Holiday Valley Announces New Head Golf Professional
January 24, 2022
Ellicottville, NY, January 24, 2022…Holiday Valley President and General Manager, Dennis Eshbaugh, announced today that Kyle Benish will become the Head Golf Professional of the Double Black Diamond Course at Holiday Valley starting April 1, 2022. Benish will take the place of Steven Carney, a PGA Master Golf Professional, who was Holiday Valley’s Director of Golf and Summer Operations for 17 years. Mr. Carney will become a PGA Ambassador for Holiday Valley.
Mr. Benish has worked at Holiday Valley for 17 years and during that time he continually improved his playing and teaching skills as he progressed through the PGA organization. Kyle started as Holiday Valley’s 1st Assistant Professional in 2004 and has been a PGA Class A Member since 2010, culminating in 2019 when he earned his designation as a PGA Certified Professional. Kyle is enrolled in the PGA Specialized Program working toward his Executive Management Certification. Benish has also served as the Assistant Golf Coach and Lead Instructor for the St. Bonaventure University golf team and as the 1st Assistant Golf Professional at Worthington Country Club in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Among his many affiliations and committees, Benish is a Certified PGA Coach/ADM Certified, a member of the Western New York PGA (WNYPGA) Board of Directors, Chairman of the Junior Golf / Growth of the Game Committee and a member of the Tournament and Hall of Fame/ Awards Committees. Benish has been recognized as Assistant Golf Professional of the Year a record three times by the WNYPGA and has been featured in the PGA Magazine twice.
During his tenure, Mr. Carney built a solid foundation for golf at Holiday Valley including overseeing a total renovation of the course in 2005-2008, encouraging youth and women golfers with special introductory clinics, hosting group outings and tournaments and making the course profitable. The Holiday Valley course serves a combination of resort guests, members and local golfers, and Carney created a culture to successfully navigate those challenges.
When expressing his enthusiasm for the game and Holiday Valley golf, Kyle said, “I look forward to the future here at Holiday Valley. I am excited to be a part of continuing to create a fun atmosphere for people to enjoy our wonderful golf course and build on the high level of service we have come to expect. I will continue to provide the newest styles of equipment and merchandise in the award-winning golf shop and stay on the cutting edge of technology in our industry.”