Page 42 - LVG&L 2018 WINTER

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CON GR A T UL A T IONS

the course the best it can be,” course architect course. My office is 150 acres, and I really love
Randy Heckenkemper says. “I am glad others being the steward of that environment.”
have noticed and recognized him for what we The Club at Sunrise, which originally
have known since we were under construc- opened as Winterwood Golf Course in 1964,
tion.” is owned by the Clark County Parks and
The Club at Sunrise reopened in July Recreation Department and managed by
2016 after the long and arduous process of KemperSports. The facility features a driving
planning and construction. Sutton seemed range and the Winterwood Grille open to the
destined for his role because he learned how public.
to play golf on the old Desert Rose as a kid,
then worked at the course in the eighties
when PGA TOUR player Jim Colbert owned
it. During that time, he planted the pine trees
that remain throughout the course.
“I grew up on this course, and then worked
here early in my career,” Sutton says. “I really
got to see what this course was all about, and 5483 Club House Dr., Las Vegas
I am honored to be one of the people who 702-207-7501
was responsible for bringing it back. To come www.theclubatsunrise.com
full circle is pretty special, and I take a lot of
pride in turning it into a jewel of a municipal
course.”
In addition to his time at Desert Rose,
Sutton also worked as the course construc-
tion manager and grow-in superintendent at
Sunrise Country Club, then later at Red Rock
Country Club. He also worked as superin-
tendent at Durango Hills Golf Course and
Wildhorse. He earned an associate degree
from the College of Southern Nevada in Or-
namental Horticulture & Landscape Design
and Management, and is a Certified Golf
Irrigation Auditor and Certified Landscape
Irrigation Auditor.
Part of Sutton’s mission at Club at Sunrise
was to create sustainability through smart
design. Examples of that include the use of
reclaimed water for irrigating and seashore
paspalum, a turf specifically selected for its
tolerance to salt levels in the soils. Use of
the turf helps to conserve on average 15 to
20 percent of water compared to other turf
varieties. That represents a savings of up to
35 million gallons of water per year. Accord-
ing to Sutton, the Club at Sunrise is the only
course in Nevada to be completely paspalum
from tee to fairway to green.
“I am honored to be recognized by my col-
leagues and peers, and it is humbling,” Sutton
says about his recent award. “We work long
hours, but I love every minute of being on the

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