Meet Our Staff
Karl Kimball - Director of Golf
Karl has been a member of the PGA of America since 1984 and has served on various communities Board of Directors throughout his career. He was the North Florida Section PGA Champion and Player of the Year in 1984 and has won many satellite tour events spanning the United States. His playing accomplishments also include being the leading money winner for the Dakotas Tour in 1986 while placing 2nd and 3rd the next two years. While a member of the PGA Tour and Hogan and Nike Tour, Karl often conducted group and corporate clinics. He was a featured instructor at the Ohio Golf Show in Canton, Ohio using one of the first computerized programs available at the time and was featured with Fred Couples at the Nike Wichita Open in 1995. He has won four Carolinas Section PGA major championships including two North Carolina Open titles. He won one of four PGA of America Regional Championships in 1997 at the Homestead in Virginia. Karl has also competed in two PGA Championships played at Sahalee Country Club and Valhalla Country Club. His students have encompassed beginning juniors to juniors wanting to play organized school golf to ladies clinics to a North Carolina Amateur Champion to aspiring touring professionals and PGA Professionals. His belief that the golf swing starts from the ground up has helped countless students improve their golf swing and scores. Karl is an advocate of "Growing the Game of Golf" and has participated in Play Golf America Days He promotes a wellness view of golf through such endeavours as the H.E.A.R.T.S Program and Adaptive Golf. He is a member of the PGA President's Council on Growing the Game and is currently the President of the Carolinas PGA that is the largest of all 41 PGA Sections in the PGA of America. He now partners with Juliano Hannud of Sao Paolo, Brazil to form the management company Amerazil Golf that operates Hillandale Golf Course today.
Fran James - Director of Instruction
Fran has 22 years of experience in the golf business; she joined the LPGA in 1993 and became a Class A Member in 1999. A native of Durham, Fran started playing golf at the age of 6 at Willowhaven Country Club. She graduated from Northern High School where she was the first female to play on the boy's golf team. Fran received a scholarship to play golf at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia where she went on the be the Team Captain. In 1992 she played on the LPGA Futures Tour. She worked at a local driving range for 9 years and was Head Golf Professional for 7 of those 9 years. Since 1995 she has been an instructor for the renowned Peggy Kirk Bell "Golfari" at Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines. Fran was part of the pilot program for the PGA's Link up to Golf, which introduced beginners to the game of golf. Fran joined the staff of Hillandale in April 2004 as a Teaching Professional. Fran continues to grow the game of golf by participating in Play Golf America, Women's Week, and Bring Your Daughter to the course. Since 2006 she has worked with the Special Olympics of Durham and teaches beginner and intermediate classes for Durham Tech. In April 2007 she was promoted to Hillandale's Head Golf Professional. She was instrumental in starting the LPGA Girls Golf Program for girls 5-17 years old. Fran is passionate about teaching golfers at all skill levels, especially beginners and junior golfers. She maintains a significant lesson book while creating a relaxed atmosphere assuring that you will have fun as you improve the game. Her enthusiasm has created a loyalty from her students that is beyond compare. She oversees all of our middle and high school golf teams that utilize Hillandale to play and practice along with all of our league play. In the fall of 2011 she became the Golf Coach of the North Carolina School of Science and Math's (NCSSM) first ever Women's Golf Team and in January 2012 was named Golf Coach of the NCSSM Men's Golf Team. Spring 2012 she was named Coach of the Year for the men's golf team and fall 2012 named Coach of the Year for the womens golf team. Fran is very charitable with her time helping create our H.E.A.R.T.S. Program, our Adaptive Golf Program as well as our other community outreach initiatives. In November 2011 she was named Hillandale's Director of Instruction. Fran currently serves as a consultant for Cobra and Taylor Made Golf.
Joe May - Head Golf Professional
Joe joined the staff at Hillandale in May of 2008 as an Assistant Professional and was promoted to Head Golf Professional in November 2011. He is a graduate of Campbell University's Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program. While enrolled at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, Joe served as President of the Professional Golf Management Student Association in 2007 where his studies prepared him for his career choice. He also represented Campbell University at the Carolina Cup Matches in 2006 and 2007, where the best players from each PGM School gather for a team competition. Joe graduated Cum Laude in May of 2008 and became a Class "A" Member of the PGA of America the same month. He is a member of the President's Council on Growing the Game and currently serves as a consultant to Mizuno Golf. Joe is an instrumental part of our H.E.A.R.T.S Program, as well as our Adaptive Golf Program where he serves as an Instructor. Joe is also the Tournament Director for Hillandale Golf Course.
Anthony Cordes - Assistant Golf Professional
Anthony joined the Hillandale staff in April 2010 as a Pro-Shop Assistant, and was promoted to Assistant Golf Professional in January 2012. Before joining the Hillandale staff, Anthony spent five years at Shaker Run Golf Club in Ohio as an Assistant Golf Professional. He was born and raised in Ohio where he took up golf at the age of 14. Anthony graduated from Miami University in 2009 where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Education, Health and Society. Anthony also played four years of varsity golf for Miami. During his senior season he earned a varsity letter for the Redhawks. In February 2012, Anthony plans to take his Player Ability Test (PAT) to start his journey to becoming a PGA Member.
Barry Tucker - Golf Course Superintendent
Barry has been a Class A Golf Course Superintendent for the past twenty seven years. Born and raised in Ohio, he learned the game of golf at the age of eight and realized early on that some aspect of golf would be a part of his life. He attended the Agricultural Technical Institution of Ohio State University where he studied Turf Grass Management. Barry's career moved from Ohio to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where he worked and resided for fifteen years. He has been a superintendent in North Carolina for fourteen years. Career highlights include a complete golf course grow in on a new construction and the renovation and upgrade of an irrigation system. Barry is currently a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Triangle Turfgrass Association. Aside from maintaining the grounds, Barry regularly enjoys playing golf.
Donna Kimball - Administrative Assistant
