MOVERS&SHAKEUPS By AZ GOLF Insider Staff
Verde River tabs Lessig to be GM
News flash: Short courses come up big in Arizona
E
very now and then a job comes along in Arizona golf that seems to be tailor-made for someone who already is working in
the industry. Considering Jeff Lessig helped to lead We-Ko-Pa Golf Club and SunRidge Canyon Golf Club to the top of the public charts, as well as served in the private ranks as an assistant pro at Desert Highlands and the club operations manager at Mesa Country Club, Lessig looks like the perfect fit for the top job at Verde River Golf & Social Club. Not familiar with Verde River?
Well, it formerly was Tegavah, and before that it was known as Vista Verde. But as the new-look Verde River it has now morphed into its third identity in a little over 10 years. Now Verde River is under
Tom McCahan, formerly of The Boulders, will be in charge of the new Short Course at Mountain Shadows. Lessig is center-cut with that
assessment. Originally built by Tucson architect Ken Kavanaugh in 2005, Vista Verde opened to “wow” reviews before a series of financial woes dragged it down. Shea has certainly pumped a lot of money into the project, building a new golf campus that will include a Scottsdale-chic clubhouse, as well as swimming pool and tennis complexes. Hiring Lessig to be the new GM seems to be the final piece of the puzzle. “I’ve always been very fortunate
the watchful eyes of Shea Homes and Blue Star Resort & Golf. And even though it is open to the public as we speak for a very reasonable green fee of $60 for residents and $75 for visitors, someday, maybe in a year or two, Verde River will be an all- private club. Enter Lessig, who spent the last three
years at Mesa CC in his first private job since the early 1980s, when he was in Scottsdale at Desert Highlands. So, yes, if you add up all that experience in both public and private golf, Lessig would seem like a no-brainer as general manager at Verde River, which held its third grand opening in mid-November. “Is the third time charmed?” Lessig
mused when the question was asked. “Well, I think Tom Lehman did an excellent job updating the golf course, and I also think all of the pieces (Shea and Blue Star) are now in place so the club is positioned to compete with the best.”
34 | AZ GOLF Insider | ANNUAL 2016
Jeff Lessig takes over as the new GM at Verde River
when it comes to getting some great jobs,” Lessig said. “And I just got here (Verde River), so I get to do the fun part, because most of the hard work already has been done.” Once again, Lessig is in the middle of the fairway. But of all
those jobs, which also included GM stints at both We-Ko-Pa and SunRidge Canyon, the assistant pro job he held at Desert Highlands back in its “Skins Game era” might have been the most key, considering it got him from northern Ohio to Arizona. He made that giant leap of faith with a guy named Duff Lawrence, who was the first director of golf at Desert Highlands. “Yeah, Duff was running the
Canterbury Club (near Cleveland) and I just kind of tagged along,” recalled Lessig. “One of the best moves I ever made.”
SHAKEUPS Speaking of big names in AZ golf who are on the move, Tom McCahan, who had been at The Boulders as its director of golf (and other job titles) for 25 years, has a new job. McCahan will be the director of golf and club manager when the new
version of Mountain Shadows opens up in mid-February. What caused McCahan to leave
his job at The Boulders’ prestigious 36-hole facility to take on the challenge of launching an upscale, 18-hole par-3 course recently completed by local architect Forrest Richardson? “I looked in the mirror one day, noticed
I wasn’t really getting any younger, and I said to myself, ‘Maybe it’s time for a change?’ mused the 52-year-old McCahan. “I mean, you could never get tired of The Boulders, but when they showed me the opportunity to work on such a great property on Lincoln, right underneath Camelback Mountain, it was like, ‘Holy Cow!’ This also is something special, and it’s a brand-new challenge.” And so the 1983 state high school
golf champion out of Willcox, Ariz., decided to take the big plunge. Besides the golf course, McMahan also will oversee the club’s 19th
hole, Rusty’s Patio
& Lounge, a tribute to the late Russ Lyon whose, son, Scott Lyon, is now running the project that includes a 183-room resort and 26 condos.
MOVERS Rick Price, aka “Mr. Tucson Golf,” has given up his media job as the editor/ publisher of Golf Arizona for a “real job” working as the head professional at The Gallery Golf Club near Marana. Price, who has long been the point man for the Southwest Section’s Southern Chapter, as well as the golf coach for the women’s team at Pima Community College, said the opportunity to join his wife Jenny Price, who is The Gallery’s membership director,
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COURTESY MOUNTAIN SHADOWS
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