Grab a slice of Dylan Drum
If you have spent anytime on instagram and your feed covers anything turf you have likely come across @sliceof_dyl (Instagram & TikTok). Dylan embodies the work early & play late lifestyle and we caught up with him right as he was transitioning from Memorial Park (Houston, TX) to his new role as an Assistant Superintendent across town at Pine Forest CC. On top of transitioning to a new role at a new property Dylan has also managed to work a few big events this spring; The Houston Open (PGA Tour), The Chevron Championship (LPGA) and the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow (PGA Tour) and he still manages to find the time to sneak some golf in along the way.
Property Name (and location):
I’m leaving the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas and starting at Pine Forest Country Club in Houston, Texas.
Property Description (Holes, Total Size, total green size, etc etc)
Memorial Park : 18 holes, 170 acres with approximately 5 acres of putting surfaces. 419 Bermuda fairways, tees, approaches, and rough with Perennial Rye grass overseed. Mini Verde greens with Poa Triv overseed.
Pine Forest CC : 27 holes, approximately 200 acres. Three 9 hole courses all recently renovated starting in 2024 and still on going in 2026. Went from 419 Bermuda to TifTuf fairways & rough. Then from Champion Bermuda to Tif Eagle greens.
How long have you been at this property/role?
Memorial Park : 2 years as a Greenskeeper
Pine Forest CC : Starting May 2026 as Assistant Superintendent
Avg crew/ Max Crew count
Memorial : Superintendent, 2 Assistants, & 25-30 man crew
Pine Forest : Superintendent, 3 Assistants, & 20-25 man crew
Handicap (Yes, no, actual, approx)
8.6 from USGA GHIN App
Favorite task to do on the course?
Cup Cutting, Mowing Fairways, Irrigation Work (in that order haha)
Least favorite Task?
Trimming sprinkler heads (satisfying results but so boring)
Best thing about being a greenkeeper?
Being outside on a nice day doing what you enjoy & seeing the how the hard work has paid off
Worst thing about being a greenkeeper?
Dealing with unhappy golfers while you work
Favorite Piece of equipment?
Fairway Unit
Favorite Golf club in your bag?
8 iron or Putter
Work/Career Goals?
Continue to work hard and enjoy the ride while also working towards a turf certificate or associates degree in turf management and then one day become a Superintendent.
Golf Goals?
Shoot even par one day and/or have a 140+ yard hole in one.
Do you keep a golf club in your cart and what club? why/why not?
Yes typically I have a putter with me to test my skills on a nice lag putt as well just getting a feel for current green speeds and conditions.
Biggest/Most common Misconception about your course?
I think for Memorial, the biggest misconception for first time players is that they think it is going to be an easy low scoring round for them at a local municipal golf course but the greens are more undulated than most other courses around town, giving more of a challenge to get close to the hole.
Biggest/most common misconception about your job/role?
“All you do is cut grass” there is so much more to do around the golf course than just cutting grass all day.
Do you think playing golf helps or hurts your role?
I believe that playing golf has its positive ways of translating skills like patience and attention to different details into working on the golf course. You see the course from a different mind set at that time which can change the way you approach certain tasks later.
Do you enjoy/benefit from having golfers on your crew?
I think yes, like I mentioned previously, a golfer's eye can be beneficial in the workplace due to the different view points you get to see the course while playing.
What is the one thing you wish golfers would be better about when playing your course?
We are cart path only over 80% of the time throughout the year so at Memorial I think it would be a big help if more golfers did their due diligence in repairing ball marks, not only their own but at least two or three in the area as they are reading their putt.
What do you think is the biggest misconception golfers have about course maintenance?
“Just water it” is one misconception that pops into my head from most people who are not in the turf industry. Now water will definitely help keep it alive but in terms of a nice healthy playable golf course too much water can be harmful and more troublesome to take care of.
What is the one thing you want golfers to notice at your course?
People see Memorial on Tv for the PGA/LPGA tournaments and think that the course stays in that condition year round. They do not see the amount of work goes into the overseed process, and why it looks the way it does during those big tournaments.
Why greenkeeping? It's rarely for the money and most people leave the work over time. What keeps you in it and motivated?
For me, it was a personal decision to keep me working outside after I got burned out in the commercial construction industry. I have always loved playing golf since I was a young kid playing linkster tournaments then on the high school golf team and then into college i still got to play quite a bit while being an outside service guy at the country club in Galveston. I happily worked construction for 5 ½ years after college but in 2023 after my best friend passed away in a tragic car accident and then mom passed away from appendix cancer two months later I had a tough time finding fulfillment in that type of corporate construction environment. I got laid off in December of 2023 from one company, got married in January 2024, then started working for a civil contractor in February. I only lasted 4 months working there in an office with no windows while doing project management work. I had to make a change for my own mental health and found myself constantly thinking about all the knowledge I gained from construction and managing people/projects and the ways that I could apply everything to working on a golf course. I was sold in my head, ready to start my professional career over for a better me. I was more than willing to accept a pay cut to go do something that I truly enjoyed doing and wanted to show up every day. That's how I found myself working in the turf industry where I started out as just another greenskeeper. We are just over two years into the journey now and I am not even 30 years old yet. It's ok to start over.
Favorite Course you have played?
Quivira Los Cabos in Cabo
#1 course you would most like to play?
Harbour Town OR Pebble Beach
Course you would most like to see how it operates?
Augusta National
Does golf make you better at your job?
I think yes, mindset is everything
Does your job make you better at golf?
I think yes, I think I am a much better green reader since I have started working on a golf course
What came first, passion for golf or greenkeeping?
A passion for golf led me to greenkeeping and that’s a big reason why I like my job so much. It is the best of both worlds literally.
Work Early Play Late…..it is more than just a motto, it is a lifestyle.