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Steamboat Springs — For more than nine years, golfers playing the Haymaker golf course have been greeted by Tim Fuhrer's smiling face.

"I don't think he's ever had a bad day," said Hank Franks, head professional at Haymaker. "No matter how bad your day was going he always made you feel better."

But this season golfers will need to look to another smiling face for a pick-me-up.

Earlier this month, Fuhrer announced that he is leaving Haymaker to take a position as the director of golf at the Telluride Golf Club.

"Our loss is Telluride's gain," Franks said. "We are really excited about this announcement, and we are excited for Tim. I think that Tim is going to be missed by the golfers at our course. But he's also going to be missed by the city staff, our staff and all the other people he deals with in the course of the season. He's been a very good friend to me and I'll miss him."

Franks said it's going to be difficult to replace the services and experiences that were provided by Fuhrer, who worked as the course's first assistant, but it's a move that he is celebrating. Scott Matthews has already accepted the first assistant position.

Fuhrer becomes the eighth Haymaker assistant to move into a head position at another course.

Franks isn't surprised that another course hired Fuhrer, and says he's been expecting it for some time.

"He was one of our best kept secrets," Franks said. "He had the Midas touch. He always knew how to smooth out almost any crisis."

Fuhrer said Franks always encouraged him to pursue his goals in the golfing industry and is thankful for the lessons he learned.

Fuhrer earned his "Class A" membership in the Professional Golf Association last spring, setting up the move to Telluride.

Fuhrer was named as the course's new director of golf earlier this month and is now in charge of the day-to-day operations of the 18-hole course in Colorado's southern mountains. As director of golf, he also will be in charge of the food and beverage portion of the operation at the course, which is owned by the Telluride Ski and Golf Company.

"My love for the game of golf is stronger now, than when I came here almost 10 years ago," Fuhrer said. "I'm excited about the game, and I feel like golf is a very good business. I'm excited to be starting a new chapter in my career."

He is scheduled to begin work in Telluride May 1, and said his wife Jennie and 4-year-old daughter Samantha will join him later this spring.

In addition to his work at Haymaker, Fuhrer also worked at the Steamboat Ski Area's lift operations.

Fuhrer said he was attracted to Telluride because it is also a small mountain community that enjoys both golf and skiing - two things Fuhrer loves to do. He said he couldn't have made it through the PGA program or pursued his goal of being a head golf professional without the love and support of his wife.

-To reach John F. Russell call 871-4209

or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com