While the temperature in Northern Colorado might be chilly, the golf operations within The Water Valley Company are heating up.

The Windsor, CO-based company owns and operates 45 holes of golf between the 27-hole Pelican Lakes Resort & Golf and the 18-hole RainDance National Resort & Golf, and recently announced the promotion of several people into key leadership roles. 

Kurt Hinkle has been announced as the Director of Golf, Matt Stephens as the Assistant Director of Golf and Kate O’Halloran as the Membership Manager.

And that’s not all; Ed Provow recently accepted the position as head golf professional at RainDance National. (To read more about Provow, click here.)

Hinkle, a 25-year resident of Windsor, has served the past 10 years as the Director of Marketing and Communications for The Water Valley Company and feels this new transition is a “dream come true.”

“I was fortunate to play in the first golf tournament at Pelican Lakes in July of 1999 and have watched the course, its operations and its membership grow and evolve, first as a member then as an employee of the company,” said Hinkle, who became a member at Pelican Lakes in 2004. “The inclusion of the spectacular RainDance National in July of 2022 has only intensified my passion, interest, and pure love of the sport and cannot wait to assist in enhancing the visions of our ownership.”

Hinkle will oversee the day-to-day operations of both pro shops and agronomy teams and assist in strategic planning of golf events and maintenance projects. Hinkle was introduced to Windsor in 1998 when he accepted a position as a reporter for the Windsor Beacon newspaper. After a decade at the Beacon, Hinkle returned to his alma mater and served as the general manager of the University of Northern Colorado’s student newspaper, The Mirror. At The Mirror, Hinkle managed hundreds of journalism, business, photography and graphic design students while proceeding over the company’s business operations. Hinkle also serves on the several advisement boards including the Windsor-Severance History Society and the Windsor High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Assisting Hinkle will be Stephens, the former Director of Memberships for the company who has golf management and leadership experience.

Prior to joining The Water Valley Company, Stephens spent eight years as a general manager with Arcis Golf, a company that owns and operates over 70 courses throughout the United States. While with Arcis, Stephens oversaw operations at a variety of clubs including Park Hill Golf Course, White Bluff Resort, Onion Creek Club and LPGA International. He also served on the Aurora Golf Advisory Board that assists with the vision and operation of the city’s 90 holes of golf.

“It’s a privilege to be part of such a wonderful company that has such a great vison,” said Stephens, who is also the founder and partner of Pyramid Putters, a successful golf equipment company. “We’re assembling a strong team and I’m confident that we will be able to help elevate the golf experience here at The Water Valley Company.”

The announcement of the promotions of Hinkle and Stephens was made on Nov. 30 by Tyler Lind, the vice president of operations at The Water Valley Company.

“Both Kurt and Matt were selected after months of due diligence trying to find someone to help take our 45 holes of golf to a new level,” said Lind. “We needed someone who had high level communication and leadership skills as well as a connection to the community and membership. We believe Kurt and Matt are the dream team that fills all the criteria and more to reach the goals we’re looking to accomplish.”

O’Halloran has worked within the company in various departments since 2013 and joined the management team in 2015. She will assist in membership inquiries, billing, and communications.

“After working for the company for years being a rock star in the background, she has created opportunity for herself, and we couldn’t be prouder or honored to again fill this position from within the company,” said Lind. “Kate is about as hardworking and deserving of a human as we’ve ever known, and we are so happy for her and grateful to call her part of the Water Valley family.”

Click HERE to learn more about these fine folks, as well as the rest of the Pelican Lakes administrative staff. 

Congratulations to Kurt, Matt, Kate, and Ed on their new roles within this amazing organization!