PGA Pro and former NFL player takes leadership role at Naples golf club

Mike Scully, a PGA member since 1999 who has worked in leadership roles at golf clubs nationwide, has been named general manager/director of golf at Kinsale Golf Club in north Naples.

Kinsale is under development and expected to open in fall 2024, according to a statement. It’s being built on land owned by Southwest Florida and Michigan businessman Anthony Soave. Golf course architects Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, employing C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor design elements, are putting the course together. The course, which will operate with a membership of 250 from October through May of each year. “is intended to have the look and feel of a links course with an almost limitless variety of challenges for golfers of all skill levels,” the release states. 

Scully, meanwhile, joins Kinsale from Streamsong Resort in Lakeland. Other career stops include Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia; Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona; and Medinah Country Club near Chicago. During his time at Desert Mountain, Scully served key roles as the club hosted the Charles Schwab Championship on the PGA Tour Champions from 2014-2016. During his time at Medinah, Scully, the release states, was instrumental in the club’s hosting the 2006 PGA Championship and the 2012 Ryder Cup.

“The opportunity to get back to Southwest Florida, where my career started, was one I couldn’t pass up,” says Scully in the statement. “My time at Kemper and Streamsong was outstanding but the chance to create the culture and traditions from Day 1 is something I haven’t experienced in my career, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Scully attended the University of Illinois, where he played on the 1984 Rose Bowl team. He later earned a degree in hospitality management from Roosevelt University in Chicago and played briefly in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs. He switched to golf and was named Illinois PGA Professional of the Year in 2008. “Kinsale Golf Club will focus on having the finest services for its members and guests,” Soave said. “Mike’s unparalleled career of commitment and success as a golf professional and club manager is a perfect fit for us.”

Anthony Soave established Soave Enterprises in 1961. The company has owned, operated and invested in ventures such as Chicago-area beer distributorships, Midwestern metals recycling operations, Kansas City-based automobile retailers; and residential communities near Washington, D.C. Soave has lived in Southwest Florida for 25 years, where he specializes in real estate development.