October 9, 2025
Where To Eat and Drink at Garland
It’s a perpetual dilemma: Play golf or catch the game. Garland Lodge & Golf Resort has you covered either way! In addition to four unique 18-hole golf courses plus a 10-hole […]
While people have been playing golf at Garland since the 1950s, the present collection of championship golf courses began to take shape about four decades ago. That’s when Swampfire was built by the resort’s original ownership, which had ties to the Detroit-area Garland Manufacturing Co.
Just a few years later, by the mid-1990s, there were four 18-hole golf courses at Garland. And Mick Zajas was involved in maintaining all of them.
Fast forward to the mid-2020s and Mick, now the superintendent, still oversees each of Garland’s now five golf courses. For a generation, Mick has been the man to thank for Garland’s immaculate conditioning – and the guy to blame when making excuses for your three-putts.
Yet, while Mick has been around Garland for decades, other people in leadership are relatively new to the resort. Here’s a look at some of the newer members of Garland’s leadership team:
Shane Riley came on board in 2025 as Director of Golf at Garland. The son of a PGA professional, Riley remembers caddying for his dad in the Michigan Section PGA Championship held at Garland. Then, he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a golf pro himself.
After working for several years at Scott Lake Country Club north of Grand Rapids, Riley is thrilled to be leading golf operations back at the same resort where he recalls having so much fun as a kid when his family joined dad at the annual club pro tournaments.
Now in his 40s, Riley still plays some great golf. Keep an eye out for his Tee Shot Tuesday segments on Garland’s social media channels.
Take Lessons With A Pro At Garland
A Lewiston native, Andrew Hart has been around Garland since he started working in the golf bag drop area at age 16. Two decades later – after stints in the pro shop, merchandising and managing both member outings and group sales – Hart was promoted to Director of Sales at Garland in 2025.
Hart calls Garland “the perfect combination of ‘Up North’ outdoors and golf.” Where else can you find world-class golf courses in such serene natural surroundings as the forests of Lewiston? There’s not even a traffic light anywhere in the county!
In past years, Hart spent winters snowboarding in Utah. Now, as director of sales, he’ll be around Garland all year round.
Explore Golf Outings And Corporate Groups At Garland
Crystal Martin began her tenure at Garland in 2010, starting with a position on the beverage cart, server, and now director of food and beverage – a promotion she landed in 2023. She now oversees all the dining venues at Garland, guiding the resort’s ever-changing seasonal menu and managing the culinary pros who bring it to life including veteran Executive Chef Kirk Bennett and the rest of the team.
Crystal’s not a golfer: “I’ve been golfing one time,” she says. But she loves the changing seasons at Garland and the people she meets, both members of the club and golf groups that return year after year.
“Every year you see the same faces and you build a relationship with them,” she said.
Discover Garland’s Unique Dining Venues
Even as ownership of Garland changed hands in 2009, some of the resort’s faces and places have stayed the same. For example, the Main Lodge dates to 1987 and still sports fascinating architecture highlighted by Engelmann Spruce logs from British Columbia, stained glass from Florida and fireplaces made from 250 tons of fieldstone. Alongside Swampfire, Garland’s other 18-hole courses – Fountains, Monarch and Reflections – remain the resort’s pride and joy.
Among personnel, Larry Kinney has been handling golf cart maintenance at Garland for much of the past few decades, while Bill Wilson has been in shipping and receiving just as long. A handful of people on the grounds crew have been teaming with Mick Zajas in taking care of Garland’s golf courses for more than 20 years.
At the same time, new names have taken up the Garland tradition of providing championship golf in a remarkable natural setting. And, with the help of some 400 employees in the peak of each golf season, those leaders have maintained and improved upon Garland’s distinguished history.
David Sanderson, for example, has added an entire golf course to the resort since taking over as Garland’s general manager following a stint as the director of golf. In fact, The Sawyer, which opened in 2025, is actually two new golf courses: The reversible-loop short course plays in one direction one day (White Loop) and in the opposite direction the next day (Green Loop). It’s a wonderful addition to Garland that blends seamlessly into the historical character of the property.
As we embrace Garland’s newest leaders, we look forward to them stewarding the resort’s legacy while also pioneering its future!
It’s a perpetual dilemma: Play golf or catch the game. Garland Lodge & Golf Resort has you covered either way! In addition to four unique 18-hole golf courses plus a 10-hole […]
For half the year, Garland is known for its wealth of beautifully scenic golf courses. Then, for two months, when snow covers the ground, the resort becomes a winter wonderland. […]
