KemperSports named golf industry and hospitality veteran Paul Makris general manager of Binks Forest Golf Club in Wellington, Fla. In his new assignment, which officially began on June 18, Makris will supervise Binks Forest’s pre-opening operations over the coming months and oversee facility operations upon the course’s reopening, slated for the fall of 2007.
“I’m honored to be a part of Binks Forest’s revival and look forward to providing our daily-fee golfers, members and the residents of Wellington as well as the Greater Palm Beach County area with first-rate service and a memorable golf experience,” Makris says. “This new and improved layout has the potential to re-join the ranks of South Florida’s top daily-fee golf courses."
A longtime resident of Palm Beach County, Makris brings more than 17 years of golf management experience to Binks Forest Golf Club. Most notably, he spent a 15-year stretch as general manager and food and beverage director at the award-winning, Tom Fazio-designed Emerald Dunes Golf Club in West Palm Beach, which up until its privatization in September of 2005, was a standout among South Florida’s premium daily-fee golf courses. Prior to his career in the golf industry, Makris honed his management skills while gaining expertise in hospitality and food and beverage operations as general manager for a collection of upscale dining establishments throughout Palm Beach County and the Midwest.
Makris joins a team led by property owner Aquila Property Company, which has been assembled to restore the once-acclaimed golf venue. Aquila, a South Florida-based real estate investment and management firm, acquired Binks Forest Golf Club in May. KemperSports, a nationally recognized leader in golf course management and development; Gene Bates, one of Binks Forest’s original architects, who has modernized the features and playability of the course, while preserving the design’s original integrity; and Allied Capital Corporation, a leading business development company and financial partner in the Binks Forest acquisition, round out the professional team.
Makris, who attended the University of Denver, resides in Palm Beach Gardens with his wife, Judy, and their two children, Jessica and Peter.