Mark Woodward will take over as chief executive officer of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America in July. He visited the association's office on Tuesday to meet employees.

A Lawrence-based association with more than 100 employees in town and more than 20,000 members worldwide is getting a new boss.

Mark Woodward, golf operations manager for the city of San Diego, starts July 1 as chief executive officer of Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

Woodward would start earlier, but he’s got a few loose ends to tie up with his current employer. Among them: wrapping up $7 million of upgrades to get the city’s showcase course, Torrey Pines, ready for Tiger Woods and the rest of the world’s best golfers for this year’s U.S. Open.

“It’s been a monumental challenge,” Woodward said.

Woodward was in Lawrence on Tuesday for an introduction to his next challenge, meeting with association employees before traveling to Augusta, Ga., for The Masters this weekend. There, he will meet with industry officials, golf leaders and others to prepare for the Open and spread the word about the importance of superintendents and their association.

Working out of a headquarters building at 1421 Research Park Drive, the association has 105 employees in town and 112 overall. Together they work on behalf of about 20,000 members who are part of 101 separate chapters in the United States or spread out among 72 countries worldwide.

Woodward was among about 40 candidates considered to be a successor for Steve Mona, who left the association after 14 years to become chief executive officer of the World Golf Foundation. Association leaders interviewed a dozen candidates, then whittled the field to three finalists before choosing their colleague.

Woodward, after all, is a golf course superintendent himself and will be the first such professional to serve as CEO of the association. He plans to continue working to bolster the profession for course managers.

“He’s one of us,” said Dave Downing, association president and vice president of operations and construction for Signature Golf Group in South Carolina. “He has the passion, and having him with us he can take us to where we want to be.”

Woodward is part of a long line of superintendents in his family, a lineage that reaches back to 1938 and shows no sign of going away anytime soon.

“It’s in my blood,” he said.

Woodward has been a member of the association for 30 years and has served on the organization’s board of directors. In 2004, he served as the association’s 68th president.

During Woodward’s board tenure, the association had considered relocating the headquarters away from Lawrence and into a more golf-centric, warm-weather locale. But those discussions led to a decision to stay put in Lawrence, one Woodward supports.

The 55-year-old is looking forward to moving to town and, he hopes, finishing his professional career in Lawrence.

“We’re pumped about being here, and I can’t wait to get here,” he said. “It’s going to be fun.”

In San Diego, Woodward’s department has played host to numerous high-profile events, including three junior world golf championships, three city amateur championships and three PGA Tour events. The U.S. Open will be contested June 12-15 on the South Course at Torrey Pines.