Club & Resort Business

Carmel Valley Ranch Changes Hands for 18.5M

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:07:13 EDT

John Pritzker, whose San Francisco investment company purchased the 144-room Carmel (Calif.) Valley Ranch resort and golf course earlier this month, told the Monterey County Herald that he plans to make the resort a place that "integrates fun and learning," with activities such as guided nature walks and lessons in cooking and photography. “The ranch hasn't been as family-friendly as we want it to be,” said Pritzker. “We want to be much more open to the locals, with activities for those who don't stay overn [+]

Detroit Athletic Club Earns Platinum Club Distinction

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:07:52 EDT

The honors keep coming for the Detroit Athletic Club (DAC). According to The Detroit News, leaders and managers of the nation's 6,000 private clubs named the DAC a Platinum Club of America, voting it the number-two athletic club in the U.S., just behind the New York Athletic Club. What's more, the downtown Detroit facility received the most votes for the first time as the best private club in Michigan, in a category that includes the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club and Oakland Hills Country Club. In 2008, the DAC [+]

La Gorce CC’s Sous Chef to Compete in “Chef of the Year” Cook-Off

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:07:36 EDT

Richard Brumm, Executive Sous Chef at La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach, Fla. will compete against chefs representing the Northeast, West and Central regions of the country later this summer, for the chance to win the American Culinary Federation's title of U.S.A. Chef of the Year. “It's a huge honor,” he told The Miami Herald. “Even being able to win the Southeast Regional Chef of the Year was pretty important and was a great honor.'” Brumm received his culinary training at Fox Va [+]

Troon Golf Selected To Manage Lion Lake Resort

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:07:17 EDT

Troon Golf has been selected to manage golf operations at Lion Lake Resort, located approximately 60 minutes northwest of Guangzhou, China. The Lion Lake Resort, formerly called the Qingyuan Lion Lake Golf Club, is in the midst of a major renovation project. When fully completed, the development will feature two five-star resorts and convention centers, 36 holes of championship golf, yacht club, hot springs, cultural center, wine vineyards, and a high-end residential community. The two 18-hole courses at Lio [+]

Leisure Travelers Looking West and South, New Poll Finds

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:07:53 EDT

Asked about their interest in visiting specific regions across the country during the next two years, more than seven in ten (72%) leisure travelers said they’d like to visit the Western region of the United States, according to the the Ypartnership/Yankelovich 2009 National Travel Monitor. The South (62%) was the next most targeted region, followed by the Northeast (33%) and Midwest (21%). Florida (34%) emerged as the individual state that those polled said they would most like to visit in the next two years, fo [+]

Waldorf-Astoria Golf Club to Open October 1

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:07:37 EDT

Hilton Hotels Corp. will open the Waldorf-Astoria Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. on October 1, the same day set for the debut of the Waldorf-Astoria Orlando and Hilton Bonnet Creek hotels. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the 18-hole, Rees Jones-designed golf course will be the first golf course associated with Waldorf-Astoria, which Hilton is creating as its premium brand. Hilton says the new course will be one of a handful in Orlando that doesn’t have housing around its periphery.

PGA Fall Expo Education Conference Being Offered Free this Year

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:07:24 EDT

The 2009 PGA Fall Expo is offering the education conference of some 20 professional development seminars at absolutely no cost for the first time this September 1-2 in Las Vegas. Seminars will continue to be led by industry experts from The PGA of America, Association of Golf Merchandisers and successful golf business leaders. PGA members will earn MSR (member service) credits for each hour attended. A golf tournament and Demo Day will be held as part of the Fall Expo on August 31 at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. For mor [+]

St. Johns GCC Achieves Audubon Designation

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:07:10 EDT

St. Johns Golf & Country Club—a St. Augustine, Fla.-based club owned by The St. Joe Company and managed by Billy Casper Golf (BCG)—has been designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary for its high standards protecting the environment and preserving the natural heritage of golf. According to the Audubon International conservation group , St. Johns is one of only five courses in the Jacksonville-area to achieve certification, joining the elite TPC Sawgrass, Amelia Island Plantation and The Palencia [+]

USGA Awards 1.35 Million in Grants During First Quarter of 2009

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:07:53 EDT

The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced that it awarded over $1.3 million at its April grant distribution meeting to support the development of 86 golf programs through its "For the Good of the Game" grants initiative. Since 1997, the USGA has allocated more than $65 million toward this unique initiative, opening opportunities through the game of golf to underserved youth, girls, and individuals with disabilities. The USGA Grants Initiative empowers programs to make golf more affordable and accessible for its par [+]

Walter Hussey Named Head Chef at Palmetto Hall Plantation Club

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:07:17 EDT

Heritage Golf Group announced the appointment of Walter Hussey as Head Chef of Palmetto Hall Plantation Club in Hilton Head, S.C. Palmetto Hall Plantation Club features both an Arthur Hills Course and Robert Cupp Course. For the past 2 years, Hussey he has been the chef of the Quarterdeck/Topside Restaurant in Harbour Town, S.C.

Developers Seek to Remake Avalon on Catalina Island as “Resort Without Walls”

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:07:59 EDT

Hoping to once again make Avalon a leading Southern California destination, the Santa Catalina Island Co., has embarked on a series of projects to turn the city into a "resort without walls," featuring upgraded restaurants and shops, eco-adventures, hillside condominiums, a deluxe hotel and an 18-hole golf course, to be designed by Jack Nicklaus Cos., that would replace an existing nine-hole course built just south of town in 1892. Several of the new course’s holes would be developed on nearby mountain ridges overlooking downtown Avalo [+]

Wilderness at the Smokies Names Steve Cruz to Sales Marketing Team

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:07:38 EDT

Wilderness at the Smokies resort, located in Sevierville, Tenn., has hired Steve Cruz as the newest member of its sales and marketing team. Cruz brings more than 15 years experience in the East Tennessee tourism industry. Cruz’s previous professional experience includes working with Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia.

Gary Gotling Named Director of Sales at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:07:11 EDT

Gary Gotling will be the new Director of Sales and Marketing for the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla. Gotling has acted as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Hyatt properties across the country from Maui to Miami, and most recently for the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront.

Starr Pass CC’s Mark Salisbury Named CGIA

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:07:56 EDT

Mark Salisbury, Golf Course Superintendent at Marriott’s Starr Pass Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., recently completed the Irrigation Association® certification program and is now recognized as a Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor (CGIA). The CGIA program was created in a partnership with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), with the goal of improving water resource knowledge and promoting efficient irrigation practices. Having achieved CGIA status, Salisbury is heavily involved in the ana [+]

R.W. Smith Company Commits 150,000 to Hospitality Scholarships

editor@clubandresortbusiness.com (CRB Staff) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:07:24 EDT

R.W. Smith & Company, a foodservice equipment company based in Costa Mesa, Calif., has pledged $150,000 to the hospitality schools of five Western educational institutions during the next five years. The pledge was announced during the awards ceremony of the 9th Annual R.W. Smith & Company Scholarship Golf Classic at Dove Canyon Country Club in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Each year R.W. Smith & Company donates proceeds from the annual golf tournament to assist students demonstrating financial need, with schol [+]