Head Golf Professional Announcement
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Hiring Committee, I am pleased to announce Tim Moore as the new head golf professional at the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club. Tim was selected by the Committee and approved by the Board following an extensive hiring process, which included 45 qualified applicants, 12 first-round interviews, five second-round interviews, and a final third-round interview with our successful candidate. Several of the candidates would have made excellent additions to our team; however, through his education, experience, and unparalleled approach to service in the golf industry, Tim stood head-and-shoulders above the rest. We are very pleased that he has agreed to join our team.
Tim brings with him over 30 years of experience in the golf industry at some of the finest clubs in the country. His accolades include lengthy tenures as the head golf professional at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, the Thornhill Club, and the St. George’s Golf and Country Club. He is highly respected and well recognized for his conscientious, energetic, and open approach to the head professional role. He prides himself on service excellence, operational efficiency, and driving cohesion and synergy with the golf team. Tim received his B.A. in business at Bowling Green State University as a four-year letter winner and scholarship athlete on the men’s golf team.
Tim is a native of St. Thomas with family ties to the area. In his words, “[he] looks forward to coming home.” In his early career, Tim worked in the back shop under our general manager, Rob Mason, at Highland Country Club, and is excited to return to a familiar team, where we expect he will make an excellent fit. Tim is keen to hit the ground running and has already started working with Rob to prepare the pro shop and fill the few remaining staff vacancies. With nearly all of our golf operations team returning from last year, we anticipate a smooth transition and look forward to a strong start to the 2021 golf season.
As part of the hiring process, the Board reviewed the pro shop structure. As some of you will know, our pro shop concession was historically owned by the golf professional. This was the case up until the club purchased it from our former head golf professional, Dan Campbell, in 2011. At the time, there was a trend in the industry for clubs to take back high-performing shops; however, in a number of instances, their performance declined following the change, and ownership reverted to the professional. In our analysis, we found that our pro shop has struggled in recent years, and margins have been difficult to maintain. While the pro shop has remained modestly profitable, it carries with it risks, most notably, those associated with inventory purchased at the start of the season. As part of a risk mitigation strategy and an incentive to our new professional, we have agreed to have Tim purchase the pro shop concession and assume ownership, moving forward. We feel this is in the long-term best interests of the club and are optimistic, as our research and comparative analysis would suggest, that the pro shop runs best when owned by the professional.
We plan to introduce Tim, more personally but likely virtually, at our upcoming annual general meeting. In the interim, we hope you will join us in extending a warm “Union” welcome to Tim. Should you wish to contact him, you can do so at proshop@stthomasgolf.com We look forward to a long and prosperous future together, and wish Tim well as he embarks on his first year at St. Thomas.
As a final note, I would like to thank the Board and the Committee, comprised of Rob Mason, Mary Ann Hayward and Brent Hodge, for their insight, direction, and support through the hiring process, leading to what, I feel, is an outstanding and positive outcome for the club and, hopefully, for Tim, as well.
Thank you
Neville Jones
President of St.Thomas Golf & CC
