TROON GOLF EXPANDS THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Troon Golf ®, America’s leading luxury-brand golf management development and marketing company is pleased to announce the recent appointments of Philip Wycoff and Tom Bush to the company’s Design and Development Division. As the company takes another important step to meet the demand for highly efficient top-quality project management, the recruitment of these professionals reflects the growing preference of golf course owners and developers worldwide to engage Troon Golf in the earliest planning and construction phases of their projects.
Wycoff joins Troon Golf as Director of Golf Course Development, a newly created position to better facilitate the increasingly complex and costly procedures involved in the design and construction of high quality golf courses. Mr. Wycoff will serve as the liaison between the owners and developers and the course designers and contractors to ensure an end product of the highest quality, constructed within closely administered budgetary guidelines.
With over 25 years’ experience in golf course maintenance, agronomy, and construction management, Wycoff moves to Troon Golf from the California-based Elon Golf Construction Inc. where he served as Project/Construction Manager. Prior to that Wycoff enjoyed a lengthy tenure as construction manager, golf course superintendent, and agronomist for a host of prestigious companies, many closely associated with golf course projects by the Jack Nicklaus Design Group which include Bear Creek Golf Club, Murrieta, California; Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, Colorado; Country Club of the South, Alpharetta, Georgia.
Phil Wycoff graduated from California State Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Park Administration, and received specialized training in pre-construction and construction management through the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Continuing Education Program.
As Troon Golf Project Manager, Tom Bush will work predominately on-site at Troon Golf facilities currently under construction to ensure efficiency in the construction of the golf course, and to see that its design and construction meld with the pristine on-going agronomic standards and maintenance practices prescribed by Troon Golf.
Bush earned a degree in Business from the University of South Carolina, but eventually discovered his passion for turf grass and golf course maintenance during a temporary stint on a golf course maintenance crew. He earned a second degree in Turf Grass Management and worked as the superintendent of Stonehenge Golf and Country Club, Richmond, Virginia. Bush also spent six years with Club Corporation of America before moving onto golf course construction with Course Doctors, a North Carolina-based firm involved exclusively with Tom Fazio designed projects.
“We are thrilled to welcome Phil and Tom to our company. They expand the capabilities of the Development department to provide better service to owners and developers, which allows us to handle a greater number of projects,” said Ronald Despain, Senior Vice President, Golf Course Design and Development. “We believe our best projects are those we are fortunate enough to be involved with from the beginning. Typically, we will negotiate a construction management agreement that will roll over into a long-term management contract once the project opens. This is perhaps the quiet side of our business, but quite often, for the first year or two of a contract, our clients’ association with Troon Golf is solely with the construction management team.”
The capability to oversee initial project planning and all phases of construction stages start to finish is a key component in the Troon Golf management operation. Troon Golf first implemented its construction management arm in 1994 with the second course at Troon North Golf Club, the Pinnacle, followed by Legend Trail Golf Club, both located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Subsequent projects in the Design and Development portfolio include: Talking Stick Golf, Scottsdale, Arizona; The Ridge at Castle Pines North, Castle Rock, Colorado; Boulder Ridge Golf Clubs at Brentwood and San Jose, California: The Club at Savannah Harbor, Savannah, Georgia; Stonehaven Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona; and Quintero Golf & Country Club, Lake Pleasant, Arizona.
“As we grow in our global vision of the Troon Golf luxury brand of management, we will rely even more heavily on the talent and strength of the Design and Development group,” said Troon Golf Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dana Garmany. “Our ability to attract the attention of top quality, high-end golf facilities throughout the world is simply not possible without the qualifications and experience that Phil and Tom bring to this company.”
Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Troon Golf has over 70 management and development contracts in 15 states and 8 countries. Troon Golf facilities include: Turnberry Hotel, Golf Courses & Spa, Ayrshire, Scotland; Troon North Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona; The Ridge at Castle Pines North, Castle Rock, Colorado; Eagle Ridge Inn & Resort, Galena, Illinois; and The Westin Innisbrook Resort, Tampa Bay, Florida.