Kiawah Island Club announces new Head Golf Pros for Cassique and The River Course

• Dylan Thew to become new head pro of Cassique,
•  Lee Stroever to become new head pro of The River Course

KIAWAH ISLAND, SC – The Kiawah Island Club, a member-only Club for Kiawah Island property owners, announced that it has selected new head golf professionals for its two private golf courses. Beginning January 15, 2016, Dylan Thew will become the new head pro of Cassique and Lee Stroever will become the new head pro of The River Course. The two were chosen after an intensive five-month search and interview process.

Dylan Thew, Lee Stroever

“Dylan and Lee will bring their passion and experience to the Kiawah Island Club,” said Chris Randolph, partner with Kiawah Partners. “They are committed to the long-term success of our Club’s golf program as well as building personal relationships with Members and enhancing our overall golf experience. Both professionals are a welcome addition to our team and in conjunction with our talented existing golf staff, will provide the highest-level of personalized instruction and golf services.”

A New Zealand native, Thew moved to England at age 10 where he developed his love of golf. He received degrees studying golf and sports management in England from Cannington College and Buckinghamshire Chilterns University, where he played collegiate golf. During his college golf career, he was named Sportsman of the Year at Cannington and Player of the Year at Buckinghamshire.

For the past six years, Thew has held the title of Senior Assistant Golf Professional at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, New York, where he was the assistant to PGA Professional legend Darrell Kestner, one of Golf Digest’s “Top 50 Instructors”, and to Jeff Gschwind, one of Golf Digest’s “Top 20 Teachers Under 40”. In the winter months, he has served as the Director of Instruction at Birdie International Golf Academy in Guangzhou, China, and as a Teaching Assistant at Jim McLean Golf School in La Quinta, California. Thew’s golf career began at Frenchman’s Creek Beach and Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he was an Assistant Professional for six years.

Stroever comes to Kiawah Island from Jupiter, Florida. A native of the Sunshine State, Stroever attended Rollins College in Winter Park, where he was a Member of its Division II National Championship golf team and was named a three-time Division II All-American. He spent the last year as an Assistant Golf Professional at McArthur Golf Club in Hobe Sound, FL working under the tutelage of General Manager Kevin Murphey. While there, Stroever was awarded the South Florida Section PGA Assistant Professional of the Year award.  Prior to McArthur, he worked for five years at the North Palm Beach Country Club, holding numerous titles including Director of Golf and Head Golf Professional. Stroever won the South Florida PGA Southeast Chapter Junior Golf Leader in 2013.

He spent seven years playing golf professionally, qualifying for the 2012 PGA Professional National Championship and 2010 PGA National Assistants Championship, and becoming a five-time tournament winner while playing on the Golden Bear, Gateway and Tarheel Tours.

The Tom Watson designed Cassique is a 7,050-yard links-style course, which runs beside marshes and maritime forests where the Kiawah River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Tom Fazio’s par-72 The River Course provides views of picturesque marsh savannas, ponds, and vaulting maritime forests.

For more information on the Kiawah Island Club, visit kiawahislandclub.com.

About The Kiawah Island Club

The Kiawah Island Club is an exclusive private membership club available only to Kiawah property owners. The club includes two acclaimed golf courses, Cassique and River Course. For more information, visit kiawahislandclub.com.

About Cassique

Named for the Kiawah Indian chief who once hunted the Lowcountry, Cassique’s 7,050-yard test ranges through maritime forests and along marshes where the Kiawah River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Since its opening in 2000, the Tom Watson-designed course has garnered numerous accolades and showcases the dramatic flare that has punctuated Watson’s playing career.Watson’s first solo design in North America, Cassique benefits from lessons learned en route to five British Open Championships. With its walkable layout, the par-72 links-style course is reminiscent of tracts found in Scotland and Ireland. Like those classic seaside settings, Cassique offers little protection from ocean winds, so Watson fashioned holes that could be played in numerous ways depending upon the conditions and the creativity of the golfer.

About The River Course

Designed by Tom Fazio, the River Course opened in 1995 as The Kiawah Island Club’s first golf course. For golfers, The River Course provides a challenging and aesthetically pleasing 7,019-yard test. It boasts six holes that play along the river’s edge, with the other fairways and greens playing along picturesque marsh savannas, ponds, and the Island’s incomparable maritime forests.