Golf Inc. - October 2008 - (Page 39)

Bill Kubly Landscapes Unlimited Kubly, owner of Landscapes Unlimited (LU), isn’t too worried about the downturn. The 59-year-old industry veteran could retire tomorrow but he enjoys it too much. “I love golf,” said Kubly, who founded the company 32 years ago. “I love the game, the people, the suppliers. It’s really a fun industry.” Kubly has worked in the industry most of his life. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in landscape architecture, he worked in golf construction for five years before starting LU in 1976. He built the firm one project at a time. In 2000, Kubly won the national Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award. Today, LU has annual revenues of $100 million, making it one of the largest golf contractors. Kubly also serves as president of the Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation. Even with the downturn, LU is working on about 40 projects, although some of the projects are sports fields and irrigation jobs. But most of Kubly’s work is in golf. His firm is building a new Tiger Woods course in Dubai. Kubly sees a big future for his company in the UAE and parts of Asia. The company does many renovations and owns about 20 courses. It has completed about 800 projects since its inception. Brian D. Pierson Pierson Golf Pierson, Europe’s most experienced golf course builder, is headed east – to the old eastern bloc countries – for most of his work these days. Owner of Pierson Golf, he is involved with courses in Macedonia and Belarus. “Those old Eastern Bloc countries is where all of the (European) growth is now,” said Pierson, explaining that England is saturated with courses from the boom of 20 years ago. Pierson sees demand for courses in Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. Russian authorities have asked Jack Nicklaus to design at least 15 public courses in the next few years. Pierson, chairman and a founding member of the British Association of Golf Course Constructors, has been working in golf construction for 42 years. “I love it,” said the 69-year-old Pierson, who has worked on some of the world’s most prestigious courses. Pierson has been involved in projects at St. Andrews, Woburn, The Belfry and six Open Championship venues. Pierson fell into golf construction by accident. He was a farmer when a friend asked him to come work for a landscaping company. He stayed with that company for 10 years as it grew into a large British golf course builder. He later started his own firm and developed it into one of the largest golf contractors in Europe. Since then, he’s been responsible for the construction or alteration of about 260 courses in Britain, Europe and North America. October 2008 www.GolfIncMagazine.com 39 http://www.GolfIncMagazine.com

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Golf Inc. - October 2008 Contents From the Editors: Smaller is Less Costly Survey Reveal Golf's Economic Impact in EMA Private Club Managers Earn Bigger Salaries Dyes Mourn Loss of Family Member Changing Demographics Impact European Golf Scene RDC Golf Group Finds Affordable Golf Niche Links at Summerly Offers Unique Twist Cost Crunch Most Powerful People in Golf Contractors Focus on Renovations, International�Projects Troon, IMG Reach Into Booming Middle East Market Americas Recap: New Player Design in Mexico Europe-Africa Recap: Moroccan Lakeside Development Asia-Australia Recap: 3 Billion Dollar Resort in Vietnam The Last Word: There's No Substitute for Good Friends on a Golf Course

Golf Inc. - October 2008

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