July 22, 2006 in Sports

Ex-PGA exec would run course

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Even though their proposed $150 million project has yet to be approved by Kootenai County commissioners, the Las Vegas developers seeking permission to build yet another luxury golf community along the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene have already added one of golf’s heaviest hitters to their management lineup.

Jim Awtrey, who stepped away from his long-held and prestigious position as Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America just last fall, has signed on to become the director of golf operations for the Chateau De Loire Golf, Spa & Lake Club that Kirk-Hughes Development Co. hopes to build on 578 acres overlooking Moscow Bay.

Awtrey seems genuinely excited about his latest career endeavor, which will involve strategic planning and a 10-year financial projection for the golf operations at Chateau De Loire, which – if approved – will include an 18-hole golf course and more than 400 luxury homes on what is known locally as Flying Arrow Ranch.

“They’ve asked me to help them set up the golf and provide a level of service that will rival the best operations in the country,” the 61-year-old Awtrey explained Friday afternoon during a phone interview from his home near Orlando, Fla. “What they’re doing, I think, will be something special.”

Brian Bills, project manager for the proposed development, which includes Idaho investors, considers the landing of Awtrey to be a home run – which is a tough assessment to dispute.

Awtrey, an accomplished golfer and member of the PGA Tour for a couple of years in the early 1970s, was appointed the PGA’s manager of tournament operations in 1986. He quickly advanced within the organization, taking over as executive director in 1988, before being named the organization’s first CEO in 1993.

During his 20 years with the PGA, Awtrey was instrumental in building the Association into a $200 million industry and the Ryder Cup Matches and PGA Championship into two of the most anticipated and popular golf events in the world.

Last fall, prior to his resignation, Golf Digest ranked him No. 9 on its list of the most powerful people in golf.

“Obviously, having Jim on board is a feather in our cap and a genuine stamp of approval for the design, philosophy and ideals of our development team,” Bills said.

Awtrey’s decision to come out of his short-lived retirement was a surprise to all involved – even him.

According to Bills, he and several other members of the proposed development originally approached Awtrey just hoping to convince him to come out, take a look at the project and offer some thoughts, impressions and opinions.

Awtrey accepted the invitation and got his first chance to meet with the principal developers, look over their plans and ask questions in mid-March.

“After that, he went home, did some soul searching and decided to become a part of the project,” Bills said.

“I never would have dreamed I would have wanted to get involved in something like this,” Awtrey confessed. “When I retired from the PGA last fall, I made up my mind I was going to spend at least the better part of the next year just kind of taking a deep breath.

“But then I got this call from the Chateau people and went out to visit them. I had decided by then I wasn’t going to do anything with somebody I didn’t enjoy working with, but after seeing what they had planned, I thought it would be something I would enjoy.”

What impressed Awtrey almost as much as the people involved was the proposed site for the Chateau de Loire’s golf course.

“It’s one of the prettiest pieces of land I’ve ever seen,” he said. “And not being a corporate developer, I was impressed with the developers’ commitment to build a unique golf course by providing some land overlooking the lake that people would normally put homes on.

“I think that will help create something very special, and I was intrigued about being part of it.”

Hurdzan/Fry Golf Course Design, Inc., out of Columbus, Ohio, has been hired to design the course, which will be designated a “semi-private” layout.

“He’s done courses all over the world,” Awtrey said of Hurdzan/Fry founder Michael Hurdzan. “I know him personally. He’s very sensitive to the environment, and he’s as excited about this project as I am.”

Bills said he expects to find out on Thursday night whether Kootenai County commissioners will approve plans for the development of Chateau de Loire, which is being opposed by nearby residents and other groups, some of whom feel the area is becoming too saturated with high-end golf communities.

The county approved plans last year for Gozzer Ranch, a $100 million golf and residential community going in at Arrow Point, which is only 5 miles west of the Flying Arrow Ranch. And Marshall Chesrown, developer of the ultraexclusive Club at Black Rock, is planning to build a second 18-hole golf course and equestrian center on the 1,200 acres of land he has acquired adjacent to Black Rock.

Still, Awtrey, who has made several trips back to the Coeur d’Alene area since agreeing to become a part of the Chateau de Loire team, is convinced his developers’ idea will sail.

“I’ve been through some challenges and some crises before,” he said. “And this project is unique. Usually, you’re dealing with knee-jerk developers who are in and out, but these people want to build a place they would want to live at.

“It intrigues me, because they’re committed to doing this thing right, and they’re providing enough revenue to do that.”

Awtrey said it’s still too early to say how much time he will spend in the region once the project is complete.

“But I’ll be out there enough to make sure things are done properly,” he said.

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