Hoeh Believes In MiGCSA & The Mecca
By Greg Johnson
Treetops Resort’s Director of Recreation Doug Hoeh, one of the key reasons there are waves of beautiful green grass covering 81 golf holes at the award-winning resort, marvels at the level of cooperation among the 17 member golf properties in the Gaylord Golf Mecca.
Hoeh, elected in February as the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association (MiGCSA) Chapter President for 2023, is starting his 16th year at the Mecca flagship resort. He is in lockstep agreement with what Treetops General Manager Barry Owens has shared with his employees.
“Barry, and there’s a lot of wisdom in this, has said for a long time that while we want to be the place everybody wants to come to and play our golf courses, it’s 100 percent ok referring golfers to other Mecca member courses if it will make their trip all they want it to be,” Hoeh said. “We’re getting the golfers here, to our part of Northern Michigan, and if they love their trip here, they are going to return again and again. Treetops only benefits from that.”
Hoeh said the Mecca works a lot like MiGCSA.
“While on some level we are competitors, at MiGCSA we all work together to help other superintendents with having success with their turf and their operations because it’s great for the game of golf,” he said. “You just have to pick up the phone and get help. In the Mecca I don’t think twice about telling people how nice things are at Gaylord Golf Club, or over at The Pines (at Michaywe’), really all the courses are great and keep golfers coming back. That’s a win for everybody.”
He said his uncle and some buddies make a trip each year to Gaylord. Treetops is always a stop, but they also branch out and play the other courses in the Mecca.
“They have kind of a rating system,” he said. “Treetops always makes their list, but if they were just playing our five courses every year, I don’t think they would have been doing it for 25 years. They keep coming here because of Treetops, sure, but also because of all the other great Mecca courses they can play. They get to mix it up and have different experiences each time they come.”
Learn more about MiGCSA at migcsa.org. Learn more about Treetops Resort at Treetops.com. Learn more about the Gaylord Golf Mecca where there are beautiful green golf courses as far as the eye can see at gaylordgolfmecca.com.
