Meet Mapletøn's General Manager: Zac Gavlak

Anybody can fall in love with golf in the desert or on the coast. But try giving your heart to the game in Alaska. 

Zac Gavlak, Mapletøn Golf Club's new General Manager, grew up swinging 4,000 miles north of the equator (and less than 2,000 miles from the North Pole). In Palmer, Alaska, seasons tell the golf story. 

During long, dark winters, Gavlak worked at a golf simulator, hitting balls into a screen, daydreaming of courses like Pebble Beach.

Come summer, Gavlak was on a real course from dawn to dusk. "And the cool thing in Alaska is, the sun doesn't really set in the summer." He might tee off at 6 p.m., play 18 holes, come into the clubhouse, settle his bets, then go back out for a 9-hole derby until 2 a.m.

Gavlak's fascinating journey has led him to Sioux Falls, where he becomes Mapletøn's first GM. He called the job "an incredible honor."

"I'm excited to help our leaders and members create a top-100 private club experience," Gavlak said. His extensive track record and impressive accolades made him the perfect choice. The 43-year-old has earned his reputation as a star in the golf industry. 

He spent the past five years at Brookings Country Club, where he thrived as both GM and Director of Golf. In 2021, Gavlak was awarded Dakota Chapter PGA Professional of the Year. In '23, competing against much larger clubs in Minnesota, Gavlak earned 2023 private club promoter of the year. He can still swing it, too, winning 2023 Dakota Chapter PGA player of the year. 

"He brings a lot of energy to the table," said Matt Jones, former BCC president. "He takes a lot of time to make you feel at home at the club. He goes that extra mile for folks. You never walk in wondering where he is. He'll come to you."

Brookings Country Club experienced several major changes in recent years, Jones said, through no fault of Gavlak. He was "thrown to the wolves." He found creative solutions and covered gaps, including one morning last fall when Jones showed up at 6 a.m. and saw Gavlak aerating tees.
"That shows you a lot about what you're getting," Jones said. "That was not in his job description. That's just kind of the guy he is.

Like so many great GMs, Gavlak has bused his share of tables when the club was short-staffed. But his best asset is people skills. Staff leadership. Membership relations. He's quick with stories about his golfing life.

Gavlak was born in Bozeman, Montana. When Zac was in second grade, his dad took a job as professor of agronomy at Alaska-Anchorage. 

"I remember when we flew up there," Zac said, "it was January and it was so cold that the jetway was frozen shut. We had to bundle up and actually go outside to deplane."

When his mom, a high school teacher, came home one summer with a set of clubs, Zac resisted. "I'm like, golf is not a cool sport. I'd played hockey and baseball. But I went out to play golf for the first time and absolutely loved it."

Mom always worried about Gavlak growing up around roughneck hockey players in Alaska. Little did she know he was learning from 40-year-old golfers who taught him how to chew Red Man and press bets — at age 12!

After high school graduation, Gavlak decided it was time to stop fighting winter. He moved to Scottsdale, where he competed at a community college. His background raised a few eyebrows. 

At the U.S. Public Links, Gavlak got paired with the top amateur in the country, Ryan Moore. The starter assumed that "Palmer, Alaska" was a misprint.

Once Gavlak realized he wasn't going to be a PGA Tour player, he pursued Professional Golf Management. 

His first stop: a public course in Bozeman. That's where he got a break. He'd built a relationship with the pro at the prestigious Yellowstone Club, whose members included Bill Gates. When the Yellowstone pro needed a new assistant, Gavlak got the call. 

The next move was even more important. In 2009, the depth of the financial crisis, Gavlak took a job in Kansas City. At a section pro-am — one pro, four amateurs — he got paired with a single girl who grew up in South Dakota. 

By the second hole, Gretchen's playing partners had fully committed to matchmaking. "I got her number and the rest was history."

Zac and Gretchen married and started a family with two girls, now 11 (Adalyn) and 9 (Lauren). The next move delivered them north again, closer to Gretchen's hometown of Hecla, South Dakota. Population 193.

"When we went to visit the family farm for the first time, we're driving through town, I looked at her and said, 'Listen, I grew up in Alaska, but you live in the middle of nowhere.'"

Gavlak came to love the state. The long views in every direction. The casual pace of life. The warm hospitality.
Through his various stops, Gavlak has learned important lessons about managing a club.

"Having the drive that every day is member-guest," Gavlak said. "That's what you're bringing to the table every day with your attitude."

At Mapletøn, the tee sheet will be filled with people who have been looking forward to their experience for a long time. Sometimes it's a member showing the club to friends and family. Sometimes it's a wide-eyed first-time guest. No detail is too small.

Bad clubs sit around and complain about those details, Gavlak said. Good clubs sit around thinking of ideas.

"That's what is so exciting about Mapletøn," Gavlak said.

He heard about the project from the Brookings Country Club president, who knows Danny Amundson. The golf-only model intrigued Gavlak. So did the spectacular property. 

For 18 months, Gavlak has watched the excitement build for Mapletøn. He's eager to spread the warmth, even when it's 40 degrees in April. 

"This will change the landscape of golf in South Dakota," Gavlak said. "Future generations will be proud of Mapletøn. And we get a chance to be here at the beginning and create the culture."

Gavlak officially started August 1. If you want to welcome him to Sioux Falls, you can reach him via email at zac@mapletongolfclub.com.