STEELE GOLF - Key Persons
Steele, with his work at SEMA golf, was recognized as Golf Course News magazine's Builder of the Year for golf course construction in both 2005 and 2007. Steele has built more than 200 of the world's finest golf courses during a 37-year career that began as a lead shaper and has led to him forming his own firm.
"The timing was right for me to form this new company and to strike out on my own to take my efforts to a higher and more complete level of involvement," Steele said. "I am widely known throughout the golf course development industry as an individual who brings respectability and innovative construction methods to projects that I am involved in. That will continue in the years ahead as I align myself with many of the world's top golf course architects to build great tracks that players will enjoy."
Beginning in 1972, Steele advanced through numerous positions and attained superintendent status with the Wadsworth Company. In 1987, he joined Paul Clute & Associates as vice-president and was instrumental in building the company into one of the premier golf course construction firms in the United States. In 1994, the Golf Course Builders Association of America and Golf Course News Magazine awarded Paul Clute & Associates as Golf Course Builder of the Year.
In 1996, the Crown family of Chicago hired Steele as senior vice-president of Crown Golf Construction. In 1998, Steele formed SEMA Golf, LLC in conjunction with SEMA Construction, where, as president, he oversaw all construction and business relations and development, in the process staying personally involved in each project and making frequent site visits.