Born and raised in LaPorte, Indiana, my start in golf was quite modest. I began playing golf at the age of 11 on Beechwood Golf Course, a Bill Diddle design constructed as a WPA project in 1934. Bill Diddle was proficient in the Midwest, and served as a mentor for Pete Dye when he left the insurance business for golf design. The course was owned by the municipality but served as one of the top public access courses in the state. Living within walking distance of the property, I spent most of my formative golf years on Beechwood. At the age of 17 I began working on the maintenance crew of a small 9-hole golf course constructed in 1904. The course was in a fair state of disrepair and had been purchased by a friend's father and associates. That proved my first small opportunity in design, as they allowed me to rebuild bunkers, change mowing patterns, and improve the property within the range of our budget. Our small three-man crew worked very hard and made great strides over the four summers I worked on the project. The experience at Beacon Hill led me to Purdue University and the school of agronomy. I was very fortunate to begin my studies at the same time the university decided to build a new golf course to compliment their existing Bill Diddle design. They chose Pete Dye as the architect, and allowed the majority of the construction and grow-in crew to come from the school of agronomy. That chance timing was my springboard into an entirely new level of experience in design and construction. Pete, as with all of his projects, spent most of his time refining the design in the field. Quite literally napkin sketches and stick drawings in the soil were the guide for the design. The key for me was to see how he would keep adjusting the design based on how it progressed through construction. His desire to achieve his vision for each golf hole made a strong impression and fueled my interest in furthering my understanding of golf course architecture. Nearing graduation I sent resumes to ten architecture firms and was offered a position with Tom Fazio's office in Kansas City. Beginning at Ironhorse Golf Club in Whitefish, MT in September of 1999, through The Chileno Bay Club in Cabo San Lucas, MX in January of 2009, the past ten years with Fazio Design has provided a wealth of experience in golf course design, construction and project management. The projects I was responsible for ranged from $150,000 remodel work, to $35,000,000 new construction. Those projects, and the people involved with them, have helped to provide a framework moving forward that allows me to use the sum of my experiences with Fazio Design. In the fall of 1999 I could never have imagined or anticipated what the last ten years have brought. I am extremely excited and looking forward to continuing in the creative process that golf course architecture brings.

Trevor Tait is the Managing Partner of Tait & Associates, Inc. and Affiliated Companies. Tait is a family-owned business that has been Headquartered in Orange County for 58 years, and the core businesses center on real estate development and engineering, with offices throughout the Western United States. Trevor also co-founded the Tait Development Company which is currently developing multiple P3 Development projects including the 375-acre former Coyote Canyon Landfill in Newport Coast, CA, in Partnership with the County of Orange. Trevor is a member of the Board of Directors for Pretend City in Irvine, and a Board Member for the YPO Cal Coast Chapter in Orange County. In 2021 he was named one of the most influential people in Orange County by the OC Business Journal. He received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt University and lives in Dana Point with his wife and two children.

Kory is a partner with Eagle Four Partners and serves as its investment officer focusing on acquisitions and dispositions, development and construction, financing, asset management, strategy and investor relations. Kory has led over $3 billion of transactions and financings including the purchase of the Fashion Island Hotel which was transformed into the Pendry Newport Beach managed by Montage International, Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa which after a major repositioning is now known as VEA Newport Beach while simultaneosuly obtained entitlements for the new The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Newport Beach, and the purchase and repositioning of the Denver Sheraton Downtown. Prior to Eagle Four, Kory was Chief Investment Officer at Irvine-based Pacific Hospitality Group where he led the purchase and sale of Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, the development of Paséa Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach and the new clubhouse at Newport Beach Country Club, expansions of The Meritage Resort and Vista Collina in Napa, as well as the acquisition of the AC/Residence Inn in Dallas Galleria, AC Hotel Phoenix Tempe/Downtown and AC Hotel Irvine, Ko’a Kea Hotel & Resort on Poipu Beach in Kauai, AC Hotel New Orleans, Balboa Bay Resort and Estancia La Jolla. Kory is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and received both his BA and MA degrees from Boston College. Kory also serves as CEO of Pretorium, Inc., a private real estate investment and consulting company. Kory served as a former Planning Commissioner for the City of Newport Beach and enjoys his family, the beach and boating, politics, AFC Bournemouth soccer, charities and traveling.