Meet The River Course Staff
John Norton
Head PGA Professional/General Manager
John assumed the duties of Head PGA Professional/General Manager at Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech on December 1, 2004. He was Director of Golf at Grand Palms resort and Spa in Pembroke Pines, Florida from 2003-2004. Prior to that he was head PGA Professional at the Country Club of Miami from 1994-2003 where he had served as Director of Instruction for the PGA Tour from 1990-1994
John is a 1982 graduate of Marshall University and a former W. Virginia Junior and Intercollegiate Champion. Professionally, he participated in PGA Tour Qualifying 3 times and was the 1986 Nebraska PGA Section Champion. He was a highly respected golf professional in the Southern Chapter of the South Florida Section of the PGA of America for many years and served as President from 2001-2003. He also served the SFPGA Section Executive Committee as Awards Chairman from 2001-2004. Among his many honors are:
- 2003 - Bill Strausbaugh Award
- 2000 and 2002 - Merchandiser of the Year Award
- 2002 - Player of the Year
- 2000 - Golf Professional of the Year
John and his wife Bianca have three children.
Ann Martin
Business Manager
Ann Martin joined the staff of the River Course, LLC as Business Manager in February 2008. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Business Administration and a major in Finance. For 17 years prior to her affiliation with The River Course she was the financial administrator for a local real estate company and has been a licensed real estate agent in the New River Valley for over 30 years.
Ann is married to David Martin and they have two grown children. They reside in Radford and their home overlooks the Pete Dye River Course. Ann is a recreational golfer and serving as business manager at "The River" allows her to combine her experience in financial administration with her favorite past-time.
Mark Cote
Golf Course Superintendent
Mark assumed the duties of Head Golf Course Superintendent at Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech on March 1st, 2006. He was Superintendent at The Homesteads Old Course for eight years prior to coming to "The River". Prior to that he spent time at The Greenbriar and Farmington Country Club. Mark is a 1984 Graduate of Colby College and received his Associates Degree in Turf Management from Virginia Tech.
Mark and his wife Tina have been married for 6 years and they have a 4-year old daughter Eliza.
Jay Hardwick
Director of Golf Operations/Virginia Tech Head Golf Coach
A 1971 graduate of Virginia Tech, Jay returned to his alma mater in 1983 and assumed the dual role of Director of Golf for the Virginia Tech Golf Course and Head Golf Coach for the Hokies. He was promoted to the position of Director of Golf Operations/Head Golf Coach in 2003. In addition to his coaching duties, he is responsible for the staffs and overall operation of both the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Tech Golf Course.
Over the past 25 years Jay Hardwick has built the Hokies into an elite collegiate golf program. Just like the Hokie Stone that dominates the Virginia Tech campus, the program that Hardwick has established at his alma mater is rock solid. With his attention to detail and the support of an outstanding group of boosters, he has brought Hokie golf into national prominence. In January of 2008, Hardwick was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America's Hall of Fame. The honor is a further testament to the mark Hardwick has left on collegiate golf and the golf world as a whole. He received the award at the association's annual banquet in Orlando and, sharing the dais with Hardwick and the two other inductees was golf legend Arnold Palmer, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the GCAA.
He was named the 2005 recipient of the Bill Strausbaugh Award presented by the Middle Atlantic PGA. This award bestows special recognition on a PGA member who has made significant contributions through mentoring of PGA Professionals and through involvement in community and charitable activities. Hardwick also received the inaugural Labron Harris Sr. Award, given by E-Z-GO Textron, in association with the PGA of America. The award is presented to the college or high school coach and PGA Professional whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of the game and represent the finest qualities the game has to offer.
A head golf professional for 35 years, Jay is a Class "A" Member, Quarter Century Club Member, and Life Member of the PGA of America. In 1994, he was inducted into the Virginia PGA Hall of Fame, making him the youngest member of this prestigious group. Jay and his wife Celia have a son Cris, daughter-in-law Melissa and grandsons Jacob Dylan and Aiden Thomas, who reside in Fredericksburg.
For a complete biography, view www.hokiesports.com/staff/hardwick.html
