My Sit Down with Matt Doyle, Head of Golf at Tesoro Club, Home of the Cognizant Classic Monday Qualifier

The newly renovated Tesoro Club in Port St Lucie, Florida.

Editors Note: Robert Garrigus (Medalist), Chris Crawford, Jeff Overton, and Michael Gligic advanced from the Monday Qualifier at Tesoro Club on Monday, February 26.

Tesoro Club, located in Port St Lucie Florida re-opened last year after undergoing an extensive 18-month renovation to restore and refurbish its Palmer Course. Since then it has hosted the Cognizant (formerly Honda) Classic Monday Qualifier twice, both in 2023 and 2024. 

For the 2024 edition I was invited out to watch some of the Monday Q and chat with Tesoro Club’s Head Golf Pro Matthew Doyle. We talked about the recent renovations, what it’s been like hosting a PGA Tour Monday Qualifier, and what the future looks like both for the golf club and the community as a whole. 

Dan: You guys recently underwent a remodel.

Matthew: We started restoring the course at the end of 2020 when the new owners bought the property. We put together a cultural plan to restore the Palmer Course. In the first year we started with the greens, drainage, and bunker repair and bringing everything up to speed. Then this past summer we really focused on the fairways and created the best playing conditions that we could with our fairways and greens.

Dan: Are you still tinkering with the course or is it done?

Matthew: It’s a constant thing.

Dan: Ok, so what’s next?

Matthew: Next summer we will be addressing the rough and some more drainage in the bunkers where we’ve seen areas that we can improve. We are always trying to improve the facility and it will all be done during the summer time.

Dan: So today you have some of the top golfers in the world who are not already qualified for the Cognizant Classic but the other 364 days a year it’s a member’s community golf course. What’s been some of the feedback from the day-to-day members?

Matthew: The fabulous playing conditions, number one. Really though, the natural beauty of the course and the property really shines through every day. It’s not your typical Florida course. The first time I went around the golf course there were 9 spots where I stood and was like “Woah this is really cool.” 

Dan: You often see these communities where a golf course was basically shoved into the housing development but that’s not the case here. Driving in it was about 2 miles from the entrance to the clubhouse and there are golf holes everywhere. Everything is very spread out. What has that allowed you all to do not just with the remodel but also with providing an experience for the members that’s different?

Matthew: It’s very difficult to hit a house playing at Tesoro Club. I would say it’s more difficult than any golf community in South Florida. It was laid out so you have your house and in your backyard, you have a body of water or a preserve that is probably 40-50 yards wide, and then on the other side of that is the golf hole. So the golf is in your backyard but not in your cup of coffee when you’re reading the paper. Not only is that attractive for the homebuyer but also the golfer because you get up on the hole and you see the hole and the houses are so far out you don’t get that fear of “Am I going to hit someone’s house?” So it’s really nice for both parties.

The scene from the Cognizant Monday qualifier at Tesoro Club.

Dan: What has been your favorite part of this renovation project?

Matthew: Working for the owners. They’re great guys. Also restoring the property to how it was intended to be for the homeowners, especially the ones that have been here from the beginning. To see their faces as we’ve brought back the property and improved many of the areas, to see their appreciation is my favorite thing.

Dan: This is year 2 now of hosting the Cognizant/Honda Monday Qualifier. What’s the biggest difference from last year to this year in terms of the course itself?

Matthew: The greens are rolling about 2ft faster this year. Last year we overseeded the greens and this year we did not because we had the whole summer and really had a strong cultural practice that restored our Bermuda grass and the grass is just tiger and faster on the greens so they are seeing a lot more speed on the greens. 

Dan: Typically this qualifier has been held in Palm Beach County. This is year 2 of you all having it. For both you and the area, what does it mean to you to host this event?

Matthew: It’s a great badge of honor. I’m hearing it from the pros when they come in and they’re telling me how much they love the facility and how great the conditions are and it just lets everyone know that Tesoro Club is back. We are hosting this tournament not once but twice. So it not only says that we are back but that we are back on a world-class level. 

Dan: A lot of attention is given to the Jupiter area but there is some great golf to be played up here if you drive 20 minutes north.

Matthew: Yeah not only is the Palmer course a great golf course but our Watson course might be even better once that is restored. It’s a fantastic layout and when we restore that golf course you are going to have two of the best layouts in the area right here inside the gates at Tesoro which is going to elevate this property to a whole new level and that’s something that I really can’t wait to do because for those that have been here from the beginning, the Watson course was the most popular of the courses. 

Dan: With the transition golf has gone through these past few years post-COVID, have you seen a transition with your membership getting younger?

Matthew: Yeah, we are starting to see more families come in. We’re still growing but this community has so many amenities. There are 907 homesites and there are a little over 200 homes built. So this community is going to continue to evolve and if I were a family I’d love living in here. To be able to send my kids to school and then they can come home and play tennis or pickleball or swim at the pool or go play golf. 

The Year that Was in the World of Pro Golf

With Christmas now in our rearview mirror, and the New Year right in front of us, the time has come to both take a look back at the year that was and look forward to what’s in store in 2024.

2023 was quite the year for me personally and professionally. While I could sit here and thank you all for watching, listening to, and reading us here at Golf Unfiltered this year, that’s just not my style. 

Instead, I thought I would take a look at some of the stories and events that had the biggest impact on me in golf in 2023, as well as look ahead to what 2024 may bring.

2023 Recap

There’s a Great Big World Outside Men’s Professional Golf

Working with GU this past year, I was able to do a lot of really cool things that reminded me that men’s professional golf is such a small and, in reality, insignificant part of the greater golf landscape when you really think about it. The true lifeblood of the game is all of us who may never step foot “inside the ropes” in our lives. 

