(LAHAINA, HI) – Ka’anapali Golf Resort – a Billy Casper Golf (“BCG”) managed property – today announces that its PGA General Manager, Ed Kageyama, has been recognized as a “Most Admired Operator” in Golf Inc.’s May 2008 issue.
Kageyama is one of only 20 members of the international golf community to receive the distinction. This is the fourth year Golf Inc. has venerated leaders on the operations side of the golf business. The magazine polled more than 100 industry insiders for nominations, and the list was reviewed by a group of golf executives, including developers, management-company officials, consultants and brokers. This is the first time international nominations were accepted, representing more than 16,000 golf courses worldwide.
A 17-year veteran of Hawaii’s golf industry and one of the state’s leading golf professionals, Kageyama is featured for his stewardship of not only Ka’anapali, but of two other BCG-managed courses in Hawaii. At the helm of Ka’anapali since 2002, Kageyama oversaw a $13 million renovation at the resort and manages day-to-day operations, including 300 acres of turf and landscape maintenance, more than 100 employees, the retail operation, sales and marketing, finance, budgeting and accounting.
“I am greatly honored by this distinction,” says Kageyama. “We strive to provide unbeatable hospitality for our guests, and this tribute reflects on not only me, but the entire staff and management team at the resort and Billy Casper Golf. It’s been a lot of fun and a great challenge to re-brand and reposition Ka’anapali Golf Resort in a competitive marketplace.”
“Ed Kageyama has done a tremendous job of transforming Ka’anapali and represents the best of what Billy Casper Golf achieves at our courses,” says Peter Hill, Chairman and CEO of BCG. “It’s a privilege for Billy Casper Golf that Ed leads one of the portfolio’s crown-jewel properties. This recognition being an international honor makes it even more rewarding.”
Through Kageyama’s work at Ka’anapali, the golf resort recently hosted the Wendy’s Champions Tour SKINS Game, which was televised on ESPN February 23-24. The tournament featured golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jay Haas, Loren Roberts, Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobson, drawing more than 8,000 spectators during the two day tournament.
Over the last four years Kageyama has worked with Golf Channel, through co-hosting of Golf Academy Live with Kelly Tilghman and bringing Golf With Style, the destination travel show, to the resort. Kageyama and his team were able to secure the resort as the current host site of Big Break Ka’anapali, the 9th season which airs April – July 2008, bringing additional exposure to the resort.
For more information about Ka’anapali Golf Resort visit www.kaanapaligolfresort.com or call (808) 661-3691.
For more information about Billy Casper Golf, visit www.billycaspergolf.com, e-mail media@billycaspergolf.com or call 703.761.1444.
About Ka’anapali Golf Resort
The Royal Ka’anapali Course, a Robert Trent Jones Senior design, opened in 1962 and has tested the skills of golf professionals and amateurs alike. A Par 71 stretching 6700 yards, the Royal Course combines wide fairways and undulating greens, making it both distinctive and demanding. Home of the Champions Tour Ka’anapali Classic for 14 years, the Royal Ka’anapali Course also hosted Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, the Canada Cup and LPGA Kemper Open, donning such golfing greats as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Jan Stephenson and Betsey King.
The Ka’anapali Kai Course is a par 70, 6400-yard course and boasts an array of strategically-placed bunkers, contoured fairways, and re-shaped and resurfaced greens. This course is a delight to play with its sweeping ocean vistas and places a premium on strategy off the tee, accuracy with approach shots, and a deft touch around the greens.
About Billy Casper Golf
Headquartered in Vienna, Virginia, Billy Casper Golf was co-founded in 1989 by professional golf legend Billy Casper, the Masters and two-time U.S. Open winner who ranks seventh all-time with 51 PGA Tour wins. The company manages courses in 22 states, the District of Columbia and internationally, including the critically-acclaimed Ka’anapali Golf Resort (Maui, Hawaii) and P.B. Dye Golf Club (Ijamsville, MD). Combined with Buffalo Communications, the golf-lifestyle PR division of BCG, 26 of their courses were honored in the recent Golfweek’s “America’s Best” state-by-state rankings. More than three million rounds of golf are played annually by more than 500,000 golfers (about 8,000 daily) at BCG-managed courses nationwide, serviced by a team of 3,000-plus customer-focused employees.
Contact:
Nick Lashinsky
Billy Casper Golf / Buffalo Communications
703.891.3324
nlashinsky@billycaspergolf.com
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