What I Would Have Said in St. Andrews

On January 31, 1991 I was a vice president of the University of Cincinnati with a PA, two secretaries and dozens of staff dedicated to raising support for the institution. The next morning I was sitting at my kitchen table with nothing more than a fictitious partner, a cute free phone number (800 U TEE OFF), a tiny classified ad in the back of Golf Digest and an idea that there were golfers who in their international travels were as keen to receive guidance off the course (what I came to call “The Good Life”) as they were to have tee times and hotel reservations.

Now, over three decades later, I’m presented with this prestigious honor. Who knew?

What I do know is that most folks who are fortunate enough to be honored like this didn’t do it without loads of help from others. I am most certainly no exception.

First on my list is my wife. She encouraged me to take the leap and, as a successful academic and teacher, provided the income and benefits to support us while I tried to start a business from scratch. When sales my first year amounted to the princely sum of $42,000 she urged me to keep trying.

John Bitner of Grasshopper Golf Tours taught me the golf travel business. My interest came from how much I enjoyed organizing three golf trips to GB&I for some of the biggest boosters of UC. John made all the arrangements for those trips and traveled with the groups. He then did all the bookings for H&B for our first two years and introduced me to the key suppliers.

But what did I know about running a business? I had spent my entire professional career in academe. Some of the successful businessmen who traveled on those three UC trips stepped up with advice, counsel and support—none more so than Jeff Wyler. When my business plan revealed that I didn’t have enough cash on hand to make it all the way through the first two years, Jeff loaned me what was needed.

Then again, Jeff wasn’t the first investor in H&B. That would be my son, John. When he decided to attend West Point instead of an expensive place like MIT, he bought a share of the company with his college fund and the sale of his ancient Mazda 626. After his military service and a stint as an automotive engineer, John brought his education and Six Sigma black belt to the company. Beginning with the re-organization and creation of the systems which make us so efficient, he eventually rose to CEO of the company and, in the process, proved he’s a much better manager than I ever was. I doubt that H&B would have survived COVID without John at the helm.

Over the years we have been blessed with a superb team which we playfully call “The Major’s Minions”. From our most senior minion, Chris McConn, who has been with H&B almost as long as I have, to our newest team member, they share a passion for providing our travelers with the best possible golf travel experience. Without their passion and support, I wouldn’t be standing at this podium.

Finally, there is our incredible, unmatched collection of overseas partners, many of whom are in this room. While our team at H&B headquarters creates the plan, you are the ones who deliver on the promise time after time, year after year. All of us at H&B cannot thank you enough.

Thinking of my decision all those years ago to step off the ledge of academe, I am reminded of the last words of one of my favorite Robert Frost poems, The Road Not Taken:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.