Mapleton Golf Club in Sioux Falls, S.D., the new private, golf-only property scheduled to open in Summer 2025, named Zac Gavlak as General Manager and Michael Nelson as Golf Course Superintendent. “From the moment I first saw the golf course routing, clubhouse drawings and entire property, I immediately thought Mapleton will win ‘best new club’ awards,” Gavlak says.
Zac Gavlak and Michael Nelson have been named General Manager and Golf Course Superintendent, respectively, of Mapleton Golf Club in Sioux Falls, S.D., the new private, golf-only escape scheduled to open in Summer 2025.
Club + Resort Business first reported on the private club being planned in April 2023 and then again in November 2023 when crews broke ground.
Gavlak joins Mapleton following stints at Yellowstone Club (Big Sky, Mont.) and Milburn Country Club (Overland Park, Kan.). A servant leadership style earned him PGA sections’ Private Facility Promoter of the Year and PGA Golf Professional of the Year honors. Gavlak honed his skills at famous golf clubs in the Rocky Mountains region and Midwest.
Nelson previously oversaw turf and property management at Blue Top Ridge Golf Club at Riverside (Iowa) Casino and Resort. There he worked with golf course architect Rees Jones from the earliest stages of construction to an on-time, on-budget opening. He also consulted with Jones on the design and grow-in of Dacotah Ride Golf Club in Morton, Minn., and prepped courses for PGA Tour and U.S. Open competitions.
“Members will love that no two holes will be remotely the same, and a hole you play on Tuesday will present different shot values on Saturday,” says Gavlak. “From the moment I first saw the golf course routing, clubhouse drawings and entire property, I immediately thought Mapleton will win ‘best new club’ awards.”
Nelson is smitten by the topography’s diversity: “There are high ridges, low meadows, mature trees, natural streams and long-range rural views, and golfers never feel bored come their thousandth round.”
