In Memory of Mark McCaughan

Mark McCaughan was involved in golf course maintenance in Virginia for more than 30 years. He started in the mid 1990s working at Cheatam Annex and then the Golden Horseshoe in the Williamsburg area. His love of course maintenance sent him to Virginia Tech to get his degree in Turf and Landscape Management. Upon graduation, Mark was offered a second assistant position at James River Country Club in his hometown of Newport News. He was then offered an assistant position at Hermitage Country Club, where he was the only assistant there overseeing 36 holes of golf. This job launched him to his first Superintendent job growing in Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in Portsmouth, VA, where he stayed for eight years. During that time, Mark dedicated a lot of time to the Tidewater Turfgrass Association, spending many of the next 25 years serving in one capacity or another.

In 2005, Mark crossed over to the sales side of golf maintenance and took a job with a Richmond-based company, Herod Seeds. After leaving Herod in 2010, Mark went to work for a nationwide company and ended up with Harrell’s as their southeastern Virginia territory manager in 2016. Mark ended his career in the Charleston, SC, area as a branch manager for Harrell’s so he could be closer to his daughter.

Mark touched the lives of hundreds of people in the golf business in Virginia and will be dearly missed. His low-stress attitude and ability to get along with everyone made him a pleasure to spend time with. He loved golf maintenance and golf itself. He was always up to play with friends and perhaps drink a beer afterward. He loved Virgina Tech sports, being around friends, and spending time with his daughter. Mark will be deeply missed, especially in the Hampton Roads area.

We will share obituary and service information here as it becomes available.