Recent industry hires and promotions include a new General Manager at The Quechee Club in Hartford, Vt., a new Director of Agronomy at The Club at New Seabury in Mashpee, Mass., and a new Principal appointment for GSI Executive Search.
Here are some of the recent new hires and promotions announced by club and resort properties and other companies in the club industry. Announcements and photos for this regular People on the Move report can be submitted at https://clubandresortbusiness.com/submit-industry-news/.
Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio named Jay Walkinshaw as General Manager and Tommy Moore as Director of Golf. Walkinshaw joins Firestone with a decorated career in golf club management. He’s had stints as a golf professional at both The Olympic Club (San Francisco, Calif.) and Pebble Beach Golf Links (Carmel, Calif.) in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Walkinshaw transitioned into the Director of Golf Operations position at Brookside Country Club (Stockton, Calif.) prior to several General Manager and Executive Director positions at clubs such as San Jose Country Club (San Jose, Calif.), Pasatiempo Golf Club (Santa Cruz, Calif.), The National Golf Club of Canada (Woodbridge, Ont.) and Frenchman’s Reserve Country Club (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). Moore joins Firestone from The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club in Fishers, Ind. From 1998 – 2008, Moore held Director of Golf and Head Golf Professional positions at Harbor Links Golf Course, The Links at Shirley and Pine Ridge Golf Club in New York. He’s also been the Head Professional at The Golf Club at Rainmakers in Mexico and Regents’ Glen Country Club and Applecross Country Club in Pennsylvania.
The Quechee Club in Hartford, Vt. named Brian P. Kelley, PGA, CCM, as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, and Jim Largess as Clubhouse Manager. Kelley was most recently General Manager at Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H. Largess is the former Vice President of Food and Beverage at Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine.
Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island, Neb. named Tom Foutch as Club Manager, Mindy Smidt as Events Coordinator, and Jared DeLay as Executive Chef.
Worcester (Mass.) Country Club hired Andy Lane as Head Golf Professional. Lane was most recently Assistant Golf Professional at Hyannisport Club in Hyannis Port, Mass.
Gunner Wiebe, PGA Assistant Professional at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, won the 2020 National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. announced that Director of Golf Instruction, Pam Elders, is the 2020 recipient of the South Florida PGA Player Development Award. The Player Development Award recognizes a PGA Professional who has made extraordinary contributions and achievements in player development. Elders, a Class A PGA Professional, has been with Boca West since 2002.
The Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach named Shannon Wheeler as Golf Course and Grounds Superintendent. Wheeler most recently served as the Golf Course Superintendent at TPC Sawgrass – Dye’s Valley Course. Before joining TPC Sawgrass – Dye’s Valley Course, Wheeler held superintendent positions at various courses in Florida, including Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Wycliffe Golf and County Club in Wellington, Fountains Country Club in Palm Beach County, The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter and St. Andrews Country Club in Palm Beach County.
The Club at New Seabury in Mashpee, Mass. has named Kevin Taylor as Director of Agronomy. Taylor will oversee the club’s recently renovated 36-holes, which feature the Ocean Course and the Dunes Course. He will work closely over the next few months to aid a seamless transition with Scott Nickerson, who, after nearly 30 years in the position, will retire. Taylor joins New Seabury from Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., where he was the East/West Course Superintendent.
Alpine Country Club’s Director of Agronomy Jake Ebner has been named the “Superintendent of the Year” for private clubs by the Utah Golf Course Superintendents Association (GCSA). Ebner has been the director of agronomy at the Highland, Utah club since 2006. In 2019, Ebner worked closely with John Fought Design while leading Alpine Country Club through numerous golf course enhancement and renovation projects.
Jeff Snyder, Golf Course Superintendent of The Water’s Edge Country Club in Penhook Va., has been recognized by the Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association with the 2020 President’s Award. The award is “in recognition of a career of distinguished and meritorious service and commitment to advancing the profession of golf course superintendent in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and in the grateful appreciation for over twenty years of contributions that led to the advancement of association affairs since its inception.” The award was presented by VGCSA President Bill Keene during the Annual Meeting.
Rio Verde (Ariz.) Country Club named Megan Liborio as Director of Membership Sales & Marketing, and Nick Gabos as Assistant Food & Beverage Director. Liborio joins Rio Verde Country Club from The Phoenician Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she served as the Golf Sales Manager. Gabos most recently worked at Fire Rock Country Club in Fountain Hills, Ariz., where he was the Food & Beverage Supervisor.
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) named Mike Kriz, retired Equipment Manager of Arrowhead Country Club in Rapid City, S.D., the winner of the 2020 Edwin Budding Award. The Edwin Budding Award, named for the inventor of the lawn mower, is given annually to an equipment manager or related innovator, technician, educator or engineer who has made a significant impact in the golf and turf business. Kriz spent several years teaching via the online forum Golf Techs, founded the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association (IGCEMA) and has volunteered at numerous PGA tournaments. He will formally receive the award at the 2021 Golf Industry Show.
Sea Cliff (N.Y.) Yacht Club named Robin Maynard the club’s first female Commodore. Maynard has been a member of the club for 12 years, and has sat on its board in various capacities for the past decade. Introducing rowing to the yacht club is one of Maynard’s goals. She also wants to improve the club’s beach area with new furniture, she said, and update its dining room.
SUPPLIER PEOPLE
GSI Executive Search appointed Manny Gugliuzza, CCM, CCE as Principal. While Gugliuzza’s career in private club management and the hospitality industry spans more than 30 years with stops as a General Manager/Chief Operating Officer at high-end private clubs in New Jersey and New York, he most recently served as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Garden City Country Club in Garden City, N.Y.
Treasure Garden hired Kim Golson as National Contract Sales Manager focusing on the hospitality sector. In this role, Golson will work primarily with Treasure Garden’s hospitality collections, Shademaker and Jardinico overseeing all sales on a national level. Golson was most recently National Sales Manager at North Cape International in Chicago, Ill. Her experience within the outdoor category also included a position as the National Sales Manager for outdoor furnishing manufacturer, Meadowcraft, of Wadley, Ala.
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