Andrew Beatty
Golfer

Andrew started playing golf at age 14 at Raintree Country Club in Charlotte, NC, and Cowans Ford Country Club in Lake Norman, NC.  In a normal year, he plays about 12 times, usually with close friends during golf trips.  He prefers more traditional layouts that place a premium on accuracy rather than brute strength.  He currently carries a 7 handicap.

 

Jim Dodson
Traditionalist Golf Writer

Jim Dodson's award-winning journalism career began at the Greensboro News & Record in 1976. For two decades he was also a Contributing Editor and regular columnist  for Golf Magazine, and Golf and Travel  Correspondent for Departures Magazine of American Express.

 

Dodson’s journalism awards include half a dozen awards from the Golf Writers of America and the prestigious William Allen White Award for Public Affairs Journalism from the National Regional Publisher's Association plus numerous newspaper and magazine industry  awards. His work has appeared in over 50 magazines and newspapers worldwide. 

 

His critically-acclaimed and bestselling  books include Final Rounds, Faithful Travelers, The Dewsweepers, Beautiful Madness, The Road to Somewhere, A Golfer’s Life  (with Arnold Palmer), Ben Hogan – An American Life, which won the USGA International Book Award for 2004. His book A Son of the Game, published in 2009 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, was  named “Top Golf Book of the Year” by the International Network of Golf, the same award Final Rounds won in 1997.  He latest project, American Triumvirate: How Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson Created the Modern Age of Golf, was published to strong acclaim  by Knopf in  March 2012.

 

Dodson was recently awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine by the governor of North Carolina for his literary contributions and service to the state. It is the highest award given to a native North Carolinian. In 2011,  he was named winner of the prestigious Donald Ross Award, given annually by the ASGCA, for his significant literary contributions to the game of golf.  

 

Jan Eyer
Golfer

Jan Eyer began golfing at age eleven with seven clubs from a discount store.  Her family did not play golf, but she wanted to learn and signed up for a week of lessons at the local golf course.  There she met a girlfriend and the two of them played every summer throughout high school.  She was an all-around athlete who excelled in basketball and volleyball.

In college she missed the final cut for the basketball team.  Her roommate convinced her to try out for the golf team which she made with the same seven clubs.  Following college, her nursing career brought her from Illinois to North Carolina where she could play year round.  As the years went by, basketball, volleyball and softball became more difficult, but her passion for golf remained strong.

She has been a member of several golf leagues and continues to play with the Executive Women's Golf Association.  She is now a member of Barefoot Resort  where she plays whenever she is there, but continues to enjoy many regional courses for the challenge and variety.

 

Brian Griffith
Golfer

Brian started playing golf at the age of thirty and immediately fell in love with the challenge coupled with the natural beauty of a golf course.  Currently a sixteen handicap and playing at Springfield Golf Course in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Brian believes that the game of golf is a true barometer of a persons’ character and gives every golfer the chance to enjoy competition while building lifelong friendships.

 

Currently a District Manager for an animal health pharmaceutical company Brian resides in Fort Mill, SC.  His family includes his wife Kate and eleven-  year old twins Peter and Elaine.  Recently Peter competed in his first golf tournament with his dad as caddy and finished a respectable fourth while carding two pars in nine holes.  Brian is currently fighting a snap hook and is working with Cami Berher, a PGA Class A Teaching Professional, to lower his handicap and hit the ball straight. 

 

Chris Hartwiger
Senior Agronomist
Southeast Region, USGA

Chris Hartwiger is located in Birmingham, Ala., and works with Patrick O'Brien in the Southeast Region. He conducts most of his visits in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee, and with the goal of helping superintendents develop the best management program possible for their location. Between visits, he enjoys speaking to industry related groups and writing articles for various turfgrass publications.

