Reed On The Greens February 26, 2026
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

Photo: Kevin Collier at Pebble Beach’s No. 18 tee. Photo courtesy Kevin Collier.

At RiverBend Golf Community, golf course superintendent Kevin Collier has long been admired for total dedication to his craft, ensuring residents and guests enjoy one of the most pristine pieces of golf properties in Canada. Now, a larger audience has further embraced Collier’s expertise as he takes the reigns as president of the Ontario Golf Superintendents’ Association (OGSA).

Est. 1924, OSGA is a diverse group including golf course superintendents, assistant superintendents, technicians, equipment managers, students, educators, golf course suppliers, owners and architects. The association offers industry news and up-to-date information on navigating the challenges facing golf course personnel; formal education opportunities and resources; networking opportunities and resources to stay connected; plus member recognition for their efforts and accomplishments in turfgrass management.

Kevin Collier

Golf course superintendents are, in fact, the unsung heroes of the golf industry. Without immaculate conditions from tee to green, both the golfing experience and the golf industry would suffer immensely. It’s why Collier said the OGSA board is “committed to carefully evaluating our growth and ensuring we build the right foundation before continuing to expand. This means strengthening our governance practices, refining our infrastructure and enriching the programs and services our members rely on. As we grow, we want to grow with intention – solidifying what we have, identifying opportunities for improvement and creating long‑term stability for the future.”

Collier, who has worked at RiverBend since 2010 and has held his current title since 2012, has volunteered with the grounds crews at the 2006 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

He has worked in the golf industry since age 13, falling in love with the game during a nine-year stay at the 9-hole Riverside Golf Club in Ajax before eventually moving to Glencairn Golf Club in Milton, and then King Valley Golf Club in King City, Ontario. He studied Accounting at Hamilton’s McMaster University, but halfway through his degree – which he finished – he decided to chase his golf dreams while studying in the Golf Course Turfgrass Management program at Pennsylvania State University.

“It was the time of my life at Penn State,” Collier said. “I was all in. When crazy opportunities present themselves in life, you have to jump on them. So, when I spotted a job posting for an internship at August National, I applied – and I got it.”

RiverBend GC golf course superintendent Kevin Collier with kids at RiverBend’s First Green presentation in 2024. Photo: Kevin Collier.

For six months, Collier fine-tuned his craft at Bobby Jones’s sacred Augusta National grounds and mowed the same greens where Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods created some of golf’s greatest moments. He worked the 70th Masters Tournament in 2006, and saw Phil Mickelson win his second green jacket with a score of 7-under 281, three strokes better than Woods, Fred Couples and José María Olazábal. Yet his biggest golf memory at Augusta wasn’t witnessed by a world-wide television audience, but rather only by the azaleas and flowering peach trees.

“My dad, Bill, and I looped it once. We had the one day to play. If it rained, you lost your chance. We played 18, and were sitting on the lawn having lunch under an oak tree. We were told the first tee was dead. So I asked if we could loop again, and they said, ‘Absolutely. Have at it.’ So we played 36 that day. Unforgettable,” Collier said.

At the 2010 PGA Championship, Collier was responsible for stimping the 12th and 13th greens. It was at Whistling Straits where he saw Dustin Johnson ground his club in a bunker, which cost him the championship. And at Pebble, Collier was an assistant to a grounds crew member rolling greens. Collier called Pebble “heaven on earth.”

Despite his global golf ambitions, Collier said the grass is greener at his home club, which he called a “special place. To think that the Sifton family envisioned such a pristine piece of property is amazing.”

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Award-winning journalist Jeffrey Reed has covered golf in Southwestern Ontario for a local and national audience since 1980. He’s publisher and editor of LondonOntarioGolf.com and LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at jeff@londonontariogolf.com.