Grey Bruce Golf News

New role for Cobble Beach director

Mike Doyle becomes 'Ambassador at Large'

In 2005, Mike Doyle postponed his retirement to take on the challenge of creating a world-class golf destination. Now, with the award-winning Cobble Beach Golf Links resort community up and running, he's decided to step away from his day-to-day duties at the course. The Owen Sound area club announced earlier this year that Doyle was stepping down as Director of Operations to spend more time with his family. "Mike Doyle has been a significant driving force behind making Cobble Beach what it is today! He has worked tirelessly for four years to help turn the McLeese vision into a world class reality," Cobble Beach president Rob McLeese said in a statement. Although he will no longer have operational responsibilities at Cobble Beach, Doyle has agreed to be the club's "Ambassador at Large" and his work will also include strategic planning, marketing and public relations. Before his Cobble Beach days, Doyle was president for specialty metals company Avesta-Sheffield in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The 68-year-old Woodstock native worked for 30 years in the specialty metals business and ventured into the golf business with the purchase of Dundee Golf & Country Club in Kitchener in 1983. He sold the club 20 years later and was doing consulting for the specialty metals industry when he was approached by Willis and Rob McLeese about the Cobble project. The original plan was to have him work a few days a week on a strategic plan, but it soon became a much bigger job. "It started as a hobby and turned into more than a full-time job," Doyle said. "Once I got into it I really started to enjoy it and I just made a commitment to go year to year." While the six-days-a-week schedule and two-hour daily commutes from his home north of Lion's Head to Cobble Beach were challenging, he has no regrets. "I loved it. To be involved in the launch of a world-class golf destination was one of the most gratifying things in my business career," he said. And now he gets exactly what he wants - time to spend with his family and work on his golf game while continuing to work in the golf business without the demands of running the day-to-day operation.