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SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Heard Around the States Trenton Country Club names Jon Cheshire New GM Trenton Country Club, one the region’s premier family country club, has appointed of Jon Cheshire as new General Manager. Cheshire brings more than 30 years of professional experience, including over 20 years in the golf and country club industry. He succeeds John Case, who retired at the close of 2018 after a 30-year career with the Club. “We are thrilled to welcome Jon to the Trenton Country Club family at the start of our 122nd year,” says Bob Colton, Board President. “His depth and breadth of knowledge will be truly beneficial as we continue making progress on a major capital improvement project which encompasses our championship golf course, racquet sports facilities, pool and clubhouse. This is an exciting time to be part of Trenton Country Club!”
Jason Smith Named Golf Course Superintendent at Ron Jaworski’s Running Deer Golf Club Jason Smith has been named Golf Course Superintendent at Ron Jaworski’s Running Deer Golf Club. Smith has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, including having served as Superintendent at the acclaimed Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Naples, Florida, and as Stadium Course Superintendent at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. During his career in golf course maintenance, he has supervised or been involved with course conditions and setup for three PGA Tour events and two LPGA Tour events. He is a graduate of the Turf Management Program at Rutgers University, and is a Class A member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. “I would like to thank the opportunity to be Running Deer Golf Club. I Southern New Jersey and put my experience and premier facility” said Jason “We are pleased and our outstanding management BJ Jaworski, executive vice “He brings a wealth of experience great asset to Running Deer and to
Ron Jaworski Golf for the Superintendent for started my career here in am extremely excited to knowledge to use at such a Smith. proud to welcome Jason to team at Running Deer,” said president of Ron Jaworski Golf. with him and will no doubt be Ron Jaworski Golf.”
Jim Furyk Headlines 2019 MGWA National Awards The Metropolitan Golf Writers Association (MGWA) annually recognizes golf’s greatest players, contributors, and organizations at its National Awards Dinner. This year’s winners included another outstanding lineup of honorees headlined by recent Ryder Cup Captain and 17-time PGA TOUR winner Jim Furyk, who accepted the MGWA’s top honor, the Gold Tee Award on the Monday prior to the PGA Championship, which was played at Bethpage State Park- Black Course. As one of the most anticipated dates on the Met Area’s golf calendar, the dinner was attended by nearly 600 guests representing golf’s leading organizations, corporate supporters, Met Area clubs, club leaders, and both local and national golf media—created an evening that truly celebrated the game of golf. PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) were be honored with the
Distinguished Service Award, recognizing its inspiring work to introduce golf to our nation’s veterans to golf in order to enhance their mental, physical, social, and emotional well-being. Kevin Purcell, executive director of the New Jersey State Golf Association, received the Mary Bea Porter Award. Purcell exemplified the honor last summer by heroically helping save the life of Carlos Tapia, who collapsed at Forest Hill Field Club having suffered a massive heart attack. Additional honorees include Larry Dorman for the Lincoln Werden Golf Journalism Award, ShopRite for the Bing Crosby Tournament Sponsor Award, and The Tuxedo Club as Club of the Year. Through the years, the MGWA has raised well over two million dollars for Caddie Scholarship programs in the Metropolitan New York area, the MGA Foundation, and the Dave Marr Journalism Scholarship at Columbia University.
Cheshire comes to Trenton Country Club after a long and distinguished career, previously holding leadership roles with ClubCorp, Hamlet Golf & Country Club (Commack, N.Y.), Oak Pointe Country Club (Brighton, Mich.), Arnold Palmer Golf Management and MetroMedia Restaurants. Most recently, he served as Regional Vice President for ClubCorp, where he was responsible for 16 clubs in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Jon has extensive experience in club acquisitions, strategic planning and operations.
Hidden Creek Golf Club to be Sold to Dormie Network Ole Hansen and Sons Chairman and Hidden Creek Golf Club Owner Roger Hansen has announced the sale of the golf club to Dormie Network. The renowned Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw designed course was recently named among “America’s 100 Best Modern Courses” by Golfweek Magazine for the 18th consecutive year and was home to the prestigious U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in 2015. The sale of Hidden Creek Golf Club to Dormie Network is expected to be completed in midJanuary. “My wife Edwina and I felt that now is the best time to pass the ownership along to someone else, but only to a new owner who shares the same vision for the club that we have,” said Hansen. “While it was a difficult decision, we feel confident that we are doing the right thing for the club, and leaving it in the hands of an ownership group that has a passion for the game of golf and will continue to build on the tradition of quality, service and camaraderie we have established at Hidden Creek.” “We have long admired Hidden Creek Golf Club and are very excited about the pending purchase of the club,” said Dormie Network President Zach Peed. “Hidden Creek is a world-class golf club in every way. Our vision is to bring Hidden Creek into the nation’s premier network of private destination golf clubs, further enhancing the member experience for all.” Dormie Network provides full-service hospitality at world-renowned facilities featuring golf courses designed by the likes of Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Coore & Crenshaw, and Lester George. The fast-growing network was founded in 2016, and currently includes five critically acclaimed clubs, each ranked among the best in its respective state. Those clubs include the network’s namesake, the Dormie Club, another Coore-Crenshaw design in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Also part of Dormie Network’s portfolio are Victoria National (a Tom Fazio design ranked among the world’s best) in Indiana; Ballyhack Golf Club in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains; ArborLinks, an Arnold Palmer Signature design in Nebraska; and the acclaimed Briggs Ranch Golf Club in Texas. Dormie Network membership extends full member privileges and complete access to every club in the network—an arrangement that will include Hidden Creek once the sale of the club is finalized. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be welcoming Hidden Creek and its members and staff to the Dormie Network family in January,” said Zach Peed. “It’s an absolutely exceptional club and a perfect fit.”