Steve Shepard
Chair, Golf & Green Committee
It has been years in the making and on Monday, Oct. 21, Wildhorse Golf Club held a ribbon cutting to open the new north nine holes. With the addition of the new nine holes, Wildhorse Golf Club increases its golf footprint to 27 holes. An invited group of HOA Committee members, special corporate members, HOA staff, and invited VIPs attended the event. Notable VIPs included the following:
Joe Mikulik, homeowner and former player and manager with the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers MLB system for 32 years.
Homer Giles Bush, former MLB player with the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Florida Marlins. He was with the Yankees when they won the World Championship in 1998.
Darren Christopher Oliver, former MLB pitcher with several teams, including the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Geno Petralli, MLB catcher for 14 years with the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.
John Burkett, MLB pitcher for 16 years with the San Francisco Giants, Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, and the Texas Rangers. He won the first Rangers playoff game in franchise history.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was opened and led by John Chorba, President HOA Robson Ranch. John recognized Jack Sarsam, Robson Senior VP of Operations; Mark Giannonatti, Robson VP of Golf Operations; Carson Carter Robson VP of Construction; Tim Loser, Robson Grounds Development; Larry Varnes and Dave Parker, HOA Board members; the Golf and Green Committee; Olephant Golf Construction; Ryan Coffman, Director of Agronomy and Grounds; Craig Pullen, PGA Director of Golf Operations; and Robson’s teaching professionals, Tyler Clark and Dave Bowles.
Kent Coleman, General Manager/Director of Operations of Robson Ranch, introduced each of the VIPs to the audience and included some interesting background information on each. Gabe Schmid, VP of Sales for Robson Ranch Denton and Sally Aldridge President and CEO of the Northwest Metroport Chamber of Commerce (NWMPCofC) also addressed the audience.
Holding the large scissors, Kent Coleman and John Chorba cut the ribbon signifying the opening of the new North nine holes. Craig Pullen distributed scorecards andstarting hole assignments, and a 9-hole scramble followed the ceremony. The winning foursome included Gabe Schmid, Geno Petralli, Craig Pullen, and Rigo Suarez. A pizza buffet followed the scramble in the Wildhorse Grill.
The new North Nine promises to be quite the challenge with three of the finest finishing holes in the state. Golfers and residents of Robson Ranch can be proud of owning one of the premier golf courses in North Texas.