Industry news
VALE: BILL YATES –
“THE GURU OF PACE OF PLAY”
I
nternational slow play expert and Founder
of the transformational Pace Manager
Systems®, William Morrison Yates, Jr. (Bill),
sadly passed away at his home on 4 June after
a short time battling pancreatic cancer.
Bill dedicated decades to the analysis of how
managers of golf courses and clubs can speed
up play to improve the golf experience.
He has helped hundreds of public, private,
municipal and resort courses around the
world, including the courses at St Andrews in
Scotland, the cradle of golf and the Royal &
Ancient Golf Club, lower their round times and
improve customer value and revenue. Bill also
worked with golf course architects and others
who are designing, redesigning or renovating
golf courses.
In 2016 Bill made the trip over to Australia
in collaboration with Golf Industry Central
to speak at the Golf Business Forum in
Melbourne, and to bring his world-renowned
Pace Manager Systems® to golf courses and
clubs in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
Golf Industry Central assisted Bill as he toured
around the country working with clubs on
some new training programs, improving the
experience for members as well as guests.
Bill was also working closely with GIC more
recently, offering a variety of ‘on-line’ as well as
‘on-site’ consulting and improvement training
services to courses in the area.
“I met Bill in early 2015 when I came across an
article he wrote about Pace of Play which had
similar information as to an article I wrote a few
years before – an instant connection for me! We
then started communicating and a few phone
calls later we became business partners,” said
GIC Managing Director Mike Orloff.
“He started as a
client but over
the past couple of
years he became
more of a mentor
and friend,”
“I was surprised
to hear he had
become very ill
as we had been
working on a
follow-up tour
for later this year
only a month or
so ago,”
“Thank you Bill, it was a pleasure to spend time
with you – RIP.”
MEMORIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
AND INVITATION
A memorial celebration was held on
Wednesday, June 27 at Carmel Presbyterian
Church, on the corner of Ocean and Junipero,
Carmel, CA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations were
received by Yellow Brick Road where Bill
served as a member of the Board of Directors
and which supports nonprofits throughout
Monterey County through grants totalling more
than $300K each year.
Bill is survived by his wife Olivia Brinckloe
Yates, children William M. Yates, III, Eileen Yates
Von Herbulis, Robert O’Brien Yates, Caroline
Yates Morell, and grandchildren Brinley,
Mikayla, Mackenzie, Barrett and Journey.
Bill was laid to rest in the CA Central Coast
Veteran’s Cemetery in Seaside.
Golf Industry Central I Winter 2018
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