Privately held since its founding in 1989 CourseCo is owned by four partners allowing a focus on culture and core values rather than satisfying stockholders or investment banks.
Michael Sharp
Michael is the President, Chief Executive Officer and managing partner for CourseCo. Michael started his employment at CourseCo in 2005 as Vice President of Operations with direct oversite of golf operations before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2012 and then taking on his current role in 2017. As the top executive in the company, Michael’s focus is on building the overall company culture while maintaining strong relationships with all CourseCo’s clients.
After spending the early part of his childhood in Southern California, his family moved to Northern California where he took his first job in golf working at a driving range while staring on his high school golf team. After playing Division I golf at Sacramento State and receiving his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, it was a clear path for Michael to start his career in the golf industry. It was right out of college that Michael took a General Manager position with Club Corp which was the first of three top 25 Management Companies he would work for in the coming years. After becoming a Class A Member of the PGA, Michael continued his advancement in the golf business as General Manager at StoneTree Golf Club and then VP of Operations at Billy Casper Golf. It was through his passion and commitment to hospitality and people development that eventually led to Michael joining the CourseCo team and his rapid ascension to the top leadership position.
Now with 30+ year of experience in the industry, Michael is widely respected and recognized throughout the United States for his operating knowledge and innovation. Having played the key role in CourseCo’s growth from a small regional management company with 11 courses to a national company with 40 courses, and ranked as the 19th largest management company in the world, is one of the reasons he received the Award for Most Innovative People in Golf in 2020 from Golf, Inc. Under his leadership CourseCo has received numerous environmental awards including becoming the first company to ever receive the President’s Award from the GCSAA in 2018 and then receiving it again the following year in 2019. While he is often asked to speak on panels and present at National Conferences, his passion is still working directly with the management teams at the courses in promoting CourseCo’s Four Core Values – Financial Performance, Community Inclusion, Environmental Stewardship and Stakeholder Communication.
Michael resides in the Sacramento area of California with his wife, Heather, and their three children – Madison, Paige and Andrew. As a PGA Professional Michael still plays in numerous golf tournaments and events each year but still finds time between working and playing golf to travel with his family, snowboard and passionately follow the Lakers and Dodgers.
Tom Bugbee
Tom currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at CourseCo and is also a partner in the firm. Tom originally joined the company in 2009 as the Director of Operations, was promoted to VP of Operations in 2011 and became the COO in 2018. In his current role, Tom oversees the day-to-day operations of the company including golf course operations as well as the finance and accounting department. While his responsibilities include financial performance and contractual compliance it is his focus on the support and development of key team members that has led to his success.
Born and raised in Petaluma, California the golf business was a passion for Tom very early in his working career. Starting at Adobe Creek Golf Club in outside services he quickly moved up through the ranks as assistant professional, head professional and then becoming the General Manager at the early age of 24. It was in this position that he was first introduced to acquisitions. He played a key role in the due diligence and transition at Peacock Gap Golf Club which was also his first experience in multiple property management. Tom left the golf business for a brief three-year period where he worked in the high-paced corporate tech world focusing on sales recruiting working with companies including IBM, SalesForce, Oracle and BMC Software. With a degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a passion for golf, the opportunity to return to the golf world and join the CourseCo team at their corporate office was the perfect fit for this Sonoma County native.
With over 25 years of experience in the golf business, his accomplishments in the industry are wide ranging. Tom has been interviewed and quoted in multiple publications including Golf Inc Magazine, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle and the Wall Street Journal. Tom has managed over $100 million in capital projects including golf course and clubhouse construction. Currently a Board Member of the First Tee of the North Coast he is involved in this new chapter and assisting to get it off the ground. Perhaps the professional accomplishment that Tom is most proud of is being a part of CourseCo as it has grown from 14 courses centered in Northern California to 40 courses spread across the Western United States.
Tom still resides in Petaluma with his wife, Daniele, and their three daughters – Maddie, Brooklyn and Gwen. When not working or playing golf Tom enjoys traveling with his family and is an avid San Francisco Giant fan.
Tom Isaak
Founder & Chairman, established CourseCo, Inc, a California corporation, in 1989. In the ensuing years, the company has assumed the operation of multiple golf facilities throughout the West. It manages more than 1,500 employees, and its facilities generate more than $85 million in gross revenues. Tom, Founder of CourseCo, has a background in government and politics as well as business. A Stanford University Graduate, whose graduate studies include environmental planning and finance, he has served as assistant to the president of Sonoma State College, Director of Research for Operating Engineers Local Union #3, the largest building and construction local in the world; Director of the California State Assembly Office of Majority Services; and Chief Administrative Officer of the State Assembly.
John Telischak
Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, joined the firm as an owner in 1996. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and an MBA from Stanford Business School and has spent 46 years in the fields of real estate investment, development, finance and management, beginning with IBM and moving to Kidder Peabody Realty Corporation before forming Telischak & Company in 1975.
