Executive Bios
Don Essig, III – President / Owner
A former PGA Tour player, Don has been a golf professional since 1960. After leaving the PGA Tour, he started his club professional career as the head professional at a private club, Hillcrest Country Club, for nine years. In 1972 he built and operated his own daily fee golf course, The Hoosier Links. When the mayor of Indianapolis asked him to manage three of the cities courses in 1993, he formed Essig Golf Management for the purpose of managing the courses. Don was the first PGA of America Master Professional in the state of Indiana. He is also a member of the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame and was a recipient of the Indiana Section PGA’s Professional of the Year award.
Chip Essig – Senior Vice President / Owner
Don’s son, Chip, is a graduate of Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management with a degree in accounting. After graduation Chip quickly followed in his father’s footsteps by accepting a position as a golf professional at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. With resort experience under his belt he moved on to work at two prestigious private clubs, and assisted in opening a new upscale daily fee course in Columbia, South Carolina. Before joining his father at EGM in 1995, Chip was the head golf professional at Forest Hills County Club in Richmond, Indiana. Chip gained membership in the PGA of America at the age of 24 and is now a Master Professional. Don and Chip hold the distinction of being the only father and son Master Professionals in the country. Currently Chip is serving as the President of the Indiana Section PGA Board of Directors.
Keith Clark – Vice President of Operations
Keith joined EGM in 2003, and quickly earned the nickname “Mr. Customer Service”. Keith has a strong golf background having worked at Otter Creek, Marsh Landing, TPC at Sawgrass, and before joining EGM he was the head golf professional at TPC at River Highlands, host of the Greater Hartford Open PGA Tour event. Keith oversees all aspects of the golf and food & beverage operations and has developed successful staff training. His customer service program “Every Member – Every Guest – Every Time” is quickly becoming the industries benchmark for customer service programs. He has served as both Chairman of the Board and an instructor for the National Institute of Golf Management and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Section PGA.
Stefanie Essig, CPA – Vice President of Finance
Stefanie, the wife of Chip, is an Indiana University graduate and Certified Public Accountant. Although her main job is mommy to their two children, Stef oversees the accounting and finance department of Essig Golf. She benefits each course we manage by ensuring that standard accounting practices are being followed and monitors financial information for abnormalities that may need to be addressed. Stef is also a new golfer which provides great feedback for our customer service programs. We have made several changes in our staff training programs due to comments about her experience as a beginning female golfer at our facilities. As you can tell customer service is everyone’s job.
