Next on the tee: Dave Tieman and Jordan Lawson.

Tieman, golf director at Weatherwax Golf Course, a city-owned facility, for the past 18 years, is retiring after today, then returning and serving as co-director, a part-time role, with Lawson.

Tieman and Lawson, who have worked together at Weatherwax for the past several years, will divide the golf director duties, and Tieman said the move will save the city money. He will work no more than 1,400 hours this year, he said.

Tieman’s earned $74,096 last year as golf director. Jordan, a 2002 Edgewood High School graduate, will make $39,299 this year, according to city documents.

Under Tieman’s leadership, Weatherwax earned the distinction of being named one of the Top 10 Public Golf Courses in Ohio, a feat he called his career highlight. He said Weatherwax accomplished this while operating with a budget and charging green fees more than half of the other ranked courses. He credited the awards to his staff.

Because of the money the city spent operating the four nine-hole courses, Weatherwax has been criticized by some residents in the past two years. But Tieman said the weather — the heavy rains in 2011 and the 2012 drought — played the major role in Weatherwax’s revenue being sub-par.

Lawson, 28, said he and Tieman created an “aggressive” marketing campaign that they hope increases the number of rounds being played, especially by those outside the Middletown area. Barring what he called a “weather disaster,” Lawson predicted a “really good year.”

Terry Sherrer, who served as executive director at the Middletown Area YMCA, and now as the Middletown Area United Way executive director, said Tieman was “a true community supporter” because of the details he paid to the organization’s golf tournaments.

Tieman assured every group “got the best bang for the buck,” Sherrer said.

Prior to working at Weatherwax, Tieman spent 12 seasons at Sharon Woods and nine years at Crest Hills Country Club in Cincinnati. It was Tieman’s goal, he said, to make every customer happy because he knew they were there to have a pleasant experience.

“You want to bring them a level of service that they want, expect,” he said.

Lawson doesn’t see that philosophy changing. What he learned, he learned from Tieman.

After high school, Lawson played one year of golf at Lee University, then transferred to Miami University, before earning his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix.

He “grew up” at Weatherwax, he said.

“This is exactly where I wanted to be,” he said when asked why he waited for Tieman to retire. “This is the job for me.”