John McCahan, the new Director of Golf.
Susan Knox Wilson
John McCahan, our new Director of Golf, is no stranger to PebbleCreek, in fact he once lived here! “When my wife and I decided to move to the valley from northern Arizona, we rented a house in PebbleCreek for a few years, until she got settled in her new job and I in mine. I’ve known Bill Barnard (PebbleCreek General Manager) for many years through golf events and knew PebbleCreek not only had great golf courses, but was a wonderful place to live,” said John, “I am so happy to be back!”
John has been in the golf business all his life. Originally from Pennsylvania, his family relocated to Wilcox when he was twelve. John played golf through his high school and college years and began his career working at the Pinnacle Peak Country Club. There, his manager encouraged him to consider a profession in the golf industry and helped him land the job as manager of a brand-new club opening in Williams, Arizona, where he then worked for 20 years.
For the past ten years, John was Head Pro at Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria. At Westbrook, he was involved with the renovation of their 36-hole course four years ago. “It was a big project with amazing results,” John recalled, “but it was not as big a project as the Eagle’s Nest renovation will be.”
Renovation of the 25-year old Eagle’s Nest course is scheduled to begin this January and be completed by the fall. The plans include a new irrigation system, new bunkers, and new greens built to U.S. Golf Association specifications. The proposed Eagle’s Nest Renovation Draft can be found on the HOA website. “Eagle’s Nest will be a challenge for all of us, but the outcome will be well worth the challenges we will go through,” noted John.
Although John and his wife enjoy hiking, he says his favorite hobby is golfing. “I am so boring,” John laughed, “my avocation and vocation are the same. But I feel lucky every day that golf is my passion and my profession!”