Recent industry hires and promotions include new General Managers at Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Chagrin Valley Hunt Club in Gates Mills, Ohio; and the Ocean Club Community Association in Key Biscayne, Fla.; a new Head Golf Professional at Kapalua Golf & Tennis in Maui, Hawaii; and a new Food & Beverage Director and Food & Beverage 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/.
Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich. named Ward Sutton, CCM, PGA MP as General Manager. Sutton was most recently General Manager at Yakima (Wash.) Country Club.
Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo, Calif. named Chris Johnson as General Manager. Johnson most recently served as General Manager of McDowell Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Chagrin Valley Hunt Club in Gates Mills, Ohio named Christopher Henninge as General Manager. Henninge was most recently General Manager at Atwood Yacht Club in Sherrodsville, Ohio.
Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. named Donald Smith as General Manager/COO. Smith was most recently General Manager at The Riviera Country Club and Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Dunwoody Country Club in Atlanta, Ga. named Michael Strain, PGA as General Manager/COO. Strain was most recently General Manager/COO at Ivanhoe Club in Mundelein, Ill.
The Ocean Club Community Association in Key Biscayne, Fla. named Alp Ozsoy, CAM, as General Manager/COO. Ozsoy was most recently General Manager at Holbrook Lifestyle Resort in Woodstock, Ga.
The Oaks Club in Osprey, Fla. named Bruce V. Zahn, Jr., as General Manager/COO. Zahn is currently GM/COO of La Quinta (Calif.) Country Club and will join The Oaks Club in November. Holly Farrell, previously Director of Clubhouse Operations and Interim GM since early 2021, has been named Assistant General Manager.
Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif. named Jeremy Samson as General Manager. Samson was most recently General Manager at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Kapolei (Hawaii) Golf Club on the island of Oahu named Jim Swieter as General Manager. Prior to arriving at Kapolei Golf Club, Swieter served as General Manager of Mid-Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii, also on Oahu. Throughout his career in the golf industry Swieter has managed private clubs in Hawaii, California and Texas.
Sangamo Club in Springfield, Ill. named Sean Keeley as General Manager/Executive Chef. Keeley currently is the lead culinary specialist at Lincoln Land Community College’s Culinary Institute, where he will continue to serve as an adjunct professor for the remainder of the fall semester.
Kohanaiki in Kona, Hawaii named Greg Brown as Vice President of Operations. Brown was most recently General Manager at Nanea Golf Club in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He also spent 15 years as General Manager of Mayacama Golf Club in Sonoma, Calif.
St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. named Daniel Salgado as Assistant General Manager. Salgado was most recently Assistant General Manager at Mizner Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla.
Pelican Marsh Golf Club in Naples, Fla. named Michael Korenoski as Director of Golf. Korenoski was most recently Head Golf Professional at The Club at Quail Ridge in Boynton Beach, Fla.
Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. named John Sommers as Head Golf Professional. Prior to being promoted to Head Golf Professional, Sommers had served as Tiburón’s Tournament Coordinator since 2019.
Kapalua Golf & Tennis in Maui, Hawaii named Mark Nelson as Head Golf Professional of its Bay Course. Nelson most recently served as the Head Golf Professional at Hayden Lake Country Club, a private club in his hometown of Hayden Lake, Idaho. Prior to Hayden Lake, Nelson was the Head Professional at Circling Raven Golf Club in Worley, Idaho.
Rio Verde (Ariz.) Country Club named Courtney Vogel as Associate Golf Professional and Andrew Dishmon as Sous Chef. Vogel is a recent graduate of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, where she was a member of the Lopes’ women’s golf team. She is carrying on the family tradition of working in the golf industry as her father Kurt Vogel has been a member of the PGA of America for 28 years, working at a variety of clubs across the country, including Desert Canyon Golf Club in Fountain Hills, Ariz. from 2017 through 2020. Dishmon is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale. His culinary background includes both casual and fine dining. He most recently served as a sous chef at Grand Canyon National Park.
Baltimore (Md.) Country Club named Gavin Leon as Director of Racquets. Leon was most recently Director of Tennis at Marin Country Club in Novato, Calif.
The Club at the Dunes promoted Michael Broughton to Food & Beverage Director and named Velecia Luckenbill asFood & Beverage Manager. Broughton was hired as F&B Manager in February of 2020 and led the department through peak COVID turmoil. Luckenbill was most recently Restaurant Manager at Pelican Bay in Naples.
