PAT HAMILL When the 2003 Colorado Open got cancelled, Oakwood Homes Founder, President and CEO Pat Hamill saved it. But he didn’t just write a check. He gathered Colorado’s golf and business leaders to reestablish the event at his course, Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, and secured title sponsorship from HealthONE. But his greatest contribution was creating the nonprofit Colorado Open Golf Foundation, which provides affordable golf programs to children 8-18. Those programs include The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, which teaches character education through specific life skills learned on the golf course; LPGA-USGA Girls Golf, a junior golf program for girls ages 7-17; and the Colorado PGA Golf In Schools program, a collaboration between the Allied Golf Associations to introduce school-age children to golf and its valuable life skills. To date the combined programs have attracted 9,500 kids. “Our annual percentage growth is in the 40 to 50 percent range,” according to the influential Foundation CEO Kevin Laura. “I see Pat as the visionary, and I’m his missionary. It’s my job to make it happen.”
George Solich Working as caddies at The Broadmoor eventually earned George and Duffy Solich Eisenhower-Evans Scholarships to the University of Colorado. The job also started a lifelong love affair with golf, exposing George to individuals who would set him on his path to become president & CEO of Cordillera Energy Partners. Today, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy—named for both brothers—is in its first season at CommonGround Golf Course.The Academy has accepted 37 kids with the hopes of graduating 30 to local caddie programs at, among other clubs, Cherry Hills. Solich’s passionate support for the Evans Scholarships made him a director of the Western Golf Association, which administers them. It also put him in position to lobby for his club, Cherry Hills, to land the 2014 BMW Championship (formerly known as the Western Open), which the Western Golf Association has operated since 1899. Solich will serve as the event’s General Chairman. “This isn’t about me,” says Solich. “This is all about the Evans scholarship, kids and golf.”
THE TEAM Russ Miller & Fred Dickman Between PGA Director of Golf Russ Miller and Director of Golf Course Maintenance Fred Dickman The Broadmoor’s legacy as a championship venue could not be in better hands. Miller, who arrived shortly after Dickman did in 1997, exercised his influence in working with the USGA to deliver and stage two of Colorado’s biggest golf events of the last four years: the 2008 U.S. Senior Open and the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open. He is quick to share the credit with Dickman, who worked closely with golf course architect Ron Forse to restore the East Course to its original championship level. This year, the West received a similar, cross-bunkered facelift. Whether you’re a Tour player, a member or guest, The Broadmoor treats you to a one-of-a-kind experience, thanks largely to the commitment Miller and Dickman make to maintaining the resort’s international reputation as a five-star golf destination.
THE PREZ JACK CLEVENGER Succeeding a legend isn’t easy. In 2008, Jack Vickers, doyen of world-famous Castle Pines Golf Club, named Jack Clevenger “president for life.” Clevenger, a Castle Pines Golf Club member since 1987 and treasurer of the august Trans-Mississippi Golf Association, has filled out his green jacket quite impressively. Clevenger enlisted Jack Nicklaus to provide members with the world-class practice range they lacked, has overseen bunker and clubhouse renovations and has maintained the high level of services that make Castle Pines the gold standard for private golf clubs. “He has the club moving in a forward direction,” says General Manager Keith Schneider, who wields considerable power of his own. “He has a great plan to have us survive tough times. He’s got it all dialed in.”
THE AUTHORITY J.J. Keegan Few individuals possess the same passion for the both the game and business of golf that Jim Keegan does. As the managing principal of Golf Convergence, a nine-member consultancy that aspires to enhance the profitability, value and ROI of today’s golf courses, he draws from 20 years of research and interaction with golfers at more than 4,000 golf courses in 41 countries. His award-winning book, The Business of Golf—What Are You Thinking?, outlines eight key concepts to predict the success or failure of a golf course and lays out an executable formula to rekindle fiscal prosperity. Keegan also serves as a rater for Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Golf Courses. He is a member of the Club Manager’s Association of America, the National Golf Foundation, and the International Network of Golf. ag
Jon Rizzi is Colorado AvidGolfer’s editor. Are we missing a Colorado golf power broker? Email us at jon@coloradoavidgolfer.com.
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Colorado AvidGolfer | August 2012
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