FIELD OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL

By John Kmitta

From alcohol and drug addiction to sobriety ; and from homelessness all the way to Field of the Year , Eric Taylor details his journey from rock bottom to award-winning head groundskeeper — and the best friend who helped him along the way .

At the height of his addiction — or , more accurately , the depths of it — in the early to mid 2000s , Eric Taylor was caught in a daily routine defined by whiskey , pain killers and antidepressants .

“ I was all kinds of messed up ,” said Taylor . “ I would drink a pint on the way to work , a pint when I got to work , I would smoke a joint in the parking lot , go in , work , drink another pint at lunch , and then work the rest of the day . And all through the day I would take pills . I had an Advil bottle filled with Percocet .”

Years prior to that low point , Taylor ’ s career had started off promisingly enough . He began in the golf course industry , working at Silver Lakes Golf Course in Alabama , part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail . There , as a crewmember , he learned , among other things , how to drive a sprayer and mix the tank .

Interested in a career in golf course management , he moved to Lake City , Fla ., with his sights set on attending the school for turfgrass management there . But it was there that he developed his drinking and drug problems . He never ended up going to school . Taylor left Lake City and returned to Alabama to work at Gadsden Country Club , where Superintendent Ronnie Turner took Taylor under his wing in an attempt to get Taylor back on a solid path .

“ But I was still drinking ,” said Taylor . “ I would come to work , and I

would work , but I was usually under the influence of something .”

Still , Taylor volunteered at golf tournaments , and his hard work caught the eye of Tom Black with the TPC , who helped Taylor get a job at FarmLinks .

“ When I went to FarmLinks , I was helping them build the course , but my drinking was getting heavier ,” said Taylor . “ I was drinking almost half a gallon of whiskey a day and was taking 7 , 10 , even 15 Xanax or Percocet a day .”

In the meantime , Taylor was also working a side job installing WaterWick and Greens Barrier .

“ I would work at FarmLinks , and then hop on a plane and we would fly to wherever to install WaterWick or Greens Barrier . I was making the most money I ever had at one time ,” said Taylor . “ After work , I would go out drinking .”

From there Taylor worked at Card Sound Golf Club in Key Largo , Fla ., and then on to Bethpage .

“ The whole time I was working on golf courses I wanted to work on a sports field , so I kept sending resumes to stadiums I liked in areas I liked . I got a job with the Atlanta Braves , and worked with them from 2005 to 2006 .”

Taylor eventually left the Braves to get back into building golf courses , and by 2008 had kicked the pill habit and wasn ’ t drinking as much . He felt he could reinvent himself . He went to work at Horseshoe Bend Golf Club , and it was at Horseshoe Bend that Taylor met the golf course dog — named Hound Dog .

“ He was a terror ,” said Taylor . “ He didn ’ t like thunder or loud nois-

14 SportsField Management | March 2021 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com