Kiawah Island (S.C.) Community Association named Aaron James as Director of Recreation. James was most recently Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness at the Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, Ga.
Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass. named Brian Kaczmarek as Building & Facilities Manager. Kaczmarek was most recently Director of Facilities at Harlem (N.Y.) Children’s Zone.
At Newport Beach (Calif.) Country Club, Melanie Stacklie has been promoted to the new position of Training Manager and Karen So has been named the club’s Assistant Director of Food & Beverage—Training. Stacklie is a 20-year employee of the club who most recently held the Accounting Manager position and has also served as Interim Director of Spa & Recreation. So comes to the club after serving as General Manager of Henry’s Uncorked, a patio wine bar located in The Waterfront Beach Resort, a Hilton property, in Huntington Beach, Calif.
NextLinks named Dan Mechem as Chief Executive Officer. Mechem is a seasoned media/entertainment and financial executive from the Los Angeles area who began his career as Press Secretary for John McCain in Washington D.C. The company is aiming to build 15-20 indoor golf stadiums over the next five years.
Bobby Jones Links named Brad Parker as Regional Manager of Operations for the South Carolina region. Parker has been with the company for 12 years—nine spent as the General Manager of Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Troon International appointed Clinton Southorn as Director of Construction & Agronomy. Southorn has more than 20 years’ worth of experience in the golf and turf industry, 18 of which have been with Troon; from Brookwater Golf & Country Club in his native Australia, moving to Fiji and the Azores, to growing in Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Agalarov Golf Estates, The Els Club Dubai, and lastly being the Cluster Director of Agronomy across Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi.
The Club Management Association of America (CMAA) announced the newest club management professionals to attain the designation of Certified Club Manager (CCM). The members of CMAA who were recently successful in meeting all CCM requirements are: Greg Barker, CCM, Victoria, Minn.; Natalie Hirt, CCM, Prairie Village, Kan.; Greg Hurst, CCM, Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club in Sarasota, Fla.; Geoffrey Piva, CCM, Andover (Mass.) Country Club; James Shumate, CCM, Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif.; and Allison Waldman, CCM, Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club.
The Southern California PGA named its Golf Professionals of the Year. John Kulow, PGA, at Monterey Country Club in Palm Desert, Calif. was named PGA Golf Professional of the Year for overall performance as a golf professional, leadership, service and promotion of the game of golf. Rick Sessinghaus, PGA, of Scholl Canyon Golf Course in Glendale, Calif. was named PGA Teacher of the Year. He has been the longtime coach of PGA Tour player Collin Morikawa. Cody Franke, PGA, of Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, Calif. received the Assistant Golf Professional Award. Kimberly Falcone, PGA, of La Jolla (Calif.) Country Club received the Bill Strausbaugh Award, presented to those PGA members who by their day-to-day efforts have made significant contributions through mentoring of PGA Professionals in improving their employment situations. The PGA Player Development Award went to Jackie Riegle, PGA, of Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, Calif. Tom Son, PGA, of Arrowood Golf Course in Oceanside, Calif. received the Tom Addis PGA Professional Development Award, which bestows special recognition for outstanding service and contributions to developing and improving educational opportunities for the PGA Golf Professional. Heidi Richardson, PGA, of Encinitas Ranch Golf Course in Encinitas, Calif. earned the Youth Player Development Award. Merchandiser of the Year awards went to Ross Marcano, PGA, of Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif. (Resort Category) and Thomas Chu, PGA, of San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif. (Private Category).
Cabot named David O’Donoghue as Executive Vice President, Hospitality. O’Donoghue most recently served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Palmetto Bluff Development Company in Bluffton, S.C.
Landscapes Unlimited promoted Jake Riekstins and Brian Vitek to senior leadership positions at the company specializing in development, construction and renovation of golf courses, country clubs, communities and resorts, as well as sports fields. Previously Business Unit Manager and Project Manager for the south region, Riekstins was promoted to Chief Development Officer. Vitek, a 23-year Landscapes Unlimited veteran, ascends to Chief Operating Officer. He previously held various hands-on roles, including Vice President of Construction, Project Manager, Project Superintendent and Foreman.
The LPGA named Marissa Kulig Crow, Teaching Professional at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield, Conn., its 2021 National “Teacher of the Year.” The pandemic made in-person teaching especially tough in 2020. Kulig Crow was able to bring her lessons online, evaluate swing videos, use simulators, and remain the effective. She continues to incorporate both in-person and technical methods in her revamped coaching style today.
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