Greg Johnson’s Three Favorite Mecca Moments From 2024
Greg Johnson is a notable sportswriter who handles PR for the Gaylord Golf Mecca. Johnson was recently inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2024.
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In June, I helped host golf writers from around the country for a Gaylord Golf Mecca fam tour. The group played a lot of golf – seven courses in five days. They also enjoyed the best in resort lodging at Treetops Resort and Otsego Resort and dined in some of the most popular restaurants, too. One of the writers, popular radio guy Rich Styles from Golf Aficionado, was making his second trip to the Mecca for one amazingly simple reason. He said one trip was not enough. He loves the collection of what in 2025 will be 17 courses and 20 lodging partners. Rich and the group were especially pleased with Black Lake Golf Club in Onaway. They marveled at the world-class golf, immaculate clubhouse and friendly service. Rich did not see Black Lake on his first trip, and he was wowed at the end of the trip. “There’s so much here in the Mecca and I enjoyed my first visit so much, I wanted to come back and see more,” he said. “Gaylord is unique in all the good ways, nice town, nice people, great courses, great food, great lodging. It has it all. I’m thinking I will need at least three trips.”
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In February, I worked the Gaylord Golf Mecca booth at the West Michigan Golf Show in Grand Rapids, which also happens to be where I was a golf writer at the local newspaper for several years. It was fun to share the message of the Mecca, of course, but also to share it with so many familiar faces and people who used to read my golf coverage. It is also easy to promote the Mecca to friends because you don’t have to worry about the quality of the courses and lodging, the quantity of the wonderful collection of courses or the welcoming area around Gaylord. Sending friends to a tremendous golf destination is easy and satisfying.
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I get to tell stories throughout the year in blogs at gaylordgolfmecca.com and my favorite for last year was about Ryan Holmes, the superintendent at Gaylord Golf Club, which also celebrated 100 years as a club in 2024. Ryan is the son of Paul Holmes, who retired at the end of the 2023 golf season after four decades as the superintendent of the course that has been long regarded as the place with great greens. “I would like to retire here like my dad, that’s the goal,” Ryan said. It seems to fit with destiny that Holmes would follow his father, but it took a few twists and turns first. “I didn’t plan to be in turf at first, but I did start working for my dad at 14 and I guess it was meant to be,” he said. “This was my playground as a kid. I played every day that I could growing up. One of my best friends, the son of a member, we would get dropped off here and play all day every day.” It is a collection of long working days now, as golf course maintenance days tend to be, but Ryan, who is 40, said it felt great to be home. Welcome home, Ryan, and keep up the tremendous work on the great greens at Gaylord Golf Club.
