Inductees

He still remembers the early days of Highland Springs Country Club just before and right after it opened in 1989 in Springfield. The clubhouse wasn’t finished, and so employees officed out of the real estate office at the entrance.

In the thick of it was Mark Stahlman, hired as the Assistant General Manager after working as the GM of John Q’s Fining Dine at University Plaza Hotel.

“In the very beginning, while we were unpacking supplies and trying to get organized before the clubhouse was even finished, a small, hand-held recorder showed up in one of the boxes,” Stahlman said. “It used the old mini-cassette tapes. At the time, it seemed like just another piece of equipment, but it quickly became one of my most useful tools.”

Call it the secret to his success, as Stahlman spent 36 of the next 37 years working at Highland Springs – the past 31 as General Manager. And his work there, especially with the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Hiland Dairy, is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly honored Stahlman with the Ace Award.

The award is bestowed on those who support a Missouri-based sports charity, and Stahlman has played a key role in the success of the PCCC, which has gifted north of $22 million to Ozarks children’s charities since 1990. The club hosted the four-day tournament, a PGA Korn Ferry Tour stop, every summer from 1990 to 2025.

“When we hosted the Price Cutter tournament, preparation would begin for the next year right after the past year was completed,” Stahlman said. “I always kept running lists of items that need addressed and completed – and remember that recorder I mentioned?”

Yes, a voice recorder has kept Stahlman and his team on task – a major endeavor for a club founded by John Q. Hammons and now counts 700 members and 175 in-season employees.

“I would walk through the unfinished building with that recorder in hand, speaking notes as I went,” Stahlman said, recording tasks to do, orders that needed made, questions and ideas. “With construction ongoing and deliveries arriving daily, there were details everywhere. That little recorder helped me capture everything, so nothing slipped through the cracks.”

Stahlman graduated from Kickapoo High School in 1982 and, while attending Missouri State University, began working at University Plaza Hotel. The hotel’s GM, who also oversaw Hammons’ Tower Club, was in charge of putting Highland Springs’ opening team together.

He did all the initial hiring, except the roles of Director of Golf and Course Superintendent. For the next six years, Stahlman served as Assistant GM, left for 11 months and then returned as GM.

Throughout his tenure, Stahlman has overseen every aspect of club operations, including the clubhouse, dining, golf course, pool, and tennis facilities, as well as the hiring and leadership of all executive positions. His responsibilities have also included management oversight of the Highland Springs Community Association.

For the Price Cutter – an event long managed by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame staff – Stahlman planned months in advance.

That’s the Cliff’s Notes version. The reality covered every aspect: the security director aware of all arrivals; the course superintendent readying the tees, fairways and greens; the director of golf & staff maintaining the fleet of golf carts; and clubhouse staff beefed up to handle hundreds of guests daily.

Put it this way, the tournament was just one aspect of the PCCC, which also included roughly six other major events at Highland Springs: a kids’ fun day & golf clinic; a women’s clinic & fashion show; sponsor’s reception; and pro-ams on Monday and Tuesday of tournament week.

Within the four-day event, the clubhouse itself required sections for the professional golfers, PGA staff, club members, elite dining for the tournament’s Ultimate ticket holders, tournament scorers, media and more.

“The completion and execution of the event is something we take pride in,” Stahlman said. “I believe if you take care of your team, they will take care of the members. Our staff are the ones creating the daily experience. When they are well-informed and supported, they can perform to the club members’ expectations.”

Internally, the club hosted its most coveted tournaments, the Highlander and the Tartan Classic, the women’s invitational.

“There have certainly been challenges. Staffing, maintaining consistency, meeting high expectations are constant responsibilities,” Stahlman said. “But seeing the team rise to the occasion, hosting major tournaments and large-scale member events successfully, and knowing we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves has made it worthwhile.”