The Team

Steve Herrig

Founder and President/Owner

A lifelong entrepreneur, Steve Herrig serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of SUNZ Insurance Company, Inc., based in Bradenton, Florida. He also is the owner of the acclaimed TerraNova Equestrian Center and developer of The Estates at TerraNova community, both located near Miakka Golf Club. Mr. Herrig’s passion and commitment to excellence are the driving forces behind the club’s vision and its development. He personally has overseen all aspects of its design and development and will be integral to the membership process, ensuring Miakka’s culture remains true to its original vision and is based upon a shared love of the game, sincere friendship, and mutual respect.

Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design

Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design is a partnership with worldwide reach in award-winning golf course design. Having worked together for more than two decades, architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka bring their collective design experience, talent, indomitable spirit, and renowned client dedication to their shared enterprise, with global scope and limitless possibilities. Many of their designs have been highly acclaimed including Erin Hills (#42 – America’s Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses – Golf Digest), The Paintbrush (#10 – Canada’s Best Golf Courses – Golf Digest), Acaya Golf Club (2009 Italy’s Best New Golf Club – Golf Digest Italy), and Calusa Pines (#69 in the U.S. – Golf Digest).

Paul Azinger

Former PGA TOUR Player and NBC Golf Analyst

Over a career that spanned decades, Paul Azinger was noted as one of the most competitive and creative golfers on the PGA Tour. Those skills led to 17 wins as a professional, including 12 PGA Tour victories, as well as being renowned as Captain of the victorious U.S. team at the 2008 Ryder Cup. Such a remarkable career led Paul to study many of the world’s best golf courses, and he brings that experience to Miakka, working in consultation with Dana Fry and Jason Straka as part of the golf design team. Miakka is the first golf course Paul has had a hand in designing.

Gerry O’Callaghan

COO and General Manager

A native of Dublin, Ireland, and graduate of both Trinity College, Dublin and the Dublin Institute of Technology, Gerry O’Callaghan’s management career has spanned more than 36 years in the hotel and private club industry. Most recently, Gerry served as the General Manager of Shelter Harbor Golf Club in Charlestown, Rhode Island, and Vineyard Golf Club in Martha’s Vineyard, MA. He was instrumental in establishing brand identities, service standards and cultures for each club. Additionally, Gerry has served in management and consulting roles for a variety of clubs, restaurants and hotels in the US and Ireland.

Erik Whitehead

Membership Director

A native of Galena, Ohio, Erik Whitehead studied public relations at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, and sports management at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He began his 30-plus-year career in golf at age 14, working as an Assistant Range Technician at Blackhawk Golf Course in Sunbury, Ohio. Since that time, he has served many roles at golf facilities across the country. Among these, Erik developed membership and marketing programs while serving as Membership Director during the opening of both Lake of Isles in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and Rattlesnake Ridge Golf Club in Sunbury, Ohio. Most recently, he served as Membership Director of Shelter Harbor Golf Club in Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Terry Kennelly

Director of Agronomy

Terry Kennelly earned himself an enviable reputation in the golf industry over the past 40 years. With a career starting at the famed Inverness Golf Club in Toledo, Ohio, where he assisted in the preparation of the 1986 and 1993 PGA Championships, he later interned at Congressional in Washington, D.C., helping prepare the 1995 Senior U.S. Open and the 1997 U.S. Open. In 2004, Kennelly worked alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, assisting in the design and construction of The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Most recently, he was the Director of Golf Course and Grounds at The Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.