Ed McConnell
Head Golf Professional.

SARASOTA, FL—The Founders Golf Club, the private, member-owned entity within The Founders Club, announces the hiring of Edward McConnell as head golf professional, according to general manager Ian Fetigan. McConnell's hiring is the culmination of an intensive, 90-day search conducted by the Club's Golf Professional Search Committee, Fetigan says.

            “We are truly excited to have Ed McConnell join our team. Based on our conversations with him and his outstanding record of accomplishments, we are confident that he will create a strong tradition of teaching and enhance our family-focused activities. His plans blend perfectly with our many exciting wellness and fitness programs, which currently include stretching and strengthening programs as well as specially prepared and nutritionally balanced menu items,” Fetigan says.

            Although McConnell won’t assume his new position until later this month, he knows exactly what he wants to do. The new head golf professional says he intends to initiate golf schools and short-game schools; build a first-class instructional program; expand the junior golf programs, "especially for the holidays when kids are out of school and other kids are visiting"; develop fun and interactive events; use the video and other state-of-the-art equipment to its optimum level; energize the staff and caddies; and generally showcase The Founders Golf Club.

            "I cannot express how excited and enthused I am,” McConnell says. “It's been my dream to get back to South Florida, and particularly to a place like The Founders Golf Club, which is in its infancy but has all the traditions of golf already in place. What makes a great club great is not the course, not the clubhouse, not the amenities. It’s the membership itself, and The Founders Golf Club has a great membership core. All of the tools are already in place. The Founders Golf Club is well on its way to maintaining the great traditions of the game. It's an honor for me to be part of that process, to develop a tradition that will last for generations."

            In seeking a new head golf professional, The Founders Golf Club was inundated with strong candidates, Fetigan says. “We worked our way through 100 applicants and I truly believe we have selected a superior professional. Ed will bring leadership and enthusiasm to our golf programs in a way that will set us apart from all other golf clubs in the area.”

            Committee member Howard Doss agrees. A senior vice president and city executive for U.S. Trust Bank, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, Doss is accustomed to making management decisions. He and pleased with the Search Committee’s decision. "I think the process worked as efficiently as it possibly could,” he says.

            McConnell brings 27 years of experience, 19 of them as head golf professional or director at very high-end private clubs. Most recently, he spent eight years at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, IL. While serving as director of golf, he led the Club to an award by Golf, Inc., for best private club renovation.

            Before Sunset Ridge, McConnell was head golf professional for seven years at Piper's Landing Country Club, a private, residential, 18-hole community in Palm City, FL. He held the same position for three years at Moss Creek Plantation in Hilton Head, SC, a 36-hole facility where Tom Fazio and George Fazio collaborated on course design. Earlier in his career, he worked at Bent Pine Golf Club and John's Island Club, both in Vero Beach, FL; Jupiter Hills Club, Jupiter, FL; Gulph Mills Club, King of Prussia, PA; and Turtle Creek Club, Tequesta, FL. The Class A-PGA member's background also encompasses committee-level involvement with the PGA, as well as extensive experience in tournament and program development.

            A competitive golfer since the age of 12, the 48-year-old McConnell majored in marketing at Pennsylvania State University and played on their golf team. He has played "a lot of PGA professional events" and mini-tours, and has made four career holes-in-one. He was winner of the Illinois Pro-President Championship in 2002, the South Florida Section Tournament (the "Vero Beach Shoot-Out") in 1993 and numerous other regional tournaments. He also placed among the top 10 in the Player of the Year standings of the South East Chapter and its Chapter Assistant's Tournament.