Justin Gravatt, PGA General Manager of The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., has been named the 2020 Golf Professional of the Year by the Western Washington Chapter of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA at their annual awards ceremony.
In the City of DuPont, Justin has been able to grow the game he loves by injecting himself into the community, and the results have not only been positive for him, but for his fellow professionals as well.
Justin has served on the City of DuPont’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee and has also sat on the Tourism Board for the City of DuPont. It is through this volunteer work that he discovered an untapped resource that many PGA Professionals can benefit from, the Lodging Tax.
“Lodging Tax is collected from every hotel room night and it goes into a fund that is given out in the form of grants for the purpose of generating more tourism,” Gravatt says. “Millions of dollars are collected and distributed annually.”
It is this sort of out-of-the-box thinking that has helped generate additional revenue for The Home Course over the last three years through the Summer Golf Fest event, which Justin created. Now, hosting events such as Drive, Chip & Putt, PGA Junior League, and WA Golf/PNGA championships can be a win/win situation where some of the generated funds can go toward the programs themselves.
Justin began his tenure at The Home Course in July 2016 as the PGA head professional. In January 2020 he was promoted to general manager of the facility, which is cooperatively owned and operated by Washington Golf and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.
Gravatt, 37, grew up in Olympia, Wash., and attended Olympia High School. He says he knew early on what he wanted to do with his life.
“Growing up, I had some great PGA professionals as mentors,” he says. “I’d work on the driving range, picking up balls, or work in the golf shop, and they’d let me play. The golf course was just a great place to be, and I knew I wanted to be one of those guys.”
Right out of high school, Gravatt enrolled in the professional golf management program at Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College, where he also played on the men’s golf team (capturing two NWAC titles). “It allowed me to get an early start on my career,” he said.
Gravatt started working as an assistant golf professional at Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, Wash., then served two seasons as an assistant pro at Bellingham G&CC, and by the young age of 24 he was named the PGA head professional at Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club in Union, Wash.
Gravatt stayed at Alderbrook for 10 years before accepting the opportunity at The Home Course in 2016.
Gravatt says The Home Course is a great extension for his own professional philosophy. “I like to be able to give the daily-fee player a private club experience, and The Home Course is that kind of facility – it’s a great course, well maintained, and is playable and affordable for everyone. It also has such a great reputation for hosting quality local, regional and national championships, and I’m thrilled to be involved with that.”