Troon International has announced the appointment of Clinton Southorn as the organisation’s new Director of Construction & Agronomy, effective from the beginning of October when he will take over from industry and 20-year Troon veteran Robin Evans.
Mark Chapleski, Executive Vice President, Troon International’s commented “While we are extremely sad to see Robin leave the office, we are delighted for him and his retirement which will see him return to Australia with wife Jan. Clinton has been a rockstar for us in the field for many years and we look forward to him transitioning into the corporate office and supporting our talented agronomists and ownerships across our regions.”
Southorn has over 20 years’ worth of experience in the golf and turf industry, 18 of which have been with Troon; from Brookwater Golf & Country Club in his native Australia, moving to Fiji and the Azores, to growing in Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Agalarov Golf Estates, The Els Club Dubai, and lastly being the Cluster Director of Agronomy across Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi.
Looking ahead to his new role within Troon International, Southorn said: “I am very proud and excited to start the new role of Director of Construction & Agronomy, Troon International. We are extremely fortunate to have some exceptionally talented team members working within the Agronomy portfolio. The importance and focus will be to continue working closely with the associates to support them at their respective facilities and help them grow, along with the reputations of the Troon International Facility portfolio. Showcasing the importance of working with our owners, partners, and team members, makes for a privileged position and one I’m truly excited about starting”.
Southorn started his new role this month, with Evans on hand to impart his own invaluable expertise of 40-plus years within the industry. Evans held superintendent positions at the Whistler Golf Club, Canada, Sanctuary Cove Resort, Australia and Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, where he oversaw the construction through to operations.
Evans’s first role with Troon was to supervise the construction of the Greg Norman designed Brookwater Golf & Country Club, before relocating to Dubai in 2001 to take on the superintendent role prior to the opening of the Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai. Since moving into the corporate office, he has been involved in the development, construction, and agronomy services to over 30 projects across more than 10 countries including the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and India, where his experience has been instrumental in creating world class resorts.
Speaking about the influence Evans has had on the wider Troon International agronomy team, Chapleski commented: “Over the past 20 years, Robin has built up a strong, highly respected professional reputation in the region and has been successful in increasing the Troon portfolio of world class facilities through the Troon International division. Having the support of Robin and a close working relationship over the past 16 years, we say goodbye to a great friend and a true Troon rockstar.”