Author: Charlotte Evans
Chris Vossekuil, who served for many years as Director of Golf at DragonRidge Country Club, is now the club’s Assistant General Manager, overseeing all operations under the direction of longtime General Manager Larry Wright. Chris began his career at DragonRidge around the time the golf course first opened back in 2000 and is a seasoned choice to help manage the rapidly expanding club. He spoke with DragonRidge Communications Director Charlotte Evans about his move to Assistant GM.
You’ve been at DragonRidge a while now.
I started here when I was 23, so I’ve been here for nineteen years. It’s been a cool journey. One of the values
my dad instilled was, “If you go to work some place, be loyal. If you like where you’re at, put all your e ffort in.
Don’t bounce around.” DragonRidge is near and dear to me. A lot of important things have happened on this
property. I met my wife here. We got married here and had a baby shower here. is place is like family.
You were raised in the Midwest. What brought you here?
Ferris State University in Michigan coordinates internships where you can pick di fferent places in the country
to complete your PGM (Professional Golf Management) requirements. I asked some students where they went
and they said “Las Vegas, it’s great.” ey said, “Nobody knows about this place yet called DragonRidge. You
gotta check it out!” So, I applied. Chuck Hardy, our old Head Golf Pro, phoned me back and off ered me a
position.
Did you play golf in college?
I played junior college for a couple of years then transferred to Ferris State University where I “walked on” to
the Men’s Golf Team which was a top five team in NCAA Division 2. We did some fun traveling and it was a
great experience in college.
Your personality is outgoing. Did golf develop you socially?
You know, I think it was being a waiter at Applebee’s. You don’t have a choice but to interact with your guests.
My mom always said I have the gi ft of gab. Chatting with people was never much of a problem for me.
Aft er being a star golfer in college did you consider going for the pro circuit?
Honestly, I never thought about that. It’s hard to start a family when you do stuff like that. Such a small
percentage of people make it. I am absolutely happy to be in the business of golf. If I wasn’t happy, I
wouldn’t have been doing it for so long.
How is your day to day role here going to change?
ere are events that I’ll be attending that I’ve never attended before. Larry still wants me heavily involved
in golf. Larry’s makeup is to always be here and to run hard. I want to try to help. Hopefully this will help
give him the opportunity to dial back a bit.
When you’re not at work, is your favorite hobby your family?
One hundred percent. People say, “You must golf every day!” Actually, I golf very little. My family life is
great. I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter, Daelyn. She loves Irish dance and loves horseback riding. She’s
starting Gymkhana (equestrian) training, which I know nothing about. She had her first Gymkhana last
month and it was fun to see her excited. Anytime you see your kid light up, it’s cool.
What are you looking forward to in the coming year?
Hopefully, being successful and learning a lot from Larry. I’m just looking to be the best person I can be in this position [as Assistant General Manager.] I’m hoping to get as much info as I can and retain enough of it that I
don’t screw it up along the way. (laughs)
