Troon should need little introduction to readers of this publication. When Dana Garmany founded the company in 1990, he never imagined that he would revolutionise the golf business and oversee a management company that would span the globe.

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Troon are the self-proclaimed ‘leaders in upscale golf management’ and have operations associated with the best part of 665 golf venues globally, the majority of which are in North America.

Outside of the US, Troon International – a subsidiary – is headed-up by Mark Chapleski, executive vice-president, who joined the company in 2000 following a career working in and managing facilities.

“I started working at my local golf course [in Michigan] as an occasional caddy in the summers when I was about ten,” said Chapleski. “You definitely learn a lot as a young caddy listening to adults, who think you aren’t paying any attention, discussing everything from their business to extra-curricular social activities!

“When I was 14, I worked more regularly as a bag boy, and when I was 16, I started working in the golf shop as an assistant.

“My first role in the industry was a PGA assistant professional at Yuma Golf & Country Club in the southern corner of Arizona right on the California-Mexico border.

“After a few years I got the itch to move to a bigger golf market so moved to Palm Springs where I started working at the Marriott Desert Springs Resort and then went to the ultra-exclusive Vintage Club shortly after that.

“It was a about a year later when our head pro asked me if I was interested in Hawaii because a friend of his was putting a team together for a new club there, called Ko Olina that was being developed as part of a major resort destination by Japan Airlines and some other Japanese investment groups.”

Keen to expand his horizons and progress his career, Chapleski took what he described as the “longest flight of his life” in 1990, and was appointed as an assistant professional at Ko Olina, eventually working his way up to director of golf in 1996. Three years later in 1999, his career would shift significantly, following the decision by Japan Airlines to sell the course.

“Bruce Glasco (now COO of Troon) was part of the Troon team that came out to undertake due diligence for a client, and I knew Bruce from his days in Michigan.

“From this meeting and then the pending sale to Marriott, I knew it was time to leave Hawaii. So, I sent my cv into Troon’s Scottsdale office and ended up in the corporate office in December 1999, 22-and-a-half years ago.”

Shortly after joining Troon, Goldman Sachs – one of the original capital partners of Troon along with Starwood Capital – sent Chapleski to Japan to perform due diligence on a portfolio of assets that contained six golf properties.

“This was the beginning of the period when banks in Japan started calling in their bad debts (over US$300 billion in 2000) that followed the huge bubble of the 1980’s and early 90’s,” recalls Chapleski.

“So, I went over there for ten days, visited three of the six golf properties and we compiled the information for Goldman Sachs, and about a month later, they recommended that Troon open an office in Japan, and I was part of that team.

“During my four years in Japan, Troon did due diligence of some sort, on just over ten per cent of the golf courses in Japan, or about 170. We managed several high-profile clubs including the Phoenix Country Club, and also helped to create the Accordia Golf brand for Goldman Sachs using the Troon model of operations.

“Accordia today is the second largest golf management company in the world, behind only Troon,” claimed Chapleski.

With experience working in North America and Asia, perhaps it was no surprise that a move to the Middle East beckoned when, in 2004, he relocated to Dubai which had just opened a Troon regional office.

Reflecting on the past 18 years in the region, Chapleski said: “Some of the projects that we are extremely proud of are The Els Club Dubai where Robin Evans, our recently retired VP of Agronomy, spent 50 per cent of his time at the site when we started back in 2005.

“Saadiyat Beach Golf Club – which was opened by our now senior vice-president, DJ Flanders – had literally nothing on the site except sand when we first visited!

“We recently celebrated our 20th anniversary with Emaar which was our first partner in the region at the Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai. The growth of the United Arab Emirates has been phenomenal.

“When Bruce Glasco, who was our long-time International managing director moved from Switzerland back to the US office in 2012, I was given responsibility to lead this division. In 2014 we formally established the Troon International brand with our head office in Dubai, supported by offices in Switzerland and Australia and our Scottsdale HQ.”

Under Chapleski’s stewardship, Troon International is seeking to expand its portfolio outside of the Middle East as he explains: “In India, they have had golf for over a century with the influence from the British military, and there were a few well managed clubs, but we really changed the perception of what a golf and country club facility could be in today’s society with Prestige Golfshire in Bangalore.

“Egypt is another one where we have raised the bar completely compared to what was on offer before from a golf course presentation standpoint.

“Malaysia has some very nice golf courses with thousands of members, but I do think what we have done with The Els Club Malaysia does and will continue to set the bar there too.

“The PGA National Czech Republic – which is a stunning Kyle Phillips designed course just outside of Prague – would be one of our most recent examples of setting the standard in a country.”

Aged 61, Chapleski shows no signs of slowing down or contemplating retirement just yet, and remains committed on delivering best practice within the golf industry. “Our focus as an international division continues to be navigating the unique dynamics and cultural attitudes pertaining to the various regions.

“Dana Garmany’s initial vision was always to be the best, not necessarily the biggest,” he explained.

It’s evident that Chapleski has loved his time working with Troon, saying: “A personal and very emotionally rewarding side of what Troon has been able to bring, is the number of people that we have been able to influence, and help, in a positive way.

“Whether that be Troon associates who started their careers with us, or learned the business at one of our facilities, or a golfer who had never experienced the game before coming to a Troon facility.

“Growing the game of golf in new markets and creating job opportunities in local communities is at the top of my list of what I am most proud of. It has been such a rewarding career with Troon, for many reasons, but in a nutshell the main influence in who I am today is that I have been able to experience so many different cultures around the world.

“In the end, no matter where you go in the world or whatever language you speak, a smile is smile and that says it all, especially in hospitality.”