Prior to joining the staff, Hartwiger received a B. A. degree at the College of William & Mary and a Masters Degree at North Carolina State University. While at North Carolina State, he completed a thesis on "Lightweight Roller Use on Bentgrass Putting Greens" under the direction of Drs. Joseph DiPaola and Charles Peacock.

He was born in Yorktown, Va., and his interest in the turf industry began humbly at an early age by helping his father with a small lawn care business. He soon caught the golf bug and has spent many years either working on golf courses or playing golf.

 

Marjorie Feltus Hawkins

David Hawkins
Founders and Owners
FH Design

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Marjorie Feltus Hawkins and David Hawkins are the founders and owners of F|H Design, a world-class interior architectural design firm that specializes in the hospitality industry with a focus on clubhouse and hotel design.

 

Over the past 30 years, Marjorie and David have brought their unique blend of big ideas and meticulous execution to the creation of more than 1,000 hospitality projects from private to public clubs to boutique hotels throughout the United States. They have perfected the art of bringing branded environments to life-in a process that is both seamless and stress free for their clients.

 

Josh Heptig
Director of Golf Operations
County of San Luis Obispo, California

Josh Heptig is the Director of Golf Operations for the County of San Luis Obispo where he oversees Morro Bay, Dairy Creek, and Chalk Mountain golf courses.  Josh’s career in golf includes work for a municipal golf course in Kansas as a cart attendant and later a pro shop attendant.   This experience led him to eventually pursue a degree in golf course management at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.  During his professional career, Josh has exhibited his turfgrass skills as an assistant or superintendent, in Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Arkansas before coming to California.  Through this experience he has gained knowledge of the maintenance of Bentgrass fairways to Bermuda grass greens, while working at a US Open, volunteering at a PGA Championship, and managing a few Country Clubs in the Midwest along the way.

 

Currently, he acts more as a General Manager for the County golf operations, managing the overall operations of the facilities and occasionally acting as an agronomic advisor for the three courses.  Additionally, Josh oversees the contractual agreements that the County has with concession partners to operate pro shops, food and beverage, and in one instance an entire golf facility. 

 

Josh will discuss his creation of a Zero Waste Demonstration Park at Dairy Creek Golf Course to help educate the public about how a system at a golf course can be created and used at home, school, or work.  Dairy Creek is striving to achieve Zero Waste status by composting or re-using all food waste and green waste, as well as converting all items used on the property to compostable or recyclable materials to be re-used as fertility and soil enhancing products in the form of compost or compost tea thereby reducing water usage, reducing inorganic fertility, and reducing/eliminating pesticides.

 

James Hyler, Jr
Immediate Past President, USGA

While James Hyler's primary business is in the banking industry (rising as high as President and CEO for first Citizens Bank), his involvement in the golf industry is just as impressive. A golfer with a degree in accounting from Virginia Tech University, James has been on the boards of many organizations, including the First Tee of Wake County where he served as Chairman in 2005.

 

James Hyler was appointed Chairman of the 1990 Rex Classic Golf Tournament, one of four Nationwide Events still being played. He also served as Chairman of the President's Council for both the 1999 and 2005 U. S. Open Golf Championships in Pinehurst. James began serving on the Executive Committee of the United States Golf Association in 2004 before serving as President of the USGA from 2010 - 2011.

 

Gordon Irvine
Master Greenkeeper
Golf Course Management Consultancy

Gordon Irvine started his career at The Turnberry Resort from 1981-1990 and then moved on to project manage the construction of two new golf projects in England. He received the prestigious title of Master Greenkeeper in 1994. From 1999 to 2004, he was General Manager of the Millride Golf Club.

 

In 2004, he took the opportunity to return to study Golf Course Management at Rutgers University in New Jersey and returned to Scotland to start his own golf course consultancy business. He specializes in sustainable golf course management, advising golf clubs on greenkeeping practices, staff training and refurbishment of their golf courses.

 

Hunter Jefferson
Golfer

Hunter Jefferson is a 17 year old senior at Union Pines High School. He enjoys reading, writing and playing the guitar. He is active in school, in his church and in the North Carolina Cooperative Extension 4H program.

