Troon Selected to Manage Pine Tree Country Club in Alabama

Former PGA TOUR Player Don Shirey Named New General Manager

(Scottsdale, Ariz.) – Troon, the leader in upscale golf management, development and marketing has recently been selected to manage Pine Tree Country Club in Alabama. The 46-year old private country club in Birmingham has long been considered one of the South’s premier golf properties and with its newfound partnership with Troon, its stature will certainly be enhanced within the golf industry.

Leading the way in the Clubhouse at Pine Tree Country Club as its new General Manager will be former PGA TOUR golfer Don Shirey. A six-year member of the TOUR and a professional golfer for 17 years, Shirey was a local boy who made it big, earning his TOUR card in 1979. A product of Fort Payne, Alabama, Shirey’s finest year on the PGA TOUR was in 1989 earning $123,307 and finishing 112th on the Money List. His best finish that year was at the Provident Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee, finishing third, just two shots behind winner Stan Utley. Shirey’s placing on the Money List earned him exempt status for the 1990 TOUR season. During the 1989 campaign, Shirey finished twice in the Top 10 and made the cut in 16 of 27 events.

“At Pine Tree Country Club, I want to instill a mindset in all of our associates and staff of what the Troon experience looks and feels like,” said Shirey, who’s very familiar with the Pine Tree layout having won the 1978 Alabama Open on the host course. “Troon manages golf courses the right way and provides all Club members and their guests with the ultimate lifestyle. I want to introduce our Troon concept and further elevate that perception.”

Recently, Pine Tree Country Club underwent a $2.5 million renovation. The Par 72, 7,100 yard championship golf course was designed by George Cobb while the Club also features nine lighted tennis courts, fitness center and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Five banquet rooms highlight the upstairs in the Clubhouse with one of the rooms comfortably accommodating 350 people. “The golf course is in pristine condition and all of our Club’s other amenities along with the enhancements and improvements that were made provides everyone with an outstanding level of service,” added Shirey, who also teed it up in two U.S. Opens.

Shirey has worked for Troon since 2003 in numerous general manager positions throughout the country including stops in Idaho, Arkansas, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Prior to his new position at Pine Tree, Shirey worked out of Troon’s corporate office in Scottsdale. Shirey, a graduate of Auburn University was a member of the winning Tiger team that captured the school’s first-ever SEC Golf Championship in 1976.

“For almost half a century, Pine Tree Country Club has been a highly-visible fixture in the Birmingham community and a marvelous addition to the golfing landscape,” said Jim McLaughlin, senior vice president, Troon Privé Operations. “Troon is certainly poised and eager to further assimilate our management principles and techniques to what is truly a wonderful private golf club with a membership base that is strong and growing daily.”

For more information on Pine Tree Country Club, visit www.ptccalabama.com.