The Founders Leadership Summit brings general managers of world-class golf clubs and resorts to campus to share their insights with PGA golf management and global club management students. It is the only event of its kind in the U.S.
The two-day summit begins on a Thursday evening with a welcome reception where students network with executives, who have attained the highest levels in their career field. On Friday morning, the Founders Day Summit takes place in a classroom at Florida State’s Don Veller Seminole Golf Course. Small groups of students take turns in timed roundtable discussions with each general manager asking questions about the challenges in clubs and golf industry within the next three to five years.
Following roundtable discussions, general managers take part in a panel discussion of issues in the golf club management industry led by a celebrity panel facilitator and discuss questions submitted by students.
To learn more about the Founders Leadership Summit, please contact Dr. Don Farr, director of the Dedman School of Hospitality, or Cynthia Johnson, director of the Global Club Management and Leadership program.
Past Recipients
| 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Steve Birdwell | Sea Pines Resort (Hilton Head Island, SC) |
| Don Emery | Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club (Orlando, FL) |
| Rhonda Flynn | Seminole Golf Club (Palm Beach, FL) |
| Chris Murray | The Honors Course (Chattanooga, TN) |
| Robert Sereci | Medinah Country Club (Chicago, IL) |
| Derek Sprague | TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) |
| Mike Williams | Innisbrook Resort (Tarpon Springs, FL) |
| 2018 | |
|---|---|
| Steve Carter | Firestone Country Club (Akron, OH) |
| Dave Feder | Trump National Doral (Miami, FL) |
| Chris Graham | Shoal Creek Golf & Country Club (Birmingham, AL) |
| Bill Hughes | PGA Tour (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) |
| Thorsten Loth | Cherry Hills Country Club (Denver, CO) |
| Bernard Murphy | Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Club (Auchterarder, Scotland) |
| Tony Pancake | Crooked Stick Golf Club (Carmel, IN) |
| John Patrick (Panel Facilitator) |
PGA Golf Professional |
| 2016 | |
|---|---|
| Michael Belot | Whistling Straits Golf Club (Kohler, WI) |
| Tom DeLozier | Quail Hollow Club (Charlotte, NC) |
| Paul Mroz | Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, PA) |
| Cody Plott | Pebble Beach Company (Pebble Beach, CA) |
| John Patrick (Panel Facilitator) |
PGA Golf Professional |
| 2014 | |
|---|---|
| Andy Bush | Erin Hills Gold Course (Hartford, WI) |
| David Chang | The Country Club (Brookline, MA) |
| Christine Pooler | Merion Golf Club (Ardmore, PA) |
| Nick Sidorakis | Southern Hills Country Club (Tulsa, OK) |
| Kevin Vitale | Baltusrol Golf Club (Springfield, NJ) |
| Ken Creeley | Alumni '66 (The Villages, FL) |
| Jimmy Hanlin (Panel Facilitator) |
PGA Golf Professional |
| 2013 | |
|---|---|
| Dan Ferrell | Oak Hills Country Club (Bloomfield Hills, MI) |
| Jim James | Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, GA) |
| Nicholas LaRocca | Muirfield Village Golf Club (Dublin, OH) |
| Michael Leemhuis | Congressional Golf Club (Bethesda, MD) |
| Euan Loudon | St. Andrews Links Trust (Scotland) |
| Roger Warren | Kiawah Island Resort (SC) |
| John Patrick (Panel Facilitator) |
PGA Golf Professional |
| 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Chris Borders | Atlanta Athletic Club (Johns Creek, GA) |
| Barry Garrett | Medinah Country Club (Medinah, IL) |
| Greg DeRosa | The Olympic Club (San Francisco, CA) |
| Bill Hughes | TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedre Beach, FL) |
| Chris Berlin | Oakland Hills Country Club (Bloomfield Hills, MI) |
| Jordi Tarrida | Turnberry Golf Resort (Scotland) |
| John Patrick (Panel Facilitator) |
PGA Golf Professional |