Kyle Martin, PGA,Head Golf Professional,The Fortress,Frankenmuth, Michigan
When Kyle Martin, PGA, was hired as Head Professional at The Fortress in Frankenmuth, Michigan, in March 2015, he found himself frying chicken, changing beds and spending time in a waterpark. You see, the Fortress is a part of the longstanding and deep-rooted family business empire Zehnder’s, which has been hosting visitors to Frankenmuth since the 1920s. And the initial, time-honored orientation process at Zehnder’s involves all new employees spending their first weeks at other departments to familiarize themselves with the impressive hospitality mindset that holds firm throughout the entire group.
“I spent about three weeks shadowing all departments. Our company is split up into four divisions; hotel, waterpark, golf course, restaurant. I spent time in the kitchen at the restaurant frying chicken, bussing tables at our restaurant – which seats 1,500 people at a time – seating people in the dining rooms, checking chemical levels with our aquatics director, and working the water slides at the waterpark during spring break,” says Martin, a Ferris State University PGM Program graduate who originally hails from the nearby town of Caro in Michigan’s “thumb” region.
And Martin (pictured right) found it isn’t only newly onboarded staff, or permanent employees, who you’ll find shadowing other departments at Zehnder’s. “One of the best strengths of our company is our cross-utilization of our staff, all the way to our owners,” he says. “They routinely bus tables in our dining rooms and work in the kitchen, especially during the busiest times of the year.”
This commitment to excellence keeps the golf staff motivated, and they tend to stay with the facility long term. Nick Shelton, who hired Kyle more than a decade ago, at that time held the Director of Golf position at The Fortress; he is now President of Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth. And Kyle, for his part, makes sure his first assistant, and each new crop of Ferris State interns, follow in his footsteps to the waterpark, restaurant, or wherever the company needs them.
“Our company is successful because of two main things; taking care of our employees, and guest satisfaction. These two things require a lot of communication between all employees, and that communication skillset is transferred directly to the golf course. Every guest leaves satisfied, we put our name on it,” says Martin, who is in the process of becoming a PGA of America Specialized Professional in Executive Management and Golf Operations.
“Our director-level management fully empowers our staff to make sure we accomplish that (high level of guest satisfaction) with each and every customer. I learned a lot about work-life balance, and how pivotal that is to have engaging, energetic and all-around happy employees, myself included. The golf industry doesn’t always lend itself to working five days a week, but our ownership preaches to be part of your family and the community, not just the company. That will keep me here until I retire.”
