Recent industry hires and promotions include new General Managers at La Quinta (Calif.) Country Club, The Virginian and Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Va., and Hunters Run Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla.; a Director of Tennis at Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C.; Golf Course Superintendent at Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club in Georgetown, Texas; and a Lifestyle & Communications Manager at The Club at the Dunes in Naples, Fla.
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/.
La Quinta (Calif.) Country Club named Kurt Burmeister, CCM, CCE as General Manager. Burmeister was most recently General Manager/COO of The Club at Pasadera in Monterey, Calif.
The Virginian and Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Va. named Stephen McLean as General Manager. Most recently McLean served as General Manager of the Shenandoah Lodge and Athletic Club in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia.
Hunters Run Country Club in Boynton Beach, Fla. named Larry Savvides, CCM, CCE, CAM as Chief Operating Officer/General Manager. Savvides was most recently General Manager at Mizner Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla.
Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort, Ill. named Edward Tindall as General Manager/COO. Tindall was most recently General Manager at Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove, Ill.
Flagg Creek Golf Course in Countryside, Ill. named Patrick Jeter as General Manager. Jeter has been a General Manager with Arcis Golf for more than six years.
Edgewood Valley Country Club in LaGrange, Ill. named Paul Geallis as General Manager. Geallis was most recently General Manager at The Birchwood Club in Highland Park, Ill.
The Amarillo (Texas) Club named David Schmidt as General Manager. Schmidt most recently served as General Manager at Up to Par Management.
Mizner Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. named Richard Stropp as Assistant General Manager. Stropp was most recently Clubhouse Manager at the Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Cerbat Cliffs Golf Course in Kingman, Ariz. named Sam Hewitt as Head Golf Professional. Hewitt was most recently General Manager/Head professional at Gulf Winds Golf Course in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. named Zachary Najarian as Assistant Golf Professional. Najarian was most recently Assistant Golf Professional at Pelican’s Nest Golf Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.
The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C. named Patrick O’Keefe as Director of Tennis. O’Keefe previously served as Director of Tennis at Hidden Valley Country Club in Salem, Va., and as a coach to notable college-bound junior players at the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy. He replaces Job de Boer who retired in June after 30 years.
Cimarron Hills Golf & Country Club in Georgetown, Texas named Terry Negen as Golf Course Superintendent. Negen most recently served as Golf Course Superintendent for the Geronimo Course at Desert Mountain in Carefree, Ariz.
Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman, UAE named Ricardo Baron as Golf Course Superintendent. Baron studied Agronomy and Turf Management before going onto work at Quail Hollow in the United States and Valderrama in Spain. With this experience under his belt, Baron made the move to the Middle East taking a role in the United Arab Emirates at The Els Club in Dubai.
Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, Fla. named Chef Derin Moore as Director of Culinary Operations. Moore, one of only 67 Certified Master Chefs in the United States, spent the past six years as the Culinary Director at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.
The Club at ArrowCreek in Reno, Nev. named Amanda Barham as Member Relations Manager. Barham previously served as a member of the sales and marketing team for Schaffer’s Mill and Lake Club in Truckee, Calif and most recently as Marketing Manager at RedHawk, part of Troon Golf Management. Erin Nichols was named Food and Beverage Manager. Nichols was previously a mixologist for Tahoe Mountain Club. Virginia Rash was named Assistant Food and Beverage Director. Rash has worked at Four Season Hotels and Resorts, St. Regis Aspen, The Westin Snowmass Resort, and The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Avon, Colo. And Luis Blanco has been promoted to Banquet Manager. Blanco was previously Purchasing Manager at the club.
Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club promoted Kristina Bulovic to Director of Events. Bulovic was most recently Senior Event Planner at the club.
The Club at the Dunes in Naples, Fla. promoted Kaitlyn Wiggins to Lifestyle & Communications Manager—from her previous role of Member Services Coordinator—and named Cara Corr as Director of Health & Wellness. Corr was previously with Spanish Wells Country Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.
Jeff Schenkel, the General Manager at River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst, Ill. has been named President of the Greater Chicago Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America.
ClubCorp named Peter Kent as Chief Commercial Officer. Before joining ClubCorp, Kent served as Chief Commercial Officer for ILITCH Sports and Entertainment managing commercial aspects of the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, 313 Presents, and Olympia Development.
Omni Hotels & Resorts appointed Spencer Cody to Corporate Director of Club & Golf Operations, and Ellen McGinnis to Corporate Director of Spa. Cody originally joined Omni Hotels & Resorts in 2019 as Director of Golf Operations at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas. Prior to his time with Omni, he served as Director of Golf at PGA West Private in La Quinta, Calif. McGinnis originally joined Omni in 2012 as Spa Director at Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pa. In 2014, she was promoted to Director of Spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C. Before joining Omni, she served as Executive Vice President of Operations at Innovative Spa Management.
PGA Professionals Kyle Heyen (Hiwan Golf Club, in Evergreen, Colo.), Ed Ibarguen (Duke University Golf Club in Durham, N.C.), PGA Past President Paul K. Levy (PKL Golf Management and Club Services in Pinetop, Ariz.), Marty Lyons(Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa.), Gary Reynolds (The Hartford (Conn.) Golf Club) and Al Watrous (Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) were inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame during the 105th PGA Annual Meeting.
The 2020 PGA of America National Awards winners received their honors during a ceremony to kickoff the 2021 PGA Annual Meeting. The 2020 PGA of America National Awards Recipients were: PGA Golf Professional of the Year: Ronny Glanton, PGA, Sherrill Park Golf Course – Richardson, Texas; PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year: Mark Blackburn, PGA, Greystone Golf & Country Club – Birmingham, Ala.; PGA Golf Executive Of The Year: Dana Garmany, PGA, Troon – Scottsdale, Ariz.; Bill Strausbaugh Award: Larry Dornisch, PGA, Muirfield Village Golf Club – Dublin, Ohio; Deacon Palmer Award: J.P. Lunn, PGA, Fountain Head Country Club – Hagerstown, Md.; PGA Player Development Award: Rich Jones, PGA, Pine Ridge Golf Club – Coram, N.Y./Golf Galaxy – Bayshore, N.Y.; PGA Youth Player Development Award: Chris Thomson, PGA, Camelback Golf Club – Scottsdale, Ariz.; PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Resort Category: Josué Reyes, PGA, Destination Kohler – Whistling Straits/Black Wolf Run – Kohler, Wis.; PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Public Category: Jacob Lippold, PGA, Sahalee Golf Club – Sammamish, Wash.; PGA Merchandiser of the Year-Private Category: Jason Ballard, PGA, Oak Hill Country Club – Rochester, N.Y.
Supplier News
Golf Surprize named Mark Priester, PGA as the Sales Manager. Priester has been Head Professional at Pauma Valley (Calif.) Country Club, a private instructor at Carlsbad (Calif.) Golf Center and the Golf Sales Manager at The Grand Golf Club/Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, Calif.
LIV Golf Investments appointed Sean Bratches as Chief Commercial Officer and Ron Cross as Chief Events Officer. Bratches spent close to 30 years with ESPN, rising to Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing and serving on the ESPN Board of Directors. Cross has spent the last 30 years in various leadership roles at the PGA TOUR and Augusta National Golf Club.
Zero Friction named Scott Burnett as National Sales Manager of Green Grass, Jesse Johnson as Eastern Regional Manager, and Frank Harrington as Managing Director of the company’s first international sales office in London, England.
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