Staff photo by Doug StricklandDavid Stone, left, Jarred Walker, center, and Joey Glisson work to determine hole placement for an upcoming tournament at the 13th green of The Honors Course in Chattanooga.David Stone's first day The Honors Course was Nov. 1, 1982.
Memories adorn Stone's office, nestled on the southeast corner of the immaculate grounds of the prestigious golf course that was borne from famed course designer Pete Dye's vision and the late Jack Lupton's unwavering determination.
On Stone's office walls are certificates of achievement and course rankings as lofty as The Honors' membership fees.
Stone is the only superintendent to groom this glorious gift to golf and golfers, and the results of Stone's almost three-and-a-half decade love affair with the Honors will forever be remembered.
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A game for life
For Stone, the love of playing the game has never been an issue. He was infected with the bug and obsessed with the game from an early age.
His lifetime battle with cerebral palsy, though, limited his playing, especially off the tee. Though the stories about Stone's short-game are certainly the stuff of legend around The Honors, his love for the game, as well as nature and the course, are blended expertly thoughtout The Honors.
"That's the thing that makes David so special," Honors head golf professional Henrik Simonsen says. "He loves all of those things equally and brings them all together perfectly."
Stone's work at The Honors was made possible by a round of golf in the summer of 1982 in Knoxville with P.B, Dye, the son of renowned golfing architect Pete Dye, who Lupton, a wealthy Coca-Cola entrepreneur, had convinced to design his vision.
"I played with Pete's son," Stone recalled about the round at Halston Hills, where Stone was the superintendent, "and he said I should come down here and talk with Pete and Jack. They had talked to a couple of guys (about being the superintendent), but I really just wanted to meet the famous Pete Dye.
"I didn't think I was interested, but when I saw this place, I was blown away and I knew they had something really special."
That chance meeting - Stone cherishes a picture of him with the golf hall of famed - forged a relationship that brought the best out of each.
And, with The Honors ranking No. 31 among America golf course, has produced one of the nation's best and most respected golf courses.
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Lessons in leadership
Stone's role in the development, the maturation and the continuing excellence at The Honors is clear. Yes, Lupton, the impassioned billionaire who was determined to bring an Augusta National-like venue to Chattanooga, was the driving force. Yes, Dye, the internationally known designer, was the artist. But Stone has been The Honors caretaker, and it's a role that he has loved.
"He truly is the soul of this course," Simonsen says. "Jack made all of this possible, of course, and the design is amazing. But David has been the one that makes sure everything is just right."
Stone credits Lupton and the course's leadership with being committed to excellence. It's not an inexpensive endeavor, mind you, designing, maintaining and cultivating a world-class facility, and Stone has been supported at every step.
"The Honors was the only project I've ever done where we didn't have a budget," Pete Dye told the Times Free Press before The Honors' 25th anniversary in 2008. "And we still went over budget."
Stone makes sure the original commitment to greatness endures.
"He's a grass legend," says Larry Broom, who started working for Stone in the maintenance department in 1984 and now works as a greeter at The Honors. "The layout is great, sure, but The Honors is The Honors because of David Stone."
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A quiet leader
The daily assignments for his staff can be found typed out - and usually stapled - on the front corner of his less-than-neat desk. Yes, the greens are immaculate and Stone - who takes his dog Smitty for morning and afternoon rides around the course - knows the contours and curves of every cranny of this place by heart, but his desk is haphazard. Don't confuse this office clutter for his leadership style or demeanor.
Said Simonsen: "He's such a great listener; it really helps him when leading his people or listening to people who have a problem."
Serving a clientele that includes some of the world most famous people - "Hey is that Peyton Manning on No. 2 tee" - and some of the country's most wealthy can be intimidating. When they are paying lofty fees and dues for a world-class golf course, serving that membership comes with a fare amount of stress.
"If you are a golf superintendent, think about this," Honors member and Golf Channel analyst Charlie Rymer mused. "Of the percentage of the people who play your golf course, how many can they realistically keep happy? There's a percentage of people who will think it's too hard and ask the superintendent to make it where they can enjoy it. Then, later the same day, there will be a percentage that come to you and say it's too easy."
"If you can make 60 percent happy, you are a hall of famer. And David Stone is a surefire hall of famer."
One time Stone and his crew were grinding up aeration pellets, a job that left one unhappy player in a cloud of dust for most of the day. But run-ins with players are few and far between. Members get mad at him, but they are too polite to say anything. In truth, after surviving the early years at The Honors, and delivering perfection to the perfectionist Jack Lupton, Stone has more job security at The Honors than a Supreme Court justice.
"The first three years were pretty tough," Stone recalled. "The rough was really struggling and there were some problems. And when you have someone like Jack, who was used to having money fix things quickly, well, grass doesn't care how much money you have.
"In truth, he probably would have fired me, but the greens were always so good that he figured I'd figure out the rough eventually."
Lupton, like he was in so many of his successful business ventures, was 100 percent right in his trust in Stone. After replacing the fairways and letting the rough take hold, The Honors flourished and the world took notice.
Stone, though, has never lost his appreciation for this place and a glorious round of golf. That perspective, too, shows his genius goes beyond blades of grass and golf balls.
"In this part of the world, there are certain seasons when the grass is not as good as others," Stone said, delivering a simple message of a very complicated problem he and his colleagues face every year. "And with our membership (roughly two-thirds of The Honors membership live out of town), there are some days that that may be the only round a member plays out here all year.
"We have to realize that and be aware of that and know that everyday here is special to somebody."
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A long goodbye
Stone announced his decision to step down from the job he's had for more than half his life - and the one that has made him world-famous in his craft - at the beginning of 2016.
The last day of this year will be his last day as the superintendent, and for the first time since The Honors was little more than a Jack Lupton vision, the course will need a new caretaker.
Will Misenhimer, a 10-year veteran working at the right side of Stone for the last few years, will be the second superintendent at The Honors.
He knows the challenges ahead, but says there is no anxiety about the move, and that's primarily because of his mentor.
"I'm not nervous at all, because David has taught me so much and let me learn by doing along the way," Misenhimer said. "It's going to be an easy transition. Really, because of the way he wants you to learn, it's going to be an easy transition. And, he's going to be right here on the grounds walking Smitty or watching birds, so if I have a question, who better to ask than him?"
For many, Stone's is a long, slow goodbye, one filled with plenty of laughs, some tears and a lot of lessons.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for him," said Rymer, of the Golf Channel. "I've had some laughs with David and enjoyed the time I spent with him. But, listen, in golf there's no classes you can take. You have to learn things from other people. David is one of those people; I've learned more from him than any other superintendent than I have ever been around."
Stone, an avid birdwatcher, plans to take more photos of the species on the grounds at The Honors in the years ahead.
There's gardening with wife Stacey, too, on the house at the front of The Honors' drive that was part of the original deal he negotiated with Lupton.
There's also Smitty, the dog Stone took in after Smitty just kind of "showed up" at the 2009 State Amateur.
"I bet he feels like he won the dog lottery," Stone said.
Heck, everyone who comes in contact for extended periods of time with David Stone - bird lover, golf course caretaker and nature's friend - know we're all better off for it.