Michigan Golf Business 2010 Annual Awards to the Industry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Grand Rapids, Michigan – December 2010

Michigan Golf Business 2010 Annual Awards to the Industry
At the annual Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair, this year held in Grand Rapids, the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association announced the following individuals for special award and recognition.

The MGCOA is proud to recognize Sara Wold, renowned women’s golf advocate as the 2010 recipient of the “Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award.” 

Sara Wold played a major role in structuring golf for Women in Michigan. From her earliest organizational experiences as President of the Park-Davis Women’s Golf League (1971-75), she continued developing her skills as chairman of the Women’s Athletic Advisory Committee for Detroit’s Department of Recreation for nine years (1973-82). Sara applied her leadership skills to several of the top golf organizations in the state. The USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links (WAPL) Committee has benefited since 1984. Sara was a founding member in 1986 of the Michigan Women’s Publinx Golf Association (MWPGA). During Sara’s term as president, 1994 –96, the MWPGA won the Golf for Women’s Magazine Award for Best Women’s Public Golf Association. Sara served the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) since ’94 in several capacities. She played a leading role annually chairing various GAM Championships and the Long Range Planning Committee. She has presided as Governor of GAM since 1998 and is a member of the Executive Committee. The Women’s Michigan Golf Association (WMGA) and the Michigan Golf Foundation (MGF) have benefited from Sara’s direction since 1996 were she has served as Vice President and Rules Chairman for WMGA and has been President since 2001. Sara promoted golf through a variety of tournaments and publications. As a founding member of the Women’s Interstate Mid-Amateur Golf Championship involving Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, she spent fourteen years (1985-1999) on the executive committee and as the Michigan representative. She officiated at the U.S. Women’s Open from 1999-2001. She co-chaired the Michigan Women’s Golf Summits I, II and III – a program of seminars on women’s golf related issues with guest speakers such as Carol Mann, Kathy Whitworth and Judy Bell. Sara has acted as a Golf Digest panelist since 1986.  Sara officiated 4 World Amateur Team Championships – in Puerto Rico, South Africa, Australia, and Argentina and received the Ike Grainger Award for 25 years of service to the USGA. She was elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.

MGCOA board member Toni Joers, receives 2010 “Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award.” 
 “Two decades of service to the MGCOA and the Educational Support Foundation shows a dedication to the industry few have,” said Charlie Scott, chairman of the Scott Family Educational Support Foundation and owner of Gull Lake View Golf Resort in Augusta.  This is why Toni Joers had been selected for the “Distinguished Service Award.” Toni has served is all executive positions with the MGCOA and joined the ESF at its inception in 1996. When the Educational Support Foundation was formed, she immediately volunteered her energy and creativity to that committee as a trustee and has remained ever since. As owner of Concord Hills, Toni has shared her perspective on the golf business to help form policy for the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association. Toni Joers was instrumental in breathing life back into the young MGCOA by supervising the transition of what was almost completely a volunteer driven organization to one that was overseen by the Michigan Restaurant Association and eventually became the independent and vital organization it is today. The MGCOA congratulates Toni Joers on her dedication and commitment to the Association and the golf industry.

“Player Development Leadership Award” goes to Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center

The commitment to growing and sustaining the new golfer embodies the spirit of the “Dul Family Player Development Leadership Award”. The trustees of the Educational Support Foundation award a $1500 grant to the winning applicant. The winning program will be featured in an edition of the MGCOA’s Tee Off Times in 2011. This year’s winner, Julia Grelak (Director of Sales & Marketing) conceptualized the program for girls in golf from her experiences as a young golfer and her ability to implement the program with the support and assistance of the owners and staff at Fox Hills.

Bedford Valley Golf Club is MGCOA 2010 Golf Course of the Year Award
 Having a beautiful golf course is not all it takes to earn the distinction of Golf Course of the Year. The Course of the Year Award honors a member in good standing with the MGCOA demonstrating four criteria: 
1. exceptional quality of the course
2. exceptional quality of ownership and management
3. outstanding contribution to its community
4. significant contribution to the game
 The fourth of five Gull Lake View Resort courses, Bedford Valley, was purchased by the Scott family in 1988. Designed in 1965 by William Mitchell, this 18-hole facility is one of Michigan’s most frequently played golf championship sites. The classic design is known locally as, “The Big Course,” with huge greens, large bunkers, and fairways lined with mighty oaks. Golf purists rave about the course’s shot values and overall challenging layout.  Golf operations at Gull Lake View Golf Resort, and Bedford Valley, employ hundreds of local residents throughout the season. The start of the 2008 Michigan Senior Open Tournament, coincided with the grand opening of the brand new clubhouse and parking/bag drop area, in 2008. Bedford Valley and Gull Lake View have roughly 300 members which play many golf rounds each and every year. Thousands of travelers visit Southwest Michigan annually because of Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort. Casinos, gas stations, restaurants, camping parks, grocery stores, etc. are all beneficiaries.

All Gull Lake View courses are certified members of the Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program and the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses focusing on environmental planning, wildlife/habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality management and outreach and education for the local communities. 

As far as giving back to the community, Bedford Valley hosts several fund raisers annually that generate thousands of dollars for local charities.  Gull Lake View supports several local charities with in-kind contributions of golf rounds towards great causes within the Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Southwest Michigan areas and for the past 17 years has hosted the MGCOA Annual Golf Outing and Supplier Field Day, one of our largest fundraisers. Player Development is a very big part of the operations at the Gull Lake View properties. Bedford Valley hosts many weekly golf leagues throughout the golf season. Bedford Valley’s league members became the 1st winners of the annual MGCOA’s Michigan Golf League Championship Tournament in 2007. Additionally Gull Lake View’s Junior Golf Program, won both the National Golf Course Owners Association’s “2008 Player Development Award” and “The Dual Family Player Development Leadership Award” for the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association.
 The “2010 Golf World Readers’ Choice Award,” voted Gull Lake View Golf Resort, 9th place for Best Public Golf Course for “Overall Value,” in June of 2009. Also, voted 8th place in Best Public Golf Course for “Speed of Play,” in June of 2009 golf magazine issues.  All 5 Gull Lake View courses including Bedford Valley are all rated 4½ stars out of 5 by Golf Digest.  The MGCOA is pleased to announce Bedford Valley as Golf Course of the Year.

Contact:
Kate M Moore
[email protected]
MGCOA
603 S Washington
Lansing, MI 48933
Ph: 517-482-4312
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