 

Hunter participated in the Sandhills First Tee program, which calls Whispering Pines Country Club home, while in the eighth and ninth grades. Being busy and active in his school and other activities, Hunter doesn’t play much golf these days. When he does play, he plays at Pine Bluff or Whispering Pines due to the higher costs charged at other facilities.

 

 

Kevin Jones
Head Golf Professional and General Manager
Knight's Play Golf Center

Kevin Jones is the Head Golf Professional and General Manager at Knight's Play Golf Center located in Apex, NC.  Knight's Play Golf Center is a 27 hole, fully illuminated Par 3 course and 60 station driving range.  Kevin has been employed at Knight's Play since its opening in the spring of 1998.  Knight's Play is open from 8 AM until midnight seven days a week, weather permitting.  Since its opening and even through the recent economic downfall, Knight's Play is maintaining a successful golf operation while continuing to grow the game of golf to players of all ages.

Previously, Kevin worked as an Assistant Golf Professional at Carolina Country Club in Raleigh, NC for five years.   Kevin achieved his Class A PGA membership in 1997.  Kevin graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993, with an Associate's Degree in Turfgrass Management and a minor in Agriculture Business.    

 

Richard Mandell
President
Richard Mandell Golf Architecture

Since 1992, Richard Mandell has worked on almost 50 golf course projects of all shapes and sizes.  He is currently working on projects that strectch from the Carolinas to Minnesota and Ohio all the way to China. 

 

His firm has designed award-winning facilities in three different decades, most recently the 2011 Legacy Renovation of the Year for his work at Army Navy Country Club and the 2011 GolfIn.c Renovation of the Year (3rd place) for The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. He was recognized as one of the Fifteen Most Influential Golf Coure Architects this past year as well by GolfInc.

 

Mike Nuzzo
Golf Course Designer

Mike Nuzzo is an intuitive designer, having designed notable products as an engineer in the aerospace and biomedical industries before finding an avenue for designing with an even greater passion for golf course architecture. In 2006 Nuzzo teamed up with Don Mahaffey, a veteran superintendent, to create Wolf Point Club.  Together they were able to view how each other operated and blended their processes together – design, planning, construction and maintenance.  This resulted in a most efficient golf course project.

“Astounding, one of the very greatest courses I have seen” and “full of clever design work” is what Golf Course Architecture Magazine called Wolf Point Club.  “Costs for the entire course were kept to an astoundingly low $3 million.”

The world's finest courses have been designed by those who were imaginative, determined and had a love for the game.  Their hallmark is the timelessness of their creations.  Nuzzo Course Design strives for the same result by integrating originality, artistry, technical aptitude and business insight into every project.  Engineering and maintenance expertise with the use of detailed planning and GPS technology are the backbones of the design and construction stages. 

 

Dana Rader
President of LPGA T&CP
LPGA Master Professional

Dana is an LPGA Life Master Professional, the current National President of the LPGA and the founder and owner/operator of the Dana Rader Golf School, a Golf Magazine Top 25 Golf School in America in Charlotte, North Carolina.  She is a contributing writer for Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, Golf for Women Magazine, Golf Magazine and the Charlotte Observer and the author of “Rock Solid Golf; A Foundation for a Lifetime.”  She has appeared on both the Golf Channel and Golf Academy Live.

 

Dana is the first woman to play on Pfeiffer University’s men’s golf team, to be a keynote speaker at the Sportsman Club of Charlotte, and to be named to the Nike Advisory Board.  She was named the LPGA National Teacher of the Year in 1990, inducted into the Pfeiffer University Sports Hall of Fame (1996), included in the Top 25 Women in Business Achievement Award by the Business Journal of Charlotte (1998) and included in America’s 50 Greatest Instructors by Golf Digest, Top 100 Teachers by Golf Magazine, and ranked #3 in Golf Digest’s 50 Best Women’s Teachers in America.

