Father’s Day
A SPECIAL DAY FOR THE FLANDERS FAMILY
This Father’s Day will be a little different for DJ Flanders, executive vice president, Troon International. He will be celebrating the fact that his son Maverick, a recent graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina, has now begun his own Troon career as a staff accountant at the company’s Birmingham, Ala., office.
Maverick was born into the Troon family (a “Troon Tot” DJ calls him), and his life has been a testament to the incredible opportunities the company has provided the Flanders family. DJ met his wife Debbi in Arizona back in the early 2000s. He was working for Troon as the director of golf at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, and she was working at Troon North as the assistant retail manager (she currently consults on retail operations at Troon International facilities).
Growing up, Maverick (who has a younger brother named Ace) has experienced a rich and diverse upbringing, living in the United States, Japan, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai as his father worked at different Troon-managed courses. According to DJ, those experiences have shaped Maverick into the accomplished individual he is today.
“Watching Maverick grow and thrive across different cultures and environments has been one of my greatest joys,” he said. “I am very proud of Maverick going from ‘Troon tot’ to Troon employee.”
DJ started with Troon in 1998 as a 27-year-old assistant professional at The Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas. “At that time, Troon did not have too many courses, and working for a golf management company was a bit foreign,” he recalled. “But I quickly learned that if you worked hard and had a willingness to move, you could build quite a career with Troon. I have now been with the company for over 25 years, and have worked at seven different facilities in four different countries before coming to our Troon International office in Dubai almost 11 years ago.”
The advice he gives his son now mirrors what Flanders himself heard from Troon founder Dana Garmany many years ago.
“He (Garmany) has always said that he does not want Troon to be a job, but a career,” said Flanders. “I told Maverick that if he works hard, asks good questions, and learns as much as he can about the different aspects of his role, he can create a path for advancement for himself. He also has a minor in business and enjoys the management side of things, so I think he is a well-rounded, multi-faceted asset, and it will be interesting to see how his career progresses. Trust me, if his dad can make it to executive vice president of Troon International from an assistant professional at La Cantera, anything is possible!”
