While living in Wisconsin, Dirk Willis heard about the drought impacting Southern California’s landscape and lifestyle. So imagine his surprise when he moved to Orange County a few months ago and watched it rain and rain and rain some more.
“I heard that,” he said jokingly when informed that the winter rain was needed but rare the previous six years. “Since I’ve gotten here we’ve had over 10 inches of rain, so I guess I can take credit or blame for it, as to how you see it.”
Willis made those observations while at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast on a clear, warm – and dry – day in late February. The former director of golf operations for Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run at Destination Kohler in eastern Wisconsin is now a Southland resident, having been hired by The Irvine Company as vice president and general manager of golf at Pelican Hill and Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine. He replaces Steve Friedlander, who has gone into semi-retirement.
“Dirk’s expertise and leadership will guide the golf experiences and retail offerings we provide to locals and resort guests at our three Tom Fazio-designed courses in Southern California,” said Irvine Company Resort Properties president Ralph Grippo. “From golf buddy trips to tournament-style events to our growing membership programs, Dirk’s experience will be instrumental in upholding the high caliber of personalized guest service and well-maintained facilities that Pelican Hill and Oak Creek have always delivered.”
Willis, who was at Kohler for 20 years with the company’s properties in Wisconsin and Scotland, said he expects the transition from resort to resort to be seamless and that the transition from the all-over-the-map weather of the Midwest to the temperate climes of the Southland to be enjoyable.
“Yeah, I can get used to this,” he said about the light sweater weather of late February. “And these courses and views are incredible as well. I’m looking forward to the job on a variety of levels.”
Q: You’ve worked at well-known and upscale golf properties in the past, and now you’re at one here. What’s your goal for Pelican Hill?
Any time you work at a luxury property like this, with the clientele that we attract, you’re always looking for opportunities to improve. … So it’s never business as usual, but always looking at opportunities to really shine and make Pelican Hill the ultimate destination for our clientele.
Q: Were you familiar with Pelican Hill before coming here?
I was. Yes. I had been out here several times partly because of my relationship with Steve Friedlander, who was at Kohler with me and later here at Pelican Hill, so I brought golf groups out from my former job. So I’d seen the property and knew what it was all about and that there were two fantastic golf courses, designed by Tom Fazio. I’m excited.
Q: How does your background help in the transition?
From a service standpoint and a quality standpoint, it certainly helps. You can’t come into a situation like this blind without knowing the expectations of the customer, and there is some overlap between the customers at Kohler and the customers we have here.”
Q: What have you learned from your first few months about the So Cal lifestyle?
Well, there definitely are a lot of other opportunities for our clientele to experience here. There’s obviously the beaches, multiple entertainment options and so much to do. From that standpoint, we might have to come up with more creative ways to market our spot to those clients.
Q: This is a crowded marketplace, for sure, so how do you try to stand out when it comes to staying and playing?
What we really have to do at Pelican Hill is emphasize the quality of our golf courses and how unique this setting is. I would say from a pure beauty standpoint, our golf stands out, even in this beautiful area, and I’d say that Tom Fazio’s layouts are second to none as well.
Q: What makes his layouts special in your eyes?
The courses are friendly off the tee, but around the greens you’ve really got to be a golfer to be able to score, and he really took advantage of the vistas here, too. I haven’t been here long, but every hole is like its own special place, and driving around the courses I can’t help but get a smile on my face because of the setup and views.
Q: How about the golf industry as a whole? Where do you think it stands right now?
It’s an interesting time. As far as the number of golfers coming into the game and the number of rounds being played, the statistics show a decline the past several years. I think we’re at a point where rounds are starting to stabilize, though, but we’re getting them in different ways from the past. You’ve got more people coming to counter the people leaving, but they’re playing less golf. … For facilities like ours, which I would say are market leaders, it could be an opportunity to capture some additional play. Looking forward to the future of golf, we still have to come up with creative ways to make the game palatable to a wide range of people, whether it’s shorter rounds or getting more creative with programming. That’s going to be a challenge for the next 20, 30 years. Time is the issue; people’s time is not going to get more abundant.
Q: What type of creative programming are you talking about?
Things like different ways to teach the game or finding fun and creative ways to practice. Getting more families involved as well will certainly help. Do things later in the day where the whole family can be at the course and enjoying the game together. Youths are a big key. If we can get them interested in and enjoying golf, the game will be OK moving forward.
FYI
Dirk Willis’ professional honors include PGA National Merchandiser of the Year, Wisconsin PGA Merchandiser of the Year, Wisconsin PGA Junior Leader of the Year and operating a GolfWorld Business Top 100 Golf Shop.
He holds a master of business administration from Marquette University, a bachelor of arts in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and certificates in executive management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and hospitality management from Cornell University.
Willis also served on the PGA of America’s Executive Committee for the 2007 U.S. Senior Open and the 2010 and 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup matches. Additionally, he led initiatives to increase college scholarship opportunities for student athletes as the president of the board of directors for the Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin.
