Pat Finlen, longtime Olympic Club and golf profession leader, has assumed the role of general manager at Winchester Country Club in Meadow Vista, Calif., near Sacramento. www.WinchesterCountryClub.com
Finlen, 60, will utilize his diverse and considerable experience of more than 33 years in the profession, the last 17 at the venerable club in San Francisco, where he served as general manager from 2013; director of golf in 2013; and director of golf maintenance operations from 2002 – 2012. Prior to Olympic Club, Finlen was director of golf course maintenance at Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Courses in Seaside, Calif., from 1998 into 2002; and golf and grounds manager at Lake Quivira Country Club in Quivira Lake, Kansas from 1986 – 1988.
In 2013, he served as national president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America,the association of professionals who manage and maintain golf courses; and was president of the Northern California section of the organization in 2005. He graduated Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Mo., with a Business Administration degree. A Chicago native, Pat and his wife, Denise, have two children and three grandkids.
“Our goal is for Winchester to be a true members club where it’s the focal gathering place and part of their community every day of the week,” said Finlen, “We plan to grow the membership and ramp up staff and operations to provide a level of attentive service and a comfortable atmosphere to complement the attractive amenities and active lifestyle.”
Winchester Country Club is an exclusive golf course and residential community in a serene Sierra foothill setting just 9 miles north of Auburn, 40 miles from Sacramento and 80 miles to Lake Tahoe. The 1,000-acre property offers sites for custom and semi-custom homes, a 35,000 square foot country club with full-service dining options; facilities for group meetings, special events and weddings; a fitness center and indoor and outdoor recreational activities.
The club has a comfortable goal of 550 members, including 100 in the non-resident category. Finlen anticipates an influx from the Bay Area with folks looking to escape the congestion and bustle in exchange for a relaxing lifestyle with an abundance of space in an affordable community.
The championship golf course is one of seven in the world designed by the renowned father-son team of Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and Jr. The 7,200-yard design has twice been designated one of America’s Best Residential Golf Courses by Golfweek Magazine. With his extensive superintendent experience hosting four national championships, as well as designation as Certified Golf Course Superintendent, Finlen expects to have Winchester recognized in the upper echelon of Northern California courses, citing investment plans for infrastructure, maintenance, equipment and irrigation.
“Having Pat Finlen lead the way for Winchester – a person with his proven golf, business and operations background and associations, puts the club and community in an enviable position for the future,” said Paul Jennings, principal of Jennings Holdings LLC, the Winchester ownership group. “Pat’s hands-on style and personal approach will be appreciated by Winchester’s members.”
To know more about Winchester, please visit www.WinchesterCountryClub.com. For the latest real estate opportunities to create a custom masterpiece or semi-custom home, call 530-878-3009 or visit: [email protected]. For golf and country club membership for residents and non-residents, call 530-878-3900.