The number of head pros in high places Bob Ford has placed is astonishing. We counted

Bob Ford's name is synonymous with the two clubs he served as head professional: Oakmont Country Club for 37 seasons and Seminole Golf Club for 21. That one-two punch is impressive, but what might surpass it is the impact he has had on the position of head professional throughout the country, placing his assistants into top positions almost from the beginning of his career and then later through the formation of a consulting business called AMF that is now known as Golf Business Network.

From his perch at two of the most storied and revered clubs in America, Ford had an inside seat to how high-powered, discerning memberships govern, react and deliberate, and he used his institutional knowledge to help choreograph the career advancement of his former assistants. Totaling those Ford trained directly, as well as those who trained under Ford protégés (Ford’s “grandchildren” if you will), we counted 120 people leading as head professionals, directors of golf and directors of instruction at notable clubs and other golf organizations.

We spoke with over a dozen former assistants to Ford. To a person, they say working for him meant soaking up his aura, his equanimity and calmness. Ford treated everyone with respect, from disgruntled members to merchandise salesmen, always listening more than talking. The great amateur Vinny Giles used to complain about balls flying over the net at the back of the shortish range at Seminole, including one memorable time when Giles was on the 16th tee. Giles let Ford know what happened with great energy, but Ford never lost his cool and said, “Well, we’ll figure it out.” Says Steve Archer of Kinsale: “Bob had a sign in his office that said, ‘It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.’ ” That ethos endowed him with uncommon respect and admiration from his assistants. Many we interviewed said the same thing: They simply didn’t want to let Ford down.

It might be hard to believe there was a time when Ford, winner of the 2017 Bob Jones Award, was once wet behind the ears. He was just 25 when he took over for Lew Worsham at Oakmont in 1979. Although he had been at the club for five years as an assistant, stepping into the head role was still intimidating. “I was, like, ‘Oh, my God, what have I done?’ I promise you it was smoke and mirrors for a few years,” Ford says.

Ford succeeded in many ways in his first 10 years at Oakmont but noted he made one mistake. “I taught eight hours a day. That was really stupid. I was seeing eight people in eight hours, and 144 members were up at the club. I never saw them.”

Ford was a great player in his own right—he made the cut at the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont while running merchandise for the championship—and didn’t hire a director of instruction until 1990. Oakmont was an intense place, busy with guests and championships, and as he learned to delegate more and more, Ford slowly created a farm system of assistants that was replicated as those under him moved on.

In the late 1990s, Ford says he went to his assistants and said if anyone had an idea for a company to let him know. Archer came up with the idea for AMF, which was formed among Archer, Bob Mulcahy and Ford. Ford says the purpose of AMF was to serve as a networking group and consultancy for pros at the top 1 percent of clubs. Remembering his own experience as a young pro, Ford says, “I had no one to talk to.” Education was a key facet of what AMF did in its early years, allowing top-tier club pros to trade best practices and knowledge that was specific to their kinds of memberships.

The formation of the company is an example of Ford’s forward-thinking approach, understanding the particularities that memberships need and value in a club professional and how that shaped his ability to delegate authority, which was really a necessity, he says, as golf boomed in the 80s and 90s and the functions of a head pro expanded. “You just can’t be everywhere all the time. I knew that I had to give away some responsibilities, and it was incredible to watch these kids that are 23, 24 and 25 years old get responsibility and grow.”

Over time, that system created a “next-man-up” mentality, says Ryan Coll, now Director of Golf at Columbus Country Club in Ohio, who worked for Ford at Seminole. “It didn’t matter who the assistant professional was, they were going to succeed.” Coll remembers on day one everyone was given a sheet of responsibilities in bullet points, and each person’s job was to master those items. After Coll graduated from college, Ford asked him to come to Seminole to caddie, which is where Ford started most everyone. It was not a job Coll’s parents were thrilled he accepted after earning his degree, but Coll convinced them working for Ford was his break in the business. From caddieing he moved to range attendant, which “put you in the on-deck circle” to come inside the shop. “You’ve never been so happy in your life to be a range attendant,” Coll says. Once inside the shop, assistants were pretty much off to the races.

Nathan Ollhoff, now director of golf at Interlachen Country Club, says when he was first called about the job in his home state, he told Interlachen he wasn’t interested. “Just to demonstrate how dumb and naïve I was, I basically said, ‘Thanks, but I can’t leave Bob. I have an important role here.’ ” When Ollhoff told Ford about the call later that day, “He looked at me like I had two heads,” Ollhoff recalls. “You did what?” Ford said. “You need to call them back and go get that job and you’re gonna do great. Everybody’s replaceable.”

Seminole club president Jimmy Dunne says of Ford’s style, “Bob has got a very steady, sure, calm hand, and everybody sees that side of it, and it’s valuable. That’s sort of what made him a pro’s pro. The thing I most appreciate about him is how direct we could be with each other and without any doubt as to our intention or any insecurity,” Dunne says. When it came time to hire Ford’s replacement at Seminole, Ford told him, regarding his assistant, Matt Cahill, “Jimmy, don’t screw this up. Matty is ready. When [Bob’s] confident enough, he can have a very direct conversation, which I appreciate, and he was right.”

Ford says many pros have a hard time letting go of control, but he told his assistants they were going to run tournaments, the shop and the range. “I felt like the only way they were going to learn is by making mistakes. Just don’t make the same mistake twice.”

His two lieutenants who took over for him at Oakmont and Seminole, Devin Gee and Cahill, respectively, say that while Ford did lead by example, he always had genuine concern for their wellbeing and future. In a telling anecdote about his personal and professional qualities, Tom Gilbert of Gulph Mills says he marvels at his former boss’ ability to stay in touch and keep up with everyone, never missing a birthday, and knowing not just what his former assistants are up to but their assistants as well. Gilbert says, “At his retirement party, he said something I’ll never forget. He said, ‘I have one regret. I just regret that I didn’t get to know your children.”

Bob Ford’s legacy, as much as anything, was that he was always readying the next generation to take over, even the ones he might never meet.

GOLF PROFESSIONALS WHO WORKED DIRECTLY UNDER BOB FORD (Warning: this is about the longest scroll in golf)

John Aber Allegheny

Billy Anderson Eagle Point

Steve Archer Kinsale (FL)

Adam Brigham Waynesborough CC

Brendan Bond - Quogue Field Club

Colin Campbell Beaverbrook (Surrey, England)

Ed Clark Wannamoisett

Ryan Coll Columbus Country Club (Ohio)

Jack Druga former Shinnecock Hills

Nick Erlichman Old Sandwich