By Keeley Young

Congratulations to Chris Vermillion,  Superintendent at Willow Tree Golf Course, for receiving the City of Liberal’s quarterly employee recognition award. This quarter’s theme was “Innovation & Creativity” and Chris’s determination to problem-solve turf conditions at the course this past Spring makes him the perfect recipient for this award. After the course lost 80% of it’s greens coverage due to winter-kill, Chris worked tirelessly to create and evaluate new interventions to support greens recovery. His commitment and steady guidance not only accelerated the recovery process, but also reinforced a strong sense of teamwork and purpose during a challenging time for staff. His contributions as an employee at the course for the last 20 years have been game changing.