The clatter of rakes and the swish of mowers faded as Kenny Brauner handed over the keys to the Oak Hills Golf Center. Brauner, 64, officially retired after 15 years with the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, ending a 49-year career in golf course maintenance.
His steady work led to a promotion to assistant superintendent in 2017 and, finally, to the full superintendent position in March 2024.
Stu Murphy, a long-time golfer and Oak Hills advisory committee member, often walked the course with Brauner, learning the finer points of course conditions. Brauner, for his part, said his love for golf courses kept him going through long days and tough winters.
Braun credited Brauner with leading the transformation of Oak Hills from a below-average course to one meeting high standards. “He worked 60-hour weeks, often alongside the crew,” Braun said. Kent Russell, another advisory committee member, noted the course's visible improvement over the last 14 years. “That’s proof of his work,” he said.
Though officially out of the role, Brauner admits the course will not fade from his thoughts so easily. “I expect it will take at least a month or two before I stop thinking about it,” he said. “Maybe a year, I don’t know.”
