January 31, 2023
Well-known for a smile that conveys energy and enthusiasm and a demeanor that echoes confidence and attention to detail, amiable Colin Burns is changing directions.
After a decorated 30-plus year stay as the general manager at Winged Foot Golf Club in suburban New York, Burns is taking his expertise in golf hospitality to a hub of golf in the United States.
He has been appointed Chief Operating Officer at an exclusive new private facility called The Apogee Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., to direct the planning, implementation, and management of the 1,200-acre facility that will include three signature golf courses, two clubhouses, a technologically advanced performance center, and 360-degree practice area and 40 club-owned villas for overnight stays by members and guests. The Club will also have many amenities including a pool, spa, fitness center, tennis, pickleball and paddle tennis courts and fishing in its many lakes.
Burns was appointed by Apogee partners Michael Pascucci, who developed Sebonack Golf Club on eastern Long Island, the site of the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, and Steve Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins Football Club.
“The Apogee Club will have an abundance of activity in the planning stages as well as when all three courses are open for play,” said Pascucci. “There is no one with better experience in the golf industry to handle the broad scale of this project than Colin Burns. His career reflects excellence in all phases of golf hospitality. We are ecstatic about Colin guiding our process on the ground.”
“There is nothing that Colin Burns cannot handle and do with class, professionalism, and an innate sense of high-level customer service,” said Ross. “Everyone in golf smiles when they hear the name, Colin Burns. He is the perfect person for the job.”
The first of the three courses, designed by the incomparable Gil Hanse, is expected to break ground in early 2023. The second course will be designed by the team of Tommy Fazio and former USGA chief executive Mike Davis and the third by Kyle Phillips. Proposed openings for those courses are in late 2024 and late 2025, respectively.
Having three separate architects design on the native landscape of southeastern Florida provides The Apogee Club with a distinction that will enhance the golf experience of the membership.
“The opportunity to be part of this project from the beginning is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Burns. “Working alongside Michael and Steve, two giants in their respective industries, is such an honor. These two partners engaged world-class golf course design and construction teams. The result of this collaboration is The Apogee Club, an unmatched private golf club in Florida and perhaps the entire country. At this stage in my career, there is no better place to be than The Apogee Club."
In addition to serving as the chief operating officer and the general manager at Winged Foot Golf Club, Burns was the de facto club lead for operations of the 1997 PGA Championship, the 2004 U.S. Amateur, and the 2006 and 2020 U.S. Open Championships. A respected leader in the golf hospitality field around the globe, he is an often-requested speaker, presenter, and golf business consultant.
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