Grand Haven Mens Golf Assoc.

Unlike the vast majority of our members, Richard Frank is an actual native Floridian, born in Miami Beach in 1947. According to Richard, he knew right away Miami was not right for him and he and his parents moved to Southern California almost immediately. For those of us that know Richard well, this early personality trait seems to have set his standard of changing putters so often. It might also be of note that when Richard left California, his golfing buddies gave him a hat inscribed with the names of brands he used to play.  It filled the hat. Somethings never change.

 

Raised in the warm and sunny skies of Southern California, Richard's early childhood was a mixture of earthquakes, catholic schools and fires in the hills above Malibu Beach. After bouncing around several colleges for two years, he enlisted in the Army in 1968.  He ended up deployed in Seoul, Korea....playing on the 8th Army baseball team and working with local Special Forces instructing Sky Diving maneuvers. Before and after the Service, Richard made more than 200 free falls. Bouncing on his head a couple of times also explains why he often ends up on "temporary probation" as a score keeper on the course. He also worked with local charities raising money for orphaned adolescent Koreans that were deaf and mute.

 

Richard went back to college after his time in the Service and ended up working for his Father that had a advertising and Public Relations Agency. In 1977, he and a friend started a weekend newspaper in Manhattan Beach, California.  His partner bailed out after a year and Richard kept at it, because....as he says "He had nothing else to do and his ego was too big to quit". The Beach Reporter grew, encompassing three other cities and from a first edition 8 page tabloid grew to a weekly with as much as 160 pages. During his tenure Owner/ Publisher, he helped establish the local Neighborhood Watch, was involved in staging the City's first 10K Run and served as the President of the Chamber of Commerce. After 15 years, he sold the paper with the hopes of "getting into the golf business and eventually becoming good enough to teach". On weekends he taught skiing in the local mountains and as he puts it, "There is nothing more rewarding that passing on a skill". After a short stint at Riviera Country Club, and a new baby on the way, Richard went back to the newspaper and worked as publisher until he retired in 2007.  As he states, his greatest accomplishment "Was surviving four sets of new owners during the 15 years following the sale". The Beach Reporter still exists today.

 

In 2003, Richard met and married his wife Deanna and they moved to Palm Coast in 2008. They live on the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) with a 23' open bow Everglades behind the house.  Deanna still works as a flight attendant for United Airlines. Weather permitting, they try and travel up the ICW to Hilton Head/Harbor Town three times a year.  Gets pretty dicey out in the middle of nowhere sometimes, but they always look forward to the trip.  Sometimes in two legs stopping at Jekyll or St. Simons for the night in a motel or a 10 hour straight run weather permitting.  The clubs are in the ski locker and the bikes are fastened to the stern of the boat.

 

So, let's break protocol and move to the "first person".  

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"I've been fortunate to experience a lot of good things in my life; a business I was proud of, serving in the Military, 2016 Club Champion, two beautiful and talented daughters prior to my marriage to Deanna, and Deanna...who is my 'rock'. I've been a MGA member for several years, but only this last year been very active in participating in the MGA activities. The friendships I've accumulated through my time in Grand Haven and the MGA  have been the best friendships of my life.  Thanks for having me."