As Glen Murray enters his sixth season at Destination Geneva National, he brings extensive experience from several PGA Sections. The Methodist University graduate was the South Florida PGA Section’s Southwest Chapter Golf Professional of the Year in 2015 and earned Merchandiser of the Year for Private Facilities honors in the South Florida PGA Section back in 2011.
With an exciting new golf season soon to begin at beautiful Destination Geneva National, we highlight Glen Murray in this month’s PGA General Managers Professional Profile feature.
Murray: Destination Geneva National is a premier 54-hole golf resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. We have championship golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino. The resort has 230 guest rooms, with 10 golf cottages, six on-campus restaurants, a marina and a lighted Himalayas-style putting course.
My role as Chief Operating Officer/General Manager sets the strategy and leads operations and development for the resort and Geneva National Members Club. In addition to the resort, Geneva National has 1000+ residences on the property, and I represent the golf club on the HOA/Community Association board that operates the residential side of Geneva National.
Murray: My career in golf began as a junior caddie, as a bag room supervisor and a PGM degree graduate at Methodist University. I’ve been associated with golf facilities in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, California and Hawaii.
PGA of America Golf Professionals Jerry Hogge, the Methodist University Program Director at the time; Jim Richerson, Past President of the PGA of America; Jim Keane, Vice President of Ritz-Carlton/Marriott Golf; Nathan Stith, PGA National Director at Taylor Morrison - Esplanade; and Justin Norvell, PGA National Director of Topgolf, have all been major influences from my earliest days in the industry.
Murray: The lead-up to annual goal setting includes two all-company leader summits, three Geneva National Member listening sessions, two Community Association Town Halls and typically four industry events/conferences. A key part of goal setting is benchmarking what the most successful properties and brands in the industry are doing to maintain their positions as first-class organizations.
We take a balanced scorecard approach after hearing from our customers, employees, residents and the greater golf, resort and hospitality industries in determining where to focus. Each year, we formulate a theme for the entire organization, and we ask each leader to select a personal growth theme for the following year. For 2026, our company’s focus theme is “attention to detail.”
Murray: We talk a lot about frictionless experiences. Being in the leisure, entertainment and events space, we found that planners, customers and those looking to memorialize special moments in life would like the days at the resort to be effortless. They also seek a stress-free planning process, staff interactions and sensitivity to timeliness in all steps of executing an experience. We ask ourselves over and over, “How can we make this easier for our customers?” or “How can we make processes better for our employees?”
Murray: The two greatest intangibles in my career have been strength awareness and reliance on a network of hospitality professionals and PGA Members who have found the best way of doing things.
Strength awareness through doubling down on what you are naturally good at is as important as having a solid awareness of what does not come naturally. It’s vital to find partners in your network to help coach you in the many areas that are not your strengths. Having a willingness to ask for help and having qualified people who will take your phone call for guidance is a superpower. Build a network of colleagues who will encourage you and push you to be better — this is something that has worked for me.
Glen Murray, the 2011 South Florida PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for Private Facilities and 2015 Southwest Chapter Golf Professional of the Year, is the PGA of America General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at Destination Geneva National in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.