About Premier Golf

Established in 1988 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, Premier Golf is a privately held LLC corporation operating as a tour operator, event management company and travel agent. As a subsidiary of Travel Incorporated, a $300 million travel management company, we have access to the financial and technical resources of one of the largest travel companies in the United States.

As an experienced tour operator we have successfully designed and managed custom golf groups, small and large, to many of the world’s greatest golf destinations. We have offices in St. Andrews, Scotland and Shannon, Ireland with local relationships in most of our other destinations. We have kept the number of destinations we offer to a minimum, insuring we deliver the very best in service and price.

As a licensee of the PGA of America, we have been the exclusive distributor of  Ryder Cup travel packages since 1991. We’ve designed and managed Ryder Cup travel programs to ten consecutive Ryder Cup matches sending over 20,000 people to golf’s greatest event including the management of the Ryder Cup Team charter  offering “Fly With the Team” packages. We are once again offering exciting travel packages to the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Our Team

Our greatest resource is our people. They are trained to know our destinations and what questions to ask. You will find our staff totally dedicated to your travel experience. They love what they do and it shows. You will not only have confidence in the planning of your trip but you will have fun at the same time.

Jim Ward

President

Jim joined Travel Incorporated as Executive Vice President in 1985. He became president of Premier Golf in 1987 when the company was established primarily to provide golf travel services to PGA of America members. Today, the company still serves PGA members as well as the general golf traveling public. Jim and his wife Sandy have three grown children and live in Cumming, Georgia. Despite several requests from the rest of the Premier Golf team, Jim refuses to retire.

Ann Mabry

Managing Director

Ann joined Premier Golf in 1993 and took responsibility for the 1995 Ryder Cup. She has had primary responsibility for every Ryder Cup since. In addition to her responsibilities as Managing Director, Ann also has her own loyal client following, specializing in the European golf destinations. Born in Scotland and raised in Ireland, many people love to call us just to hear her talk! Ann lives in Suwanee, Georgia with her husband David and son Douglas.

Chris Gurney

Director of Business Development - Tampa, FL

Following successful business ventures in which he developed extensive sales and marketing experience, Chris joined us in 2008 as Director of Business Development. He has been primarily responsible for many of our PGA professional group programs and the growth of our PGA business. Be prepared if you want to talk golf with Chris. He remembers every hole of every golf course he has ever played. Chris lives on Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Bill Hogan

President, Wide World of Golf Division - Austin, TX / Monterey, CA

Bill joined the company with our successful merger with Wide World of Golf January, 2010.  Wide World of Golf has been a fixture in the golf travel industry for 50 years with a “who’s- who” client list from the world of sports, entertainment and politics. Bill has been in golf travel for over 25 years and is the recognized expert, having played golf in 52 different countries. Bill and his wife Michelle live in Austin, Texas with their children Haley, Nick and Grant.

Donna Boylan

Golf Travel Specialist - Port St. Lucie, FL

Donna joined Premier Golf in 2007 as a part-time specialist for the PGA Village. She has since gone full-time and has relocated to Port St. Lucie, FL. and lives in the Perfect Drive Villas at PGA Village. Donna is now “the face of Premier Golf” to many of our visitors to PGA Village, meeting and greeting and providing that extra level of “concierge” service. Donna’s son Chris attends Georgia Southern University and she lives in Port St. Lucie with her daughter Courtney.

Rebecca Stout

Golf Travel Specialist - Orlando, FL

Following a career with BellSouth, Rebecca decided to fulfill her dream and entered the golf travel industry joining Golf Pac Travel. Rebecca has been with Premier Golf 8 years now and has become our “go to” person when it comes to our different destinations. She has acquired a true working knowledge of our international and domestic destinations. In addition to becoming an apprentice golf instructor, Rebecca has worked for the GSGA as a golf course rater. Rebecca and her husband Fred live in Orlando but we see them in Atlanta often since that’s where daughter Tracy and grandchildren Dalton and Lilly live.

Michelle Williford

Golf Travel Specialist

After working in the Travel Incorporated accounting Department and serving as Manager of the Leisure Department, Michelle joined Premier Golf in 1994. Michelle has served in several capacities within Premier Golf, most recently being responsible as our primary liaison for the PGA Village. In addition to being an experienced Golf Travel Specialist with a long list of her own clients, Michelle also oversees our website activity. Michelle and her husband Bob live in Lawrenceville, Georgia and have become “empty nesters” now that daughter Lauren is off to college.

Kristen Barr

Event Specialist

Following her time with incentive companies Incentive Solutions and U.S Motivation as an Account Manager, Kristen joined us in 2006 just in time to play a major role in the 2006 Ryder Cup. Kristen’s major responsibility is with our Ryder Cup project and coordinating corporate accommodations for PGA events. She also serves as a Golf Travel Specialist, specializing in Bandon Dunes. Kristen and her husband Brendan (a Philadelphia native) live in Atlanta and wrestle over whether little Ryan will be a Braves or Phillies fan.

Suzie Cusentino

Accounting and Administration Specialist

After several years in accounting and finance positions, Suzie joined us in 2010 as our Accounting and Administration Specialist.  With so much emphasis on sales and service it’s important we have someone whose role it is to keep us grounded and to insure bills are paid and collected. Suzie also oversees our sales reporting and our Globetrack reservations system. Suzie’s two boys, Adam and Alex, are in college and she lives in Alpharetta, GA.

Michelle Herrmann

Air Specialist - Fort Myers, FL

Michelle joined us in 2001 from golf tour operator Player’s Choice to oversee our air travel department.  In her responsibility, Michelle assists our golf travel clients in securing the most convenient and least expensive air travel arrangements.  Michelle’s agent skills and pleasant can-do attitude result in some of our most positive feedback. In addition to assisting our golf travel clients, Michelle also handles the air arrangements for the PGA Professional Golf Management Program, assisting PGA apprentices with their air travel to the PGA Checkpoint in Port St. Lucie.  Michelle lives in Fort Myers, FL.

Mercedes Baldwin

Administrative Support

Perhaps the most underrated member of our team, Mercedes joined us in 2003 and assists us part-time in providing support for our sales team. Mercedes oversees the mailroom, maintains time sheets, controls office supplies and sees that client documents are assembled and delivered in a timely and efficient manner. No matter how busy the busy season gets, Mercedes can be counted on for a reassuring smile. Mercedes has two grown daughters and three lovely grandchildren.