Michigan Golf Course Owners Association 2014 Award Winners

The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association has named its 2014 honorees:

• Dr. Paul Rieke will receive the Bruce Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the Michigan Golf Community.
• Chris MacInnes, CEO of Crystal Mountain is the 2014 winner of the Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award.
• The Legend Golf Course of Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire is the 2014 Golf Course of the YEar.

  The awards will presented at the 2014 Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Soaring Eagle in Mt. Pleasant.

  Full press release follows:

• MGCOA Announces 2014 Award Winners

  The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association announced today those being honored at the 2014 Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair. The honorees will be introduced during the conference’s Awards Banquet at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at the Soaring Eagle Resort in Mt. Pleasant.

  Dr. Paul Rieke, a Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member and longtime Michigan State University professor of crop and soil science, will receive the “Bruce Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition of his outstanding service to the Michigan golf community. Rieke has impacted Michigan golf for 40 years, published numerous articles, books and papers regarding soil and turfgrass management, taught more than 5,000 students including three presidents of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and helped secure over $1.2 million in external grants and donations for MSU. Dr. Rieke was also instrumental in developing the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center at MSU, served on the MSU Turf Team and developed and distributed information for Michigan golf course superintendents and other citizens.

  Chris MacInnes, the Chief Operating Officer of Crystal Mountain, is this year’s recipient of the Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award.  Chris and her husband Jim have transformed the family-owned business into one of the Midwest’s premier four-season resort destinations. She served on the Michigan Travel Commission from 2002-10 and was chairperson from 2006-09. She was on the MEDC Executive Committee in 2011 and also served as chairperson of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. She is a past-president of the Benzie County Economic Development Corporation and was a member of the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council.  Chris has been the recipient of numerous other honors, including the Traverse Area Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award (2009) and the Athena Award (2000) from Athena Grand Traverse.

  The Legend Golf Course of Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire has been selected Michigan Golf Course Owners Association’s Golf Course of the Year for 2014. Designed by Arnold Palmer, The Legend helped launch the northern Michigan region as a legitimate golf destination in the mid-1980s. Among many accolades, The Legend has been named a “Top 50 Resort Courses in the Nation,” and The Legend is annually ranked among the top courses in Michigan with a 4½ stars rating by Golf Digest magazine.

  To join the celebration, contact the MGCOA at 800-860-8575 to register or visit http://www.mgcoa.org.

  For additional information contact Kate Moore at the MGCOA 517-482-4312 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)