Key Club golf director starts out in full swing

Terry O’Hara was 4 years old when he played golf for the first time. Since then, golf has been a constant for him. He played throughout high school and college and has worked at golf clubs since 1989. He even met his wife, Lisa, during a golf lesson.

“I don’t know where I’d be without golf,” O’Hara says.

O’Hara, a Class A Professional Golfers Association of America professional, became director of golf at the Longboat Key Club and Resort Sept. 4. After 12 years at the same club, Cyprian Keyes Golf Club, in Boylston, Mass., the position is a new challenge for O’Hara.

“I get here at 7 (a.m.) and leave here at 6 (p.m.) and feel like I haven’t done enough,” he says.
In his first week on the job, O’Hara played golf with a total of eight members to not only get to know them, but also to get their opinions of the Key Club’s golf facilities. Since then, he has been working to bring a wider selection of merchandise to the Key Club’s pro shops. He has also been training his staff, which will have as many as 40 members during season, to focus on the small details.

“Whether it’s a cold towel on a hot day or a warm cup of coffee on a cold day, it’s the little things that make the difference,” he said.

O’Hara admits that leaving Cyprian Keyes Golf Club was tough. Before he left, more than 100 members threw him a farewell party. But he looks forward to his new role at the Key Club. On Oct. 1, the Key Club’s Harbourside Golf Course will reopen after being closed for renovations for the month of September. When members return, they will find an updated golf course with improvements to the green, new sand in each bunker and edged- and raked-out ponds.

“The members are going to be blown away by the details,” O’Hara said. “It feels like I was made for this place. I plan on being here for a long time.”