You may remember that I had the opportunity to check out Steph Curry’s UNDERRATED Golf Tour at their season-opening event in South Florida in June. Getting to talk to those involved, from the kids playing in the event to those putting on the event reminded me why we are all golf sickos in the first place: because we love to play the game of golf. These kids would spend the day on the golf course trying to beat each other and then would spend the evening at the hotel having dinner together, playing video games, and just hanging out and being kids. It was golf in its purest form.

I also had the chance to talk to designer Gil Hanse and PGA of America head Seth Waugh. During that 30 mins or so that I talked with them we talked about a wide range of topics, and yet, very little of that time was spent talking about the PGA Tour (it was on the heels of the Michael Block experience at the PGA Championship so of course Seth and I talked a little about that. More on Block later.) We spent the majority of the time talking about how people like us go out and enjoy the game every day whether it’s going to the driving range, playing a full round of golf, or even the continued success of places such as TopGolf and Drive Shack.

It was an amazing experience and helped me reinvigorate my love of the game.

The #BlockParty

This wouldn’t be a “year in review” of sorts without bringing up Michael Block and the #BlockParty. We all know my opinions on the man in terms of what happened after the PGA Championship, but, being this is an end-of-the-year wrap-up of sorts I did want to take a moment to remind myself and everyone else just how cool the #BlockParty was in the moment.

As fans of golf I feel like, when it comes to the majors at least, we are constantly looking for that real-life “Tin Cup” moment. The random everyday Joe golfer who shows up on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights and hangs around with the big boys.

Well, for 4 days we found that in Michael Block…or at least so we thought. Before we found out that Blockie was more Omar Uresti than the guy folding shirts at your local course’s pro shop (not that there is anything wrong with either of those), we all got to follow along as the guy who was the closest thing we had seen to an “everyman” not just competed with the big boys of men’s professional golf but held his own, at times even dominating. After all, who could forget his walk-and-talk with SVP during the first two rounds or his hole-in-one in front of Rory on Sunday?

While the #BlockParty has mostly come to an end, for those 4 days in May it was truly electric.

The Divide With the PGA Tour Grows

I could spend this entire recap just talking about all the ways the Tour screwed things up in 2023, but that’s not what I mean here. For all the fighting with LIV and the infighting within its own ranks, the one thing the PGA Tour managed to accomplish this year is widening the divide between the men’s professional game and the fans. You know, the ones that actually pay for the Tour to remain profitable as a “non-for-profit” organization.

While Jay Monahan may have been trying to keep the entity that is the Tour strong and the fans from jumping ship, every single move he made in 2023 seemed to do the exact opposite.

While there is no indication - at least from TV ratings numbers - that his faithful fanbase has jumped to LIV, there is also little indication that they are sticking with the Tour either, instead choosing neither in this battle for men’s professional golf supremacy, and, frankly, I can’t say I blame any of them.

We are all golf sickos here at GU and I have never been less interested to watch PGA Tour events than I was in 2023 and trust me, it had nothing to do with the guys that were playing on LIV. All the fighting and bickering over money, OWGR points, “elevated events,” and “strategic partnerships” widened the divide between the men’s professional game and the average fan to a point where I’m not sure there will be an opportunity to shrink it, at least not with Monahan in charge. He may have lost the room when it comes to his own players but, he also lost the room when it comes to those that he needs the most…the fans.

TGL Was Coming…Until It Wasn’t

One good thing that seemingly came from all this fighting for dollars was the creation of a new, laid-back golf league called the TGL. Started by Rory and Tiger it was going to pit Tour pros against each other in a state-of-the-art simulator golf setting. The concept seemed fun and, since it was going to take place during the week, wasn’t going to interfere with Tour schedules. Add in the fact that it was going to be televised on ESPN and it looked like we were going to get the closest thing to what it would be like to see these guys play golf with their buddies that we could.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas.

A freak storm down here in November led to strong winds and power outages. Unfortunately, it also led to damage to the building that was going to be housing the TGL and its events and, with just under 2 months before the launch date, the damage was bad enough that the league had to be pushed back a year to 2025. 

What I’m Looking Forward To in 2024

Tiger’s Back?!

Like we usually do this time of year, we got a glimpse of Tiger Woods at the Hero World Challenge and the Father-Son. Unlike in past years though, what we saw was a Tiger that appears to be ready to get back at it on the PGA Tour on a regular basis…or at least a regular basis for him in his current state.

Barring any unforeseen setbacks or injuries, it would appear that Tiger is going to try and play in at least 1 Tour event (including majors) a month this upcoming season. That means we could see Tiger as many as 8-10 times this year!

The PGA Show

GU will be well-represented at the 2024 PGA Merchandise Show, with yours truly being there. While I have had the opportunity to attend the show in the past for other outlets, this will be my first time there with GU.

Much like my time covering the UNDERRATED Tour, going to the PGA Show will be another nice reminder of just how much the game of golf is thriving beyond the men’s professional game. 

Bringing More Non PGA Tour Stories To Life

Beyond just the PGA Show, the thing I think I am most looking forward to in 2024 is continuing to bring more stories to you all that aren’t PGA Tour or men’s professional golf related. Whether it’s the UNDERRATED Tour or Jim Furyk designing his first golf course, it’s important, at times, to remember that there is this great big world out there when it comes to golf beyond just the men’s game.

Overall I’m looking forward to what 2024 has in store and I hope you all enjoy coming along for the ride with not just me, but all of us at GU.

(Featured image by Kris McEwen.)