Golf

We are pleased to announce that Chris Howard has been promoted to Director of Golf for Dataw Island Club. Previously serving as the Head Golf Professional, Chris had been serving as the Interim Director for the past three months while a comprehensive search was underway. More than 110 resumes were received for the position; this list was narrowed to eight semifinalist candidates who were interviewed by a combination of staff and Search Committee members. From there, we narrowed the field to three finalists for online and in-person interviews.

While we had a number of good candidate interview sessions with the Search Committee, Chris Howard performed extremely well during the interview process, describing his vision for continuous improvement for all department activities. During his three months as Interim Director, he implemented a number of positive changes and the department has run very well despite being shorthanded. His communications have been timely and informative; he has handled a number of delicate matters with grace and professionalism; he has considerable experience here and with other golf programs; and, he is already a PGA Class A professional and a gifted instructor. This all went a long way toward his success in the search process. Many thanks to the 19 members and industry professionals who wrote letters of recommendation for Chris and also to those who put in a good word in person.

When asked what were important attributes for the position, the Search Committee and senior staff had a number of answers. None were mentioned more frequently than the importance of proper communication and follow through. Also mentioned were visibility, professionalism, personability and approachability. Attention to detail was also discussed as was developing more of a member experience culture within the program and the staff. Chris demonstrates several of these attributes on a daily basis and gave excellent answers to how to improve upon all of them.

“Chris has proven over the last six years that he is equipped and ready for this responsibility,” says General Manager Ted Bartlett. “He has been instrumental in our tournament coordination, and is skilled at managing staff, assisting with operations, and assisting with the running the Pro Shop. I am confident in his ability to lead us into the future.”

“I have enjoyed working with the members, committees and staff, and look forward to increased engagement in my new role,” Chris Howard stated.

“Chris Fearn, and before him Dave Britton, developed some great programs and laid the groundwork for me to pick up where they left off – continuing to polish our processes and procedures, grow member engagement, and improve the overall member experience. I’m excited to formally accept this position and embrace my new role. Thank you, Dataw, for entrusting me to lead our team forward! I look forward to sharing my vision for Dataw golf in the near future.”

Originally from Ninety Six, South Carolina (outside of Columbia), Chris and his wife, Ashley, live in Bluffton with their daughters, Lacie (9), and Eleanor (6), where Ashley is an early childhood education teacher at Cross Schools.