Club Celebrates 100 With New GM, Pro

The Traverse City Golf & Country Club is ready to tee off its centennial year with a new general manager and a new – yet familiar – head golf professional.

Scott Hebert is leaving the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa after nine years as its head golf professional to become the head golf pro at Traverse City’s 18-hole “Gem on the Hill.” His first day on the job is Tuesday.

“It’s exciting to be working for a new general manager at that property,” Hebert tells The Ticker. “Kurt’s experience is tremendous. It’s a great opportunity for me as a golf pro.”

Hebert is speaking of Kurt Pitcher, who took over as general manager and COO on January 9. Pitcher replaced Marc Raymond, who left the club in late October after eight months on the job to move back to Chicago.

Hebert was one of more than 50 applicants for the position and replaces Roger Bliss, the club’s head golf pro for nearly nine years. Getting back to the private club experience and the chance to be more attached to the membership were key in Hebert’s decision to move his golf chops across town.

“It’s part of the business that I’ve missed,” he says. “A private atmosphere is a better place to work.”

New General Manager Pitcher is equally excited about working with Hebert.

“Scott is known throughout the state as one of the top players and also recognized as one of the best instructors,” Pitcher wrote in a recent letter to the club’s membership announcing Hebert’s hiring.

Before arriving in Traverse City, Pitcher spent 20 years managing several clubs in the Midwest. Most recently, he was with the Somerby Golf Community – a Tom Lehman championship course and planned development outside of Rochester, Minn.

“I’m originally from the Detroit area and have been trying to find a way to return to Michigan,” says Pitcher.

While Pitcher says the club is “doing pretty well,” he and the board of directors are beginning a strategic planning process looking at service, amenities and overall scope of the club. He also says it would be nice to see growth in the club’s membership – which has been holding steady around 400 for the last several years.

Over at the Resort, plans are underway for finding Hebert’s replacement, according to Public Relations Manager J. Michael DeAgostino.

“Meanwhile, the Golf Academy remains open, staffed by Assistant Professional Dan Bowerman, Director of Golf Operations Tom McGee, along with PGA Professionals Shane Hollandsworth and Randy Ernst,” DeAgostino notes.

The Traverse City Golf & Country Club will kick-off its centennial celebration with a Hickory Stick Golf Tournament on June 12. The tournament commemorates golf as it was played a century ago, with golfers wearing period attire and using antique clubs and balls. The tournament will be followed by a grand party at the clubhouse on June 19. It will feature classic cars dating back to 1915, dueling pianos, live jazz, a “Hall of History” and a strolling dinner.