Longtime director of golf to also focus more on teaching
TAMPA BAY, FL, October, 2008 – Jay Overton, who has served as the director of golf at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club for 30 years, will soon begin a new chapter in his career as the resort’s Host Professional.
“Jay has lived and breathed Innisbrook for the past 30 years, and is one of the major reasons that the resort is considered one of the best for golf in the country,” says Chuck Pomerantz, managing director of Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. “We look forward to him keeping this passion alive in his new role.”
Overton joined Innisbrook in 1978 under the guidance of Mike Souchek, the resort’s previous director of golf, and has been recently instrumental in helping reposition Innisbrook as Florida’s top golf resort. In fact, he will continue as director of golf until the end of October to help finalize the million-dollar renovation to the resort’s golf course pump line, which is part of a $25 million multi-faceted investment in the property by owners Salamander Hospitality. These projects, which include a new spa and fitness center, will be complete in January 2009.
In addition to his career as a golf director, in which capacity he recently helped Copperhead Golf Course to a four-place rise in Golf Magazine’s ranking of the “Top 100 Golf Courses in America,” Overton was a successful touring professional on both the PGA and Champions tours.
“It’s the right time in my career to make this move,” says Overton. “I’m looking forward to entering a new phase in my time here, as well as concentrating on teaching the game of golf, which is my first love.”
Overton’s new role of Host Professional, which he begins in November, will consist of representing the resort at golf events, playing with key clients and exploring new business opportunities for the company.
About Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club
Situated on 900 wooded acres of rolling hills and 70 acres of lakes on Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tampa, Florida, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club is located just 25 minutes from Tampa International Airport. Innisbrook features 72 holes of championship golf, 620 spacious guest suites and rooms, four restaurants and three bars, the Innisbrook Golf Institute, 11 tennis courts, fitness and racquetball center, six heated swimming pool complexes, a nature preserve, and three conference halls with 65,000 square feet of meeting space. For additional information call (727) 942-2000 or visit www.innisbrookgolfresort.com.
About Salamander Hospitality
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club is owned and managed by Salamander Hospitality, a privately owned and operated company based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila C. Johnson in 2005, the company owns, manages and develops hotels, resorts and inns that reflect the authenticity and character of their surrounding environment. The portfolio includes the Mobil Five Star- and AAA Five Diamond-rated Woodland Resort & Inn near Charleston, SC, and the luxurious Salamander Resort & Spa, located in Middleburg and scheduled to open in spring 2010. The company also owns and operates a division of gourmet prepared food markets called Market Salamander with locations in Middleburg and Palm Beach, FL, and Salamander Touch, a fine goods and linen store in Middleburg for the luxury resort lifestyle. For additional information, call (540) 687-3710 or visit www.salamanderhospitality.com.
Contact:
Matt Owen, Corporate Director of PR
Salamander Hospitality
(O) 843.573.2062; (M) 843-991-0213
mowen@salamanderhospitality.com
Ramona Hurley, Media Relations
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club
(O) 727.773.0355; (M) 727.967.2487
rihurley@aol.com
