Doral, Fla., July 24, 2006 â?¦ On the heels of announcing a series of renovations to the famed Blue Monster Golf Course, and as it prepares to host the 2007 CA – World Golf Championship, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, one of the world’s premier golf destinations, today announced that Doug Miller, CGCS, has been hired as the new Director of Agronomy. In this position, Miller will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations, including the maintenance, repair, and landscaping, for Doral’s five championship courses.
Miller comes to Doral from Koasati Pines at Coushatta, an 18-hole resort course in Kinder, Louisiana, where he spent 3-years as Golf Course Superintendent, managing the day-to-day operations for the facility. During his tenure, Koasati Pines was named the "7th Best New Upscale Resort Course" by Golf Digest in 2003.
In addition to Koasati Pines, Miller brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in resort course operations, having worked in a variety of positions at some of the premier golf resort facilities in the country, including Director of Agronomy at PGA WEST â?¢/ La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, CA. During his tenure, Miller played an important role in the development and construction of the new Greg Norman Course at PGA West. Miller also boasts extensive knowledge of course preparation, as several prestigious events took place during his time at La Quinta, including the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 1999 – 2003, and the PGA Tour Qualifying Finals in 2000 & 2002.
"We are thrilled to have Doug Miller join the golf operations team at Doral," said Darrin Helfrick, Golf General Manager, Doral Golf Resort & Spa. "His resort course experience and his understanding of hosting major golf events make him the ideal candidate to handle the golf operations at Doral, and prepare the Blue Monster Course for the 2007 CA – World Golf Championship."
The 693-room Doral Resort, which is managed by Marriott International and is officially named the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, joined Marriott’s first-class portfolio of 60 resorts worldwide in August of 2004. In managing the golf business operations at Doral, Marriott International enlisted its in-house golf management arm, Marriott Golf, the world’s largest resort golf management company, and the first in-house golf management team ever established by a lodging company. Currently, Marriott Golf oversees more than 150,000 rounds of golf per year on Doral’s five championship golf courses, managing more than 500 corporate and group outings per year.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 143,000 employees at 2005 year-end. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.
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Michele Kruchkowski
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Ari Edelman
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Mastro Communications, Inc.
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