 

Robert Randquist
Immediate Past President, GCSAA

Robert Randquist earned a B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1972. He went on to work as a golf course superintendent at Quail Creek Golf & Country club in Oklahoma City, and Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma after apprenticing for five years as an assistant golf course superintendent in Oklahoma.

 

As the golf course superintendent at SOuthern Hills, Randquist hosted the 1982 and 1994 PGA Championships, the 1995 and 1996 PGA Tour Championships, and the 1987 USGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship. He also served as President of the Oklahoma Golf Course Superintendent's Association and the Oklahoma Turfgrass Research Foundation. Robert served on numerous GCSAA committees and recently concluded a term as the President of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

 

Paul Sampliner
Senior Director of Training and Products
Golfnow.com

Paul Sampliner is Senior Director of Training and Products for Golfnow.com. Originally hired by the Golf Channel as Director of Operations and Revenue, Paul was responsible for developing pricing and marketing methodologies to help golf courses optimize revenue.  In his current role, he travels the world and hosts conferences to educate owners and operators on best practices regarding revenue management, golf-specific technology and social media strategies. Paul is a member of the PGA of America, holds a B.S. degree in logistics from The Ohio State University and is certified in revenue management from Cornell University.  

 

Teresa Wade
Principal, Sustainable Solutions
Founder, Experience Green

Teresa Wade is a "concept to completion" thinker and doer with a passion for helping organizations and individuals “leave the right impression” on the natural and business environment, while achieving sustainable success.  As principal of Sustainable Solutions, she leads a team of sustainability professionals to implement programs and initiatives that are credible, measurable, and profitable for all size profit and nonprofit organizations, including local government, corporations, and communities.  From sustainability education and communications, to strategy and experiential marketing, Teresa’s vast background gives her a strong understanding of methods to garner buy in of initiatives and full realization of the social, economic, and ecological benefits of going green. She holds an MBA from Belmont University with a focus in marketing and negotiations, and a Certification of Graduate Studies in Sustainability from the Institute for Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb University.  Teresa is also the founder of Experience Green, a nonprofit organization on Hilton Head Island with the mission to build sustainable communities. 

 

Jim Woodring
Executive Vice President
National Golf Management

Jim brings more than 20 years of retail management experience with some of the nation's leading department stores prior to joining Myrtle Beach National. With buying, divisional level merchandising and multi-store management experiences, Jim has brought many unique perspectives to the area's golf industry.  Guiding the marketing and operations of one of the nation's leading golf course ownership groups for the past 19 years, Jim and his staff have established a philosophy and marketing savvy that have consistently met and exceeded rounds and revenue goals, even during tough times. Through his understanding and use of the Internet, Jim has effectively harnessed technology to strengthen customer relations while building a large database of golfers who travel to play golf. Systems have been developed to view course information, access rates and tee time availability for up to 12 months in advance, and interact with the most comprehensive site of current course reviews by golfers on the East Coast. The use of online and mobile technology to service visiting golfers and increase market share has greatly benefited their efforts; these and other innovative approaches to technology have positioned National Golf Management to stay well ahead of the competition, by building one of the largest providers of tee times and packages in the area.

 

Bob Zydonik
Life Member, PGA

Bob Zydonik started at the feet of Jay and Lionel Hebert as a caddy and range boy back in 1953 at the Kahkwa Club in Erie, Pennsylvania.  and apprenticed under Jack Grout over three winter seasons in 1961, Bob went on to conduct numerous seminars at Ferris State University, the first PGM program in the country.

 

A self-proclaimed "old club pro" who spent most of his career in Western Pennsylvania, Bob has a wealth of knowledge in not only teaching the game of golf but in the art of clubfitting. His career has spanned parts of seven decades and he has seen the traditions of the game preserved in some ways and changed in others.

e-mail: affordablegolf@golf-architecture.com