Golf holes are attractive to different people for different reasons. Some look at holes for length, some for difficulty, others for the shape and slope of a putting surface.

For Rob Lewis, the 12th hole at Country Oaks Golf Club was the attention getter. The elevation change fromthe tee through the green at the par five caught his eye, as well as the creek guarding the approach with the help of a pair of trees defining the entrance to the putting surface.

But Lewis hasn’t yet had the chance to give the 12th hole a try. He’s been too busy with his work of taking care of that hole and the 17 others at the Daviess County course.

Lewis is the new superintendent at Country Oaks. He comes from Midlothian Country Club near Chicago where he was the first assistant to Dave Behrman. In all, Lewis has served at four clubs in four states, including Oakland Hills, Birmingham, Mich., and Caves Valley Golf Club, Baltimore. Both courses have hosted major national tournaments, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open.

“I have always enjoyed golf, and I thought why not

make a career from the game,” Lewis said. “I was raised in Detroit, and started caddying at the age of 13 at Oakland Hills. I’ve always seemed to enjoy being on a golf course, and it just seemed natural to me to be outside on the course.”

The 1992 University of Michigan graduate decided to attend Michigan State in 1996 to pursue his career on the course. He completed the turfgrass management program in 1998 while serving on the grounds crew at Oakland Hills for the 1996 U.S. Open.

He also had the chance to meet one of his golf idols during an early practice round for that tournament.

“I have always been a fan of Nick Faldo,” Lewis said.

“He happened to be on the course for a practice round by himself, and there was no one around. I had some time, so I just started walking behind him. After some time, he invited me to walk along. I had a chance to meet him. It was quite a thrill.”

Lewis now finds similar thrills preparing courses for others to play. He likes a course that offers a level of playability for golfers of all abilities.

“The most important thing to me is how a course plays,” Lewis said. “A course should look good, but it should also play well. There should be some firmness, but the course should play well for every player. The course should reward good shots, but not necessarily be overly penal for high handicappers.”

Lewis believes Country Oaks has that possibility.

“The course has great potential. It is good as it is,

but it can be better,” Lewis said. “I can tell the people that play the course are passionate about the game. I’m looking forward to bringing the course to the best it can be for those players.”