Club People On the Move: November 18-December 1

Recent industry hires and promotions include new General Managers at Loblolly in Hobe Sound, Fla., Dunwoody Country Club in Atlanta, Ga., and Kelly Greens Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla.; a new Director of Golf at Bocaire Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla.; a new Executive Chef at The Mirabel Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and a new F&B Director at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

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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/.

Loblolly in Hobe Sound, Fla. named Mike Reilly, CCM as General Manager. Reilly was most recently General Manager/Chief Operating Officer at The Park Country Club of Buffalo (N.Y.).

Dunwoody Country Club in Atlanta, Ga. named Michael Strain, PGA as General Manager/Chief Operating Officer. Strain was most recently Chief Operating Officer at Ivanhoe (Ill.) Club.

Kelly Greens Golf & Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla. named Jordan Kovalcik, CAM as General Manager. Kovalcik was most recently Clubhouse Manager at Myers Park Country Club’s in Charlotte, N.C.

The Golf Club Fossil Creek in Fort Worth, Texas named Sean Swanberg as General Manager. Swanberg was most recently General Manager at the Plantation Golf Club in Frisco, Texas.

The Quarry at La Quinta (Calif.) named Jason Head as General Manager/COO. Head was most recently President, CEO of Black Butte Ranch in Sisters, Ore.

Aberdeen Golf & Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla. named Jeffrey Riegler, CCM as General Manager/COO. Riegler was most recently General Manager at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, N.Y.

Fountainhead Country Club in Hagerstown, Md. named Scott Irwin, CCM, CCE as General Manager/COO. Irwin was most recently General Manager at Elizabeth Manor Golf & Country Club in Portsmouth, Va.

Rio Verde Country Club in Rio Verde, Ariz. named Anthony Paino as General Manager. Paino was most recently General Manager at Fairwood Golf & Country Club in Renton, Wash. Prior to Fairwood, he was the General Manager of The Columbia Tower Club in Seattle.

Greeley (Colo.) Country Club named Marko Hardin, PGA as General Manager. Hardin was most recently General Manager at Springdale (Ark.) Country Club.

Shoals Club in Bald Head Island, N.C. named Brian Mullins, CCM, CCE as General Manager. Mullins was most recently General Manager/COO at Hyannis (Mass.) Yacht Club.

Boughton Ridge Golf Course and Ashbury’s in Bolingbrook, Ill. named Bruce Hutcheon as General Manager. Hutcheon was most recently General Manager of the St. Clair Hotel – Magnificent Mile in Chicago.

The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole (Wy.) named Sean Casserly as Resort Manager. Casserly was most recently Director of Marketing at Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore (Md.).

The Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, N.M. named William Miller as Assistant General Manager. Miller was most recently Food & Beverage Director at Kohanaiki Club, Inc. in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, Mich. promoted Jason Farah to Director of Golf. The former Golf Course Superintendent, Farah maintained the resort’s two golf courses to tournament standards and oversaw major renovations on the front nine of Betsie Valley. Farah and Crystal Mountain are profiled in the December 2021 issue of C+RB. Trevor Mills will now take over as Golf Course Superintendent and Dan Heiss will serve as First Assistant Superintendent.

Bocaire Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. named Corey Johnson as Director of Golf. Johnson was most recently Head Golf Professional at Stonebridge Country Club in Naples, Fla.

Lakewood Country Club in Westlake, Ohio promoted Tim Perin to Head Golf Professional. Perin was most recently First Assistant Golf Professional at the club. He takes over for Tim Waitrovich, who is retiring after 30 years at Lakewood CC.

The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. named Joe Ostrowski as Director of Golf Instruction and Ehsan Mamdooh as Director of Food and Beverage. Ostrowski was most recently Teaching Professional at Glen Head (N.Y.) Country Club. Mamdooh most recently served as Director of Hotel Operations for Loews Hotels in New Orleans.

Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio maned Nate Herman as Director of Agronomy & Grounds. Herman was most recently Golf Course Superintendent at Harbor Shores Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Mich.

The James River Country Club in Newport News, Va. named Allen Dobbs as Golf Course Superintendent. Dobbs was most recently Director of Agronomy at Hampton Roads Golf Club in Virginia Beach, Va.

Salt Lake Country Club in Salt Lake City, Utah named Eric Gifford as Golf Course Superintendent. Gifford was most recently Golf Course Superintendent at Riverside Country Club in Provo, Utah.

The Mirabel Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. named Jon Hearnsberger as Executive Chef. Hearnsberger was most recently Executive Chef at The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.).

Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. named Jeff Grafer as Executive Chef. Grafer was most recently Executive Chef at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora, Ill.

The Ocean Club of Florida in Ocean Ridge, Fla. named Anthony Marazita as Executive Chef. Marazita was most recently Executive Chef at Amangiri in Kanab, Utah.

Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. named Iulia Gherman as Food and Beverage Director. Gherman was most recently Food and Beverage Manager at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn.

Mizner Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. named Peter Vargas as Beverage Director/Sommelier. Vargas was most recently Food and Beverage Manager/Sommelier at Mountain Lake Country Club in Lake Wales, Fla.

The Country Club of New Bedford in North Dartmouth, Mass. named John Hattab, CCM as Director of Food & Beverage. Hattab was most recently Assistant Food & Beverage Director at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, Fla. named Chef Thomas Vaccaro, CEPC, CMB, CHE as Executive Pastry Chef, Educator and Certified Master Baker. Vaccaro was the Dean for Baking and Pastry Arts Education at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton, Ohio promoted Stephen Miller to Bar Manager and Judy Winter to Dining Room Manager. Miller and Winter, who are both recent graduates of Bowling Green State University, were most recently Operations Supervisors.

The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. named Nick Lusson as Club Athletic Director. Lusson was most recently Athletic Director at Alameda County DSAL/Sheriffs FC in San Leandro, Calif.

Hideaway Golf Club in La Quinta, Calif. named Nathan Celusta, CHAE as Controller. Celusta was most recently Controller at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Mountain Lake in Lake Wales, Fla. named B. Todd Whisenant, SPHR, SHRM-SCP as Director of Team Member Engagement. Whisenant was most recently Director of Human Resources at Element Engineering Group, LLC in Tampla, Fla.

ClubCorp named Jim Berra as Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer. Berra was most recently with Royal Caribbean International as SVP and Chief Marketing Officer.

Greenville (S.C.) Country Club announced that Assistant General Manager Chip Hughes has been awarded with the Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation by the Club Management Association of America (CMAA).

Mike Healy, PGA Head Professional of the Country Club of (Towson) Maryland has been named the Mid Atlantic Section PGA Professional of the Year.

Bob Farren Jr., CGCS and Director of Golf Course and Grounds Management at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort, will be honored with the 2022 Col. John Morley Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). The award, named for GCSAA’s founder, is presented annually to an individual who is or has been a GCSAA Class A or B superintendent member and has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent’s profession.

Troon named Kendall Murphy as the company’s first Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Murphy has more than a dozen years of golf industry experience, most recently serving as a PGA career consultant for the PGA of America supporting the Northern California PGA Section, while also working as an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Harrah College of Hospitality. 

The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) welcomed Gary Browning, Kipp Schulties and Joel Weiman to its ranks. Credits for the three include a full restoration of the 36-hole, famed Robert Trent Jones Sr’s Kananaskis Country Golf Course (Browning), a complete redesign of Mizner Country Club (Schulties) and a renovation of the Bethesda Country Club (Weiman).

Supplier News

Landscapes Unlimited promoted Cheryl Halvorsen from Senior Irrigation Estimator to a project management role. A 26-year veteran of Landscapes, Halvorsen will continue to work closely with irrigation designers and distributors, golf course architects, property owners and Landscapes’ field managers, while managing installations during project executions.