Dear Members,
Hope you are all enjoying your week. My purpose for reaching out today is two-fold.
First, at Woodholme, we are quite fortunate to have an incredible staff- this year, the best ever. While the management might know this,
I wanted to make sure that all members know just how wonderful our staff is.
In the vein of transparency, typed below are blurbs of several key staff members noting their experience and accomplishments. I hope you will take the time to read this information in order to see just how fortunate we truly are.
Chris Murray, General Manager
-18+ years of club management with a focus on food, beverage, and restaurant operations
-successfully served in leadership posts at several prestigious clubs where he oversaw all clubhouse operations
-role at Woodholme: leads the club in all capacities including financial, golf, restaurant and private events
-has been instrumental in recruiting the best staff to Woodholme
Oliver Leoni, Assistant General Manager
-Hospitality Management Professional
-highly regarded for his private parties and events by the top party planners in the area
Richard Beckel, Executive Chef
-graduated from the Culinary Institute of America
-recently became one of the few chefs in the country to earn the designation of master chef
Michael Anthony Wade, Head Golf Professional
-former golfer for the University of Oregon
-several years of experience + expertise
-prior employment at Wilderness Ridge, Firethorn, and Skokie Country Club
-role at Woodholme: take our golf program/ experience to a higher level
Wayne DeFrancesco, Golf Teaching Professional
-PGA Professional
-over 40 years of experience playing golf professionally
-played in 5 PGA Championships, the U.S. Open, and was the winner of the National Club Professional Championship in 2001
-in 2017 -2018 Wayne was voted one of the top teachers in Maryland as voted by his peers
-to be inducted to the Mid Atlantic PGA Hall of Fame in 2019
Holly Anderson, Golf Teaching Professional
-youngest to win the Southern Maine Amateur Championship
-captured two Maine Schoolgirl Championships + Maine Amateur Championship
-inducted in the Maine Golf Hall of Fame in 2000
-played college golf at Methodist University + became the school's first female All-American 1of 5 to garner All-American honors for 4 consecutive seasons
-1st female golfer inducted in the Methodist University Athletic Hall of Fame
-claimed 2 National Division III Individual titles and is a 3 time Academic All-American
-started her professional career at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland working for PGA Hall of Fame member Bill Strausbaugh
-continued to work at Columbia CC until 2008 as Bob Dolan's his first Assistant
-Middle Atlantic PGA Assistant of the Year in 2001
-2x women's MAPGA Player of the Year
-2x MAPGA Women's Section Champion
-role at Woodholme: PGA Teaching Professional here since 2008
-recently ranked in the top 50 Female Teachers in the country by Golf Digest
-Holly is certified by the Titleist Performance institute as Golf Fitness Instructor
Claude England, Director of Tennis
-over 35 years of teaching, directing, and playing experience
-originally from New Zealand, Claude graduated from the University of Maryland, attending on a tennis scholarship
-Master Tennis Pro with a U.S.P.T.A. Pro 1 rating
-former ATP touring pro, achieving a ranking in the top 200
-30 time Mid-Atlantic and Maryland State Champion, recently winning the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Men's 45 & 50 Clay Court Singles Championships
-5x National Singles Champion + been selected on 3 occasions to represent the USA on International Senior Teams
-achieved a number 1 USTA singles ranking for Men's 40 Singles in 1998
-member of the victorious Men's 45 International Dubler Cup team in 2000, playing #1 singles
-role at Woodholme: uses his knowledge to teach players of all skill levels in both private and group settings. He stresses the fundamentals of stroke development, strategy, and conditioning with instructional drills and match play situations.
Steve Potter, Greens Superintendent
-grew up in Aberdeen + graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in agronomy
-achieved honors in the Certified Golf Course Superintendents Certification program for meeting set standards of proficiency in golf course management through experience, education, testing and performance
--first professional job was in 1978 at Baltimore Country Club, where he stayed until going to Woodholme in 1982
-role at Woodholme: professionally manages the labor, time, materials and financial resources needed to care for the turf grass and landscaped grounds on our golf course. Steve is concerned with the environmental health of the golf course, the sporting needs of the players and the financial sustainability of the country club for Woodholme. He communicates the status of the grounds and maintenance resources to members of the club's management, board of directors, green chairs and committees, golfers, vendors, suppliers, golf professionals, golf course architects and others in the golf industry.
Steve and the Woodholme staff have aided in Woodholme being ranked the 6th best Golf Course in Maryland by the Maryland State Golf Association in 2018, which is certainly a ranking to be proud of and be preserved.
We are very fortunate to have the above management team in place as well as all the other hard working staff members of our Woodholme family.
My second purpose for reaching out is because it has come to my attention that recently a few members have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction to the staff in a very unprofessional and inappropriate manner. As you can see from the blurbs above, we are incredibly fortunate to have such an experienced staff working to make Woodholme the best it can be. We always welcome suggestions, but they need to be delivered in a positive manner. If you have any concerns or comments, please email them to Administration@woodholme.org and they will be addressed.
As adults who belong to a respectable club, we need to hold each other accountable for treating others respectfully. Please be courteous of your fellow members and the staff who work so hard to provide you with all the club has to offer. Woodholme is a special place, so let's enjoy the great facility and staff that make us one of the top country clubs. Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Looking forward to a wonderful season filled with kindness, respect, transparency, and positive change.
Best,
Alan Summerfield
No comments:
Post a Comment