taught college – establishing a new degree program in Golf Course Management at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas. In addition, he has also taught college subjects in Hotel / Restaurant Back-office Operations, and Computer Applications in the Hospitality Industry. He was engaged for three years by Kemper Sports Management as their western Director of Agronomy to liaison with the PGA Tour and the City & County of San Francisco in renovating and preparing Harding Park Golf Course for the highly successful World Golf Championships, 2005 American Express – that was won by ‘Southeast Asia’s’ Tiger Woods. Prusa joined Japan’s Pacific Golf Management KK (PGM) in late 2005 until 2010 serving as the Director, Golf Course Maintenance Services, Operations Division, for PGM’s large portfolio of 140 golf course properties located throughout Japan. In January of 2010 until 2020 he served as the Director, Golf Courses and Laboratory for SKY72 in Incheon, Korea. SKY72 Ocean Course was ranked as the best course in Korea and its five (5) golf course, public operation is recognized throughout Asia. Prusa has consulted throughout Asia and the Sub-Continent.Prusa is an Emergency First Responder / CPR Instructor, also a professional scuba diver and a PADI open water diving instructor. He spends a few months each year in the Philippines diving and is an advocate for protecting the world’s oceans. He served in a fiduciary capacity as the CFO and Secretary officer of the international oceans environmental group, Ocean Futures Society, now headed by Jean-Michel Cousteau. He has prepared courses for many televised championships for the PGA Tour, US LPGA, Japan LPGA, One Asia, and the Korean LPGA. He’s a past member of the United States Golf Association (USGA) Turfgrass Research Committee; The USGA Green Section Award Committee; and served as an active member of the USGA Green Section Committee; he also served as a USGA Rules Official for 14 US Open Championships in addition to the US Senior Open and US Amateur.Prusa has given lectures around the world, samples of which are available on his Prusa Associates web page.Prusa holds degrees in Liberal Arts; Plant Science; Business Administration and attended Cal Poly Pomona, Santa Clara University Graduate School of Business and Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He was the International Roving Editor for ASIAN GOLF magazine and the Editor-at-Large, Asia for GOLF INC. magazine.Read more about this authorRead less about this author