People
Joseph Milton Abell
Mr. Abell, the founder of Classic Golf Management, is a University of Georgia graduate. His Turf Management degree and over forty years of experience in other areas of the golf industry have prepared Mr. Abell to lead our company. He understands the business of golf. He has hands-on experience as a General Manager, Golf Professional, Golf Course Superintendent, Project Manager, and Marketing Director. As President & CEO of Classic Golf Management, he has specialized in meeting the requirements of owners using a proven methodology that maximizes income and profitability. Mr. Abell believes the customer is the key. With the exceptional level of customer service we provide; both the client and the facility benefit.
Ken Dixon
Mr. Dixon is a graduate of Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sports Studies with a concentration in Sports Administration. Mr. Dixon has over twenty-five years of experience with golf courses in many facets of the business. Mr. Dixon is the executive that supports each of Classic Golf Management’s General Managers at its managed facilities. For the last nineteen years with Classic Golf Management, he has held several management roles including the positions of General Manager, Clubhouse Manager/Food & Beverage Manager, Head Golf Professional, and Assistant Golf Professional. Along with those positions, Mr. Dixon has also held three other roles in collegiate golf, serving as Director of Golf Operations, Head Men’s Golf Coach, and Head Women’s Golf Coach over an eighteen-year period. Mr. Dixon has a passion for the golf business and provides exceptional leadership to the team at Classic Golf Management.
Bradley Dunckel
Mr. Dunckel is a graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia with a degree in Civil Engineering Technology and has over forty years of experience with high-end golf clubs and golf communities. Mr. Dunckel was trained as a civil engineer and holds professional registration in Georgia. In addition to his engineering and construction experience with large, master-planned communities he has served as general manager and COO of several high-end golf facilities. In the area of golf community operations, he has managed golf course construction, infrastructure development, builder programs, sales and marketing programs, and community associations. He is also a licensed real estate salesperson and has served as a green committee member of a public golf facility and as President and board member of a private member-owned club. Mr. Dunckel believes that sound fiscal management is the cornerstone of any successful business and is heavily involved in budgeting and controlling operating expenses.
Randy Nichols
Mr. Nichols is a graduate of Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agronomy (Turf Management). He has spent most of his career as the Director of Golf Course Operation at Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also the construction superintendent at the Brookfield Country Club in Roswell, Georgia. Mr. Nichols is the past President of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association. He has also served on the Green Section Committee and the Environmental Research Committee for the United States Golf Association. In 2011 Mr. Nichols was inducted into the Inaugural Class of the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was awarded the Georgia GCSA Distinguished Service award. In 2019 he was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
Spring Riley
Ms. Riley is a graduate of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. Spring also earned her CPA certificate in the State of Kentucky. She has spent twelve years in public accounting and sixteen years with private firms, the last twelve in the golf industry.