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 "I've done it all as far as being a board member, a tournament chairman and a fund-raiser," he said in accepting the 2004 Dig Smith Award. "Now I'm interested in continuing to provide quality golf facilities to host AJGA tournaments, especially in states that may have never hosted events." In his 40-year career, Vincent, a longtime Southland resident who currently lives in the Coachella Valley, indeed seems to have done most of it - if not entirely all of it - in golf. Near the top of the list is shepherding the evolution of OB Sports, the company he co-founded in 1972 soon after becoming director of golf at the then-new Edgewood Tahoe Golf Club near Lake Tahoe, Nev. Fielding a team of experts in all aspects of the golf business, Vincent positioned OB Sports as a course developer, designer and manager for the western United States. At one time, the company owned courses as well, but those holdings were sold several years ago in a move that led to expansion as a national company. Today, OB Sports manages 26 courses in 15 states, plus a course in the Mexican state of Sonora. The reputation of OB-managed courses are like those of a winning stable of racehorses, given properties such as Indian Wells Golf Resort and Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Southern California, Aliante Golf Club and Angel Park in Nevada, and Longbow Golf Club and We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Arizona. Under Vincent's stewardship, the company grew a reputation as a builder of well-designed courses that challenge players and hold their interest. OB Sports is known for bringing a country club ambiance to public courses and raising the bar in design and marketing by building themed courses that give players an instant sense of place and time. "He totally understands golf course design, maintenance, marketing, merchandising and the people side of the business," said C.A. Roberts III, senior vice president of business development for OB Sports. Vincent's industry peers have taken notice over the years. He has been recognized more than once as the PGA Professional of the Year and the PGA Merchandiser of the Year. He was honored as an instructor with the PGA President's Plaque for his achievements in player development. He also was presented with the Bill Strausbaugh Award for dramatically improving club employee conditions. As a professional golfer, Vincent was named as the Southern Nevada PGA Player of the Year seven times. He was a student athlete at Seattle University, where he was inducted into its Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Barbara, raised a family of instructors. Their two daughters are schoolteachers and son, Orrin Daniel (better known as "O.D."), enjoyed a successful run as head men's golf coach at UCLA and now has the same post at Duke University. The common thread in Vincent's wide fabric of industry achievements and business success is the junior golfer. In many ways, he still sees the game and business of golf through the eyes of the youngster who played the then-9-hole Lake Wilderness Golf Course outside of Seattle. "My interest in golf was piqued at a very young age," Vincent said. "Not a lot of people who were my age played the course, so I was making a lot of older friends, but still I played a lot." It could be argued that those halcyon days playing Lake Wilderness forged Vincent's outlook in all areas of golf, from supporting junior golf to course design and staff development. Certainly, memories of his days playing youth sports and improving his golf skills spurred his participation in and continued commitment to the AJGA. Vincent brought the AJGA to Edgewood Tahoe in 1980 for one of the group's first tournaments. He played a key role in establishing a West Coast presence for the group. "The AJGA brings opportunities for high-end tournament play to junior golfers so that they can experience the development levels it takes to go all the way to the professional tours," Vincent said. "When you start playing golf at a young age, you have a tremendous advantage over someone who took up the game later in life," he added. "You'll be a better golfer than someone who started as young as 20." What started as a handful of local tournaments supporting AJGA players in the early 1980s grew into several national events. Many are held at OB Sports-managed courses. The ReBath Heather Farr Classic, for instance, was staged last April at Longbow Golf Club for the ninth consecutive year. OB Sports-managed courses often look for ways to bring out families. Tijeras Creek, where OB Sports took over management in 2004, held a family-oriented "Family Fest" last April. Roberts was helping to organize AJGA events in the early 1990s when he met Vincent. "What is so fascinating about Orrin is his ability to relate to other people," Roberts said. "We'll be in Casper, Wyo., or Atlanta or Missoula meeting with people and he'll know about their culture, the sport teams they root for, even the local weather. "And he's never afraid to ask questions," Roberts added. "He wants to know what makes people want to live in that part of the country." The interest in local culture and values plays out in following a theme or brand at certain courses. Vincent picked up on the idea of themes while working in the Las Vegas market where casino-resorts are distinguished by themes. "You create an identity and carry it through, from the architecture of the buildings to the look of the menus and the food that is served in the dining room," Vincent explained. In setting OB Sports apart from its competition, Vincent employed a strategy of being the best rather than merely the biggest. "A lot of companies are driven by high numbers and generating as many new golf course opportunities as they can," Vincent noted. "What we try to do is select those opportunities we truly want." One of those standout opportunities is the OB Sports-managed Indian Wells, which played host to the LG Skins Game last month. The tournament coincided with the opening of the critically acclaimed John Fought-designed Players Course. OB Sports oversaw both of the renovations that represent a $55 million investment by the city of Indian Wells. SG |
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