Kim’s life and career were shaped and driven by his love of golf – a passion that led to a successful 45 year career in the industry. Kim’s initiation into the world of golf began as a young teenager when, in an effort to stay out of trouble, he worked before and after school at the local Crestview Golf Course in Muncie, IN. After attending Ball State University Kim turned professional, having earned his status as a Class-A PGA Professional. Kim transformed his talent as a player into developing and managing some of the most prestigious golf properties in the U.S., with expertise in multiple course operations and new course construction. In 2008, Kim was voted one of the World’s 20 Most Admired Operators by Golf Inc. Magazine; and in 2021, Kim’s lifetime passion for golf was brought full-circle when he was inducted into his hometown Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame.
Though a novice in his mid-twenties, Kim was hired by the Jack Nicklaus organization and began a decade-long run that included the construction and management of flagship properties, including Frenchman’s Creek (FL), Valhalla (KY), and Kauai Lagoons (HI). As Kim’s professional career advanced, he served as VP and Director of Golf Operations for Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and the Director of Golf Operations and Construction Management at The Woodlands Resort and Country Club (TX).
In 2002, Kim co-founded Pinnacle Golf Properties, a management company that specializes in managing and developing golf courses throughout the Southeast, including Bryan Park, Birkdale, Waterford, and Skybrook golf clubs, among dozens of others. Kim was most proud of the company’s reputation for its devotion to the preservation of quality and integrity in all of their business dealings and relationships.
As a mentor, role model, and friend to so many, Kim will be remembered as hard-working, bright, honest, humble, and kind, with a quick and clever sense of humor, and as a man who was deeply respected and loved by business associates and friends alike.
While managing golf operations on Kauai, Kim met his future wife. He and Sue devoted themselves to each other and to their family, spending endless hours on baseball fields, golf courses, and beaches with their sons.
Kim is survived by his wife of 31 years, Sue; his three sons: Alden (Johnna), Reid (Alex), and Kyle (Nathalie); granddaughters, Emma and Kinsley; and his two brothers, Kip (Yuvonne) Worrel and Lennie (Judy) Worrel.
A memorial service is scheduled for 12:00 pm on Friday, September 30th at Temple Beth El, Charlotte. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations to the PGA Medical & Disaster Relief Fund or Temple Beth El Charlotte.
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