By Barbara Palmgren
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson! Simon and Garfunkel! Batman and Robin! Lewis and Clark! These dynamic duos solved crimes, wrote extraordinary music, saved Gotham or explored the American West.
But did they ever shank a drive into the woods or three-putt a green? Did they ever work to create and maintain acres of green space on a golf course, book tee times, give golf lessons and provide a once-in-a-lifetime golf experience for members and visitors to the Emerald Coast?
No, that responsibility is now in the hands of two gentlemen. One is Sam Newell, a marketing consultant with an English accent who views The Golf Club at Bluewater Bay as an opportunity to help the local community thrive, with a great golf course at its center.
Sam works with management on course design and development. Born outside London, England, he is now a U.S. citizen and has lived stateside for the past 16 years. His company, SGW Design, relocated from the West Coast to Niceville three years ago, and Sam has thankfully found his forever home on the Emerald Coast.
The other member of this dynamic duo is Jason Timlin. Jason is a certified PGA professional with years of golf club experience, ranging from Southern California to serving as head golf professional at the Robert Trent Jones course in Birmingham, Alabama. Jason is excited and motivated to make The Club at Bluewater Bay succeed. There was something about the enthusiasm of the Bluewater Bay community that became the clinching point in his decision to move to what he calls “a piece of paradise.”
After he and the board of directors interviewed Jason, Sam said he knew Jason was the perfect candidate to manage the course. Once Jason was hired, he and Sam began making significant changes. The club can now move forward with additional development to improve the course and its surroundings. Sam said he has great ideas, but Jason knows whether they will work.
One example is the new, netted, five-bay driving range, which enables golfers to warm up and allows Jason to give lessons using a portable Full Swing golf monitor. Another incentive was a one-time, substantial reduction in the cost of individual golf memberships. The roster has grown from 73 to 202 members, giving management additional capital to pay the bills. They have also created annual sponsorships for equipment, the driving range and other course needs — all creative ways to generate income for the course.
Controlling costs in other areas is critical as well. Owning and servicing golf maintenance equipment with the help of a trusted mechanic is a key element of the club’s success, as is leasing gas-powered Yamaha golf carts with a record of durability.
Yes, bringing together Jason and Sam was an inspired move by the board of directors and investors, who all stepped up to save the golf course two years ago.
Congratulations, gentlemen, and may you “live long and prosper,” as Mr. Spock told Captain Kirk. I think that could be translated as, “Live long and hit your drive straight down the fairway.”
But do those things happen only in a galaxy far, far away? Maybe not. They happen at The Club at Bluewater Bay!
