The Equipment Manager of the Year award is designed for Superintendents to nominate their Equipment Manager & to help recognize the best and brightest here in Michigan.This is the first year for this award which is selected by the MiGCSA Equipment Managers Committee. The 2024 award goes to William "Bill" Brantley from The Emerald Golf Course in St. Johns. He was nominated by MiGCSA Past President Jay Eccleton, CGCS.
William "Bill" Brantley discovered his aptitude for engines when he received his first motorcycle for Christmas at the age of thirteen. Bill and his brother Rick shared a love for small engines and motorcycles since that day. Knowing that the responsibility fell on him to work on his own machine, Bill started on a journey of self-taught techniques to becoming a small engine mechanic.
Bill later in life attended the Motorcycle Mechanic Institute in Phoenix, Az where he graduated and returned to Michigan to do just that. In 1994 Bill was approached to take over the Equipment Technician position at the newly constructed Emerald Golf Course where he would find a home for the next 30 years.
As a young motorcycle mechanic, Bill found an opportunity to enter the golf course industry using his knowledge of small engines to his benefit. When he started, he knew little about reel technology, hydraulic systems, and turf care machinery all together. Bill's ability to study service manuals and dig into reel methodology long before the internet contributed to his self-taught success and, he became one of the best Equipment Technicians in the industry. His meticulous nature and attention to quality cut contributed to the success and reputation of Emerald’s quality playing surfaces. “I could not have asked for a better employee, colleague, and friend to spend the last 25 years of my career with.” stated Jay Eccleton, CGCS “Bill is my secret weapon to our success at The Emerald and it will be a huge learning curve without him. I have never had to ask for anything more out of him and his humble nature would never take credit for the quality work performed on a daily business.” continued Eccleton.
Bill’s famous tag line is "Always something, never nothing" as he walks away with a smile to tackle the next task whether it be his daily adjustment and tweaking of the reels, repairing a piece of equipment that may not have made it through the day successfully or what we sometimes call "A Major" a more intensive repair that would require more time and would require a scheduled fit it into his daily activities. I would describe Bill this way " He is my smoke and mirrors, I can always count on the machinery to be operating and when we have a breakdown, I could most certainly expect it to be up and running within 24 hours” exclaimed Eccleton.
There is no other way to paint a better end to a 30-year career than recognition from his peers and an award from the MiGCSA recognizing Bill’s contribution to our industry.