Josh Doxtator

PGA Member Joshua Doxtator Named GM of the Golf Course at Harbor Shores Resort

Doxtator Joins New Leadership Team to Oversee Golf Operations with a Focus on Outstanding Player Experience

By Brian Weis

The Harbor Shores Operating Committee today announced that Joshua Doxtator, PGA, has been appointed General Manager of The Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Golf Course at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Michigan, after a national search to fill this high-profile position.

Doxtator, who will officially begin his new role on Feb.18, is well known for his passion for guest services and has built a reputation over his 20-year career as an innovator in the golf course management industry. Doxtator has a proven track record in managing top-rated courses and food and beverage operations. He comes to Harbor Shores Resort after previously serving as the PGA Chief Operating Officer at Thornberry Creek at Oneida, the Official Golf Course of the Green Bay Packers. During his tenure at Thornberry Creek, Doxtator was responsible for notable club renovations and oversight of the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, an annual event on the LPGA Tour schedule which debuted in 2017.

"I am excited to join a team that has used golf as a redevelopment catalyst for its community and, as host to the most prestigious Championship in senior golf, continues to be a centerpiece for growing the game," said Doxtator. "Success starts with providing the very best guest experience for anyone who steps foot on the facility. I look forward to helping showcase this amazing property throughout the region and working with the PGA of America to host the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship every other year."

On the appointment, Operating Committee member Jeff Fettig noted, "We know we have found the very best person to continue to take the Harbor Shores golf experience to an elevated level. He sees our vision for Harbor Shores Resort and the integral role it plays in our community, while also providing one of the best golf experiences in the region."

Just eight years after opening the Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Course, Harbor Shores Resort has been a four-time host to the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the most historic and prestigious major Championship in senior golf. This Championship is held biennially at Harbor Shores Resort through 2024. The PGA of America assisted in conducting the search for the general manager position amongst its 29,000 members alongside the Harbor Shore Operating Committee, which was formed to accelerate the march to making Harbor Shores Resort the premier golf experience in the Midwest.

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said, "Harbor Shores Resort is a remarkable property that stands among the best facilities in the Midwest. We were fortunate to be involved in the team's search to find the very best general manager candidate from our membership to lead the golf operations at Harbor Shores Resort. Josh's commitment to customer service and innovative management practices has positioned him very well for this role."

Harbor Shores Resort is the newest beachfront destination in Southwest Michigan - with a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Course, harborside real estate, kayaking in the Paw Paw River and beautiful beaches along Lake Michigan. Born from a community vision to transform from a manufacturing-based economy to a tourism, arts and business destination, the mission of the non-profit Harbor Shores Resort is revitalization of the Benton Harbor region.

Revised: 01/16/2019 - Article Viewed 14,225 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.