John Wilson Spencer (1943-2009)

The Australian golf course maintenance industry will be saddened to hear that former Huntingdale Golf Club superintendent John Spencer passed away on Saturday 16 May after a battle with cancer. Spencer, one of this country’s leading superintendents who helped pioneer the development of pure couch fairways in Melbourne, was farewelled on Wednesday 20 May at a funeral service in Inverloch, south east of Melbourne. Spencer was 66. 

Despite showing great promise as a golfer in his earlier years – he won the 1958 Australian Schoolboy Championships – Spencer would end up making his mark in the turf management profession, most notably during his time at Huntingdale Golf Club. During his 20-year tenure there Spencer and his team set a benchmark when it came to course preparation, in particular for the Australian Masters. After retiring from Huntingdale, Spencer moved to Inverloch, south east of Melbourne, and played at Leongatha Golf Club where he was made an honorary member in appreciation of his help to improve the turf surfaces and design of the course. The AGCSA wishes to send its condolences to wife Joy and the Spencer family. A tribute to John and his achievements will run in the next edition of Australian Turfgrass Management Journal.