By Michael C. Guilmette Jr.
Sports reporter
BAY MILLS — Trekking to the Upper Peninsula from Virginia, Rob Lussenhop has taken on the role as the new golf pro at Wild Bluff Golf Course. Arriving in Bay Mills around March 25, Lussenhop dove right into his new position to prepare the golf course for the summer season.
Lussenhop grew up in Minnesota, and he has been an avid golfer his entire life. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1994 and decided that he wanted to get into the golfing business.
His travels brought him from South Dakota to Pennsylvania and then to Palm Springs, Calif., playing in golf tournaments whenever he could. He then returned to Minnesota, where he was the assistant general manager at a club near Minneapolis.
After five years there, members at the club sponsored Lussenhop so that he could play golf tournaments full time. During the 1999 season, he played at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and eventually moved on to Virginia.
Lussenhop was preparing to enter Canadian Tour school, but after a bad season in 2001, he decided to step back from professional play and get more involved with golf club management.
After three more years on the East Coast, Lussenhop and his wife, Holly, sought to move on to a new location. Finding the opening at Wild Bluff on the PGA web site, Lussenhop applied for the job and came up to Bay Mills for an interview in February. He said he loved it when he was here and knew it was the place he wanted to be.
Settling into his new position, Lussenhop was pleased with the condition of the club when he took over, saying that he normally has to clean up when he took over management of a club previously.
“Judy [Mason] did a great job,” Lussenhop said, commenting on Wild Bluff's now departed golf pro. He said that the facilities were well kept and the staff that has returned has been very helpful.
“Katie [Menominee] and Sandy [Walden] are irreplaceable,” he said. “They have really helped me figure out what's what around here.”
Lussenhop also said that Chris Henry is the new food and beverage manager for the club, and he and his staff are seeking new staff members.
His current plans are to get the club prepared for the new season and to improve on what is already in place. He is also getting set up for the Canadian Tour, scheduled to return to Bay Mills the week of Aug. 23. Although he did not reveal who would be playing in the tour, he did say that there are some “exciting names” that may take part in the Bay Mills Open.
Although he is presently living out of a hotel room at Bay Mills Resort and Casino, Lussenhop was real happy with the welcome he received.
“Everyone has been absolutely phenomenal,” Lussenhop said. “It's spectacular the amount of help that I have received from the community.”
Lussenhop said that his wife is a school teacher back in Virginia, and therefore will not be joining him until the school year finishes in June. He said that she has been very supportive of the decision to move up to Michigan, and that they both feel that this area is a great place for a family.
