The Mecca Welcomes Shane Riley
Garland Lodge & Golf Resort’s New Director of Golf
By Greg Johnson –
Dave Sanderson, the general manager at Garland Lodge & Golf Resort, first met Shane Riley a few years ago at a Michigan Golf Course Association function and they stayed in touch.
“When I posted the job for a new director of golf, I was surprised to see his resume hit my desk and I’m really happy where it went from there,” said Sanderson. “We hit a home run with him. He has great experience, knowledge and ideas. He is going to make an impact.”
Riley, 40, most recently the director of golf at Scott Lake Country Club in the Grand Rapids area for 14 years, comes from a golf background. He was impacted by his parents, Charlie and Dixie Riley, who formerly owned Morrison Lake Golf Club in Saranac. His father was a PGA golf professional, too.
“I’ve always wanted to work in golf, and it started with my parents,” Riley said. “I wanted to be a golf pro like my dad, and I’ve been blessed to work at some great places like Scott Lake and learn from people like Jeff Hoag (owner). I’m confident I’m ready for this, to be at Garland.”
Riley, who has also previously worked at a resort in Florida, said he was a youngster when he first visited Garland, Lewiston and the Gaylord area.
“Garland hosted the (Michigan PGA Professional Championship) for a few years and my dad played in that, and brought the family with him for the week,” he said. “I caddied for him in it, and I remember the fun we had as a family at such a beautiful resort and how wonderful it was to be up north. It was a family highlight to be up here.”
He said his first goal is to make sure families who visit Garland and play golf leave the resort feeling just as he and his family did years ago.
“It’s been a special place in my mind for a long time, and now I’m here working,” he said. “I can’t wait for us to get the golf courses open (May).”
When Riley brought his wife Stephanie with him for an interview with Sanderson in January, the area was buried in snow, and he wondered how she might react.
“I did the interview and then we stayed for the weekend in Traverse City and talked it all out, thought about it and in the end we both decided we loved the idea of making the move up here, despite the snow,” he said. “Hey, I’m from Michigan. We know the snow melts and then we play golf.”
Garland and its four courses are part of 17 courses at nine properties that cooperatively market together in the Gaylord Golf Mecca group, and Riley said that association has impressed him for years.
“It’s easy to see the advantages of working together in a resort golf area,” he said. “I’ve aways thought the Mecca was a great marketing move, and I know Dave feels the same way. I’m excited to be a part of Garland, a part of the Mecca and golf in Northern Michigan.”
Golfers can stop in and see Shane once the courses open this spring. Garland features its four golf courses, Fountains, Monarch, Reflections and Swampfire, out of one convenient golf shop building. You can learn more at golfgarland.com and book Gaylord Golf Mecca trips that include Garland’s courses at gaylordgolfmecca.com.
