Golf Day at the Michigan Capitol
Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley presented a proclamation from Gov. Rick Snyder declaring June as Pure Michigan Golf Month. He was joined by Kevin McKinley of the Michigan PGA, Sara Wold of the Golf Association of Michigan, Doug Johanningsmeier of the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation, Dan Dingman of the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association and Bill Fountain of the Michigan Golf Course Association.
“The generosity in the $118 million in charitable impact from golf in Michigan alone is so great,” Calley said at the Michigan Golf Industry Legislative Day.
Walker honored as Entrepreneur of the Year
Blake Walker, CEO of Dallas-based Arcis Golf, has been named by EY as the Entrepreneur of The Year 2018 award winner in the hospitality category for the Southwest region. Walker has developed Arcis Golf from a small start-up five years ago to the second-largest fee simple owner-operator of full-service private and daily fee golf clubs in the United States.
The award recognizes entrepreneurs who excel in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
“Being recognized by EY is an honor for Arcis Golf and our nearly 4,000 team members around the country who are dedicated to creating extraordinary experiences for our members and guests,” said Walker. “This is a direct reflection of the commitment of Arcis Golf’s transformational leadership team, as we continue to approach the club business from an entirely new perspective.”
Arcis Golf has invested more than $60 million in upgrades, amenities, programming and content, personnel, training and systems to maximize the growth and future success of its nearly 60 private, resort and daily-fee clubs.
As a Southwest region award winner, Walker is eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 National Awards, which will be announced in November.
Hurricane report issued
A report on the impact of Hurricane Irma on clubs in Florida shows insurance claims for damages in excess of $27.5 million — including $9.5 million in damages to golf courses — and 5,855 impacted employees.
The report, based on surveys of 79 golf clubs, was released by the Florida Chapter of CMAA in conjunction with Club Benchmarking and the National Club Association.
Learn more about the report by contacting the Florida chapter at flcmaa.org.