Treetops GM Barry Owens Honored for Lifetime Achievements
By Greg Johnson –
Barry Owens, the GM of Treetops Resort, has been a leader in the golf industry for 39 years, and the Michigan Golf Course Association has named him the 2025 recipient of the Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is presented to an individual or organization that, over the span of a lifetime, has provided steadfast leadership, outstanding service and continuous commitment to the Michigan golf industry. He was honored and celebrated at the Annual MGCA Awards Banquet during the 2025 Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant.
Owens worked in various roles at Garland Lodge & Golf Resort for 24 years when it was owned and developed by the late Ron Otto, and he has led Treetops Resort for the last 15 years.
“After I left Garland, I thought I might not go back into the industry, but from the outside I realized what a great industry it is,” he said. “The opportunity at Treetops came along and I jumped.”
And he keeps Treetops jumping and serving as an anchor resort in the Gaylord Golf Mecca, which includes 17 golf courses and 21 lodging partners.
“I was there at the start of the Mecca,” Owens said. “There are three of the original people who helped start it left. Paul Beachnau (Tourism Bureau executive director), of course, Mark Hogan (golf professional), who works with us here at Treetops, and me. I’m proud to be part of that trio and impressed that the group is still together and working so well together.”
He called Beachnau the glue. “He keeps everyone engaged, helping each other with challenges, and it continues to bring golfers to Gaylord, helping all of our businesses grow,” he said.
Beachnau sends the compliments back toward Owens. “Barry has been a force in golf in the state for a long time and this honor is well deserved,” he said. “With his involvement in state-wide and local organizations, he is never just about Treetops. He gives to the Mecca, to the state’s travel commission and so many more organizations. He wants to make everyone around him better and he serves as a great mentor to many in the golf industry. He is always looking forward, always seeking a better way, and a newer way to keep the game fun.”
Owens said he was stunned when the MGCA told him of the honor. “It’s not something I ever envisioned,” he said. “I was floored and speechless, which of course, Jada Paisley (MGCA executive director) pointed out is rare.
“Honestly, there are some pretty incredible people who won this before, including in 2007, Ron Otto, who taught me so much of what I know when I worked for him. Being on a list with him and all the other accomplished people who have won this makes it surreal.”
Owens said he knew early on in his career at Garland that the golf industry was a good fit for him. And now, he’s certain. “It is what I am, what I do, what I know, what I enjoy,” he said.
At age 64, he said he remains very much engaged in what Treetops Resort is doing. “There are still things I will be blessed to see us accomplish in the next few years,” he said. “We keep growing, taking on challenges.” He calls the Matthews Award the result of the people he has worked with over the years and currently at Treetops. “We are fortunate to have a lot of great people here,” he said. “From the boots on the ground employees to our leaders, it’s just a ton of people unified in what we do, and they make it possible for us to accomplish things. I would love to take credit for all that has gone on, but that would be a fallacy. Any achievement I get credit for has happened because a lot of people helped make it happen. It takes the whole team, so this award, I think it reflects on the team, the people I have worked with for almost four decades.”
