PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida (January 3, 2018) – Bobby Weed Golf Design (www.bobbyweed.com) is recognizing two milestones by honoring Michael A. Matthews, business manager, and Chris Monti, senior design associate, for their decades of service: Matthews, 30 years, and Monti, 20 years. Each has been an integral part of Weed’s success in the golf industry.
“Both Mike and Chris are highly talented and dedicated individuals,” Weed said. “Their knowledge and outstanding work are valuable assets to the firm and provide important continuity.”
Matthews’s association with Weed began in 1986 while maintaining the books for Weed’s golf course-related companies. In 1996, Matthews became the full-time business manager for Bobby Weed Golf Design, Inc., bringing years of accounting and managerial experience to the company. Matthews holds a Masters of Accounting degree from the University of North Florida.
“My relationship with Bobby has been more of a friend than just employer/employee, and I treasure the relationship,” said Matthews.
Just three years after he formed Bobby Weed Golf Design, Bobby Weed tapped Chris Monti to join him, as the company’s growth and success already had begun to escalate.
“I always knew Chris was well rounded and mature beyond his age,” said Weed, “with the right educational foundation as well as desire and motivation to succeed in this business. To this day, he has a tremendous work ethic, is extremely thorough and is well respected by contractors, vendors and everyone in the industry.”
Monti’s early interest in golf course design led him to study at Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., the alma mater of several other prominent members of the profession. Upon graduation with his B.S. in Landscape Architecture, Monti received Cornell’s prestigious Frederick Dreer Award, an endowed scholarship that allowed him a year-long study of golf course architecture in the British Isles. This proved to be a formative experience that influenced his thoughts on strategy, maintenance and the integration of golf and development.
“I traveled, walked, saw 220 courses and played a few,” said Monti, who holds a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from Cornell. “As a resident of St Andrews, I immersed myself in the history and design techniques of golf course architecture.”
The first two projects to which Weed assigned Monti were StoneRidge Golf Club, in Stillwater, Minn., and Spanish Oaks Golf Club, in Bee Cave, Texas.
“I put Chris in the field to give him experience with construction and design,” Weed said. “I’ve always given my associates a lot of latitude to do a combination of field and office work, leading to a total involvement in every aspect of the process, including not only equipment, but installation of materials and project sequencing.
“For being a small shop by choice and hands-on, Chris and I work seamlessly together,” said Weed.
Other select Bobby Weed Golf Design projects with which Monti has been involved that have gained national attention include Medalist Golf Club, in Hobe Sound, Fla.; Culver Academies Golf Course, in Culver, Ind.; Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club, in Tampa, Fla.; New Orleans Country Club, in New Orleans; and The Deltona Club, in Deltona, Fla.
The Weed/Monti design partnership has flourished through the years.
“During my two decades with Bobby, our industry has experienced significant booms and busts,” Monti said. “Knowing we’ve been able to stay busy and provide value for our clients, under every market condition, is the most gratifying aspect of achieving this milestone.
“There is significant benefit for future clients in being able to engage a team that has worked together through it all. Given my working relationship with Bobby and the responsibilities and latitude I have, I’m not sure I could have it any better.”
Matthews notes that the firm is fortunate to have Monti as senior design associate.
“Chris has totally embraced Bobby’s design philosophy,” said Matthews, “which has allowed us to be successful. His professional excellence and personality enable us to provide an outstanding product to our clients.”
About Bobby Weed Golf Design
Acclaimed golf course designer Bobby Weed specializes in design, renovation and repurposing. His work features a balance of visual appeal, sustainability and playability, all informed by an environmentally-sensitive aesthetic and an exceptional hands-on, holistic approach.
Weed began his professional career with an extended apprenticeship with Pete Dye, launching a collaboration of over 35 years’ duration and a lifelong friendship. Hired in 1983 by the PGA Tour as the Golf Course Superintendent at TPC Sawgrass, Weed went on to become the Tour’s in-house designer from 1987-1996. He was responsible for the design of many of today’s best-known TPC venues, which continue as host sites for prominent Tour events.
Weed also was able to collaborate with many of golf’s most familiar names, including Sam Snead, Gene Sarazen, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Jerry Pate and Chi Chi Rodriguez – a rare cross section of experience.
In 1994, Weed’s career reached an apex with the formation of his own design firm, where he continues to “handcraft” golf courses. Today, Bobby Weed Golf Design has amassed an impressive list of new and renovated courses that consistently are ranked at the top of their respective categories, including The Olde Farm Golf Club, Spanish Oaks Golf Club, The Golf Course at Glen Mills, Medalist Golf Club and Timuquana Country Club.
Bobby Weed Golf Design also is a leader in golf course repurposing – a means to update layouts through redesign and reallocation of partial acreage for higher value land uses. Repurposing helps clubs and communities preserve golf while surmounting economic and other challenges. Weed’s skill, vision and business acumen coalesce to result in successful, refined and durable golf course design.
Bobby Weed is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He also is a 39-year member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, was a former Certified Golf Course Superintendent and is a member of the Florida Turfgrass Association.
Bobby Weed Golf Design won The BoardRoom Magazine 2017 “Excellence in Achievement Award in Course Architecture – Renovation.”
For more information on Bobby Weed Golf Design, see www.bobbyweed.com.
Contact:
Sally J. Sportsman
407-248-1144
sjsport@earthlink.net
