Grand Haven Mens Golf Assoc.

Our Spotlight Golfer for March/April 2015 is none other than Mr. Ted Kolva, who is currently serving on the MGA Board as Tournament Chairman. Since most of our members know Ted in one way or another, it was only natural to honor Ted with the Spotlight Golfer award and let each of you get to know him better.  

Ted’s best moments in golf come when he is playing with his family and close friends in a competitive situation, enjoying the give and take that comes with the competition.  His handicap has been as low as 7 in his younger years, but has hovered from 16-22 for some time now. Ted cites the MGA as the group that has introduced him to more GH residents than any other one source. 

Ted was born in Vineland, New Jersey in 1938 at home because his mother was frightened of going to the hospital. He attended public schools in Vineland until he was a junior in High School, when his family started to make a series of moves related to his Dad’s employment.  He graduated from Bexley High School in Columbus Ohio in 1955, and his life settled in Columbus as he entered The Ohio State University for undergraduate school that fall.  He started in Engineering, but quickly transferred to pre-Dentistry, entering Dental School after two years, and completing his DDS in 1961.  While in dental school, Ted played on and captained the Ohio State lacrosse team, setting a record for goals scored by a midfielder at that time. He also played for the Columbus and Boston Lacrosse Clubs along the way and once had the dubious distinction of guarding All American Jimmy Brown of the Cleveland Lacrosse Club. Ted was married and his daughter Kathy was born while he was still in dental school.  He entered the US Air Force in Boston as a Dentist upon graduation, and his son Ted was born in Chelsea Naval Hospital there. After his Air force Service, Ted settled in Columbus to practice dentistry, and his son Jeff was born. 

Ted’s careers have been varied and diverse. After two years as a dentist in the Air Force, and seven plus years practicing dentistry alone and in consort in Ohio sent him back to grad school to escape that profession and find a career that made his work more like his play. He earned his Masters and ABD in Physical Education, and now with a family of three children in tow, moved off to New Hampshire to teach/coach/athletic director/dept chairman positions at Plymouth State College. He taught exercise physiology and kinesiology, coached mens and womens skiing and mens lacrosse. He taught classes such as Backpacking in the White Mountains, ski racing and coaching skiing, and a seminar for graduating senior majors. Skiing in the winter became sailing in the summer, as he worked at a boy’s camp in Maine each summer, learned to sail, bought a 30 ft sloop, and began his sailing adventure in earnest. About twelve years later, divorced, done with too much administrative red tape at school, he headed offshore in his 41 ft ketch to sail to the Caribbean. He ended up heading to Antigua in the West Indies to be GM of a sailboat charter fleet.  Two seasons later, having had the expat experience in Antigua, Ted returned to Maine and became the GM of a large boatyard complex in Portland, ME. 800 moorings, a large busy waterfront restaurant, yacht sales and boat repair, a marine chandlery, a sail loft and a high end women’s clothing store completed the picture.  After four years in Portland, Ted and his new wife became resident innkeepers at a beautiful country inn in Ogunquit, ME.  

After two seasons there he was invited to be the GM at an oceanfront resort in Boothbay Harbor, Me. He spent ten years living in that incredibly beautiful Midcoast region of Maine. When the owner decided to go in a different direction, Ted decided to move to Florida, where he had vacationed for many years, and made a leap of faith to Naples FL. He found a job as Executive Director at a large retirement community with Manor Care, one of the country’s largest healthcare companies. He led the renovation of the twenty year old Lely Palms Retirement community, and then transferred to the same company's Assisted Living building for 56 Alzheimer residents.  After six yrs in Naples Ted decided he wasn't done with the seasons and transferred to an identical building in Harrisburg PA, close to where two of his grown children and their families live. He was drawn back to Maine with an offer to be manager of a retirement community in Portland ME. One more harsh winter proved to Ted that he was indeed done with winters!

  Ted and Margaret Bonz met on the eHarmony website online.  After several months of communicating online they met for lunch, and the afternoon, and dinner.  They found that they had many experiences and friends in common, as they both shared an academic background in New Hampshire at the same time….Ted at Plymouth State, Margaret as Dean of Freshmen at Dartmouth College about 35 miles distant. But fate did not have them meet until much later. They have lived together in Grand Haven for about five years. They enjoy playing golf with the many friends they’ve made and travelling to far parts of the world to continue learning about and enjoying life. Ted has eight grandchildren, from age ten to age thirty. Elise, his daughter Kathy’s child is married and lives in Reading PA, as does her mother, and Ted’s son Ted, Jr. and his wife Chris.  Ted III is a junior at Boston College; Caroline is about to enter Franklin and Marshall and play lacrosse for their program; Katie attends Lancaster Country Day School and plays soccer and lacrosse.  Jeff’s three children, from age ten to fourteen all attend the Dexter/Southfield School in Brookline MA, near where Jeff and Heather live in Norfolk.  They all have varied interests in sports, art, and spending time on Cape Cod. The happiness and accomplishments of his children and grandchildren are what makes Ted most proud, along with the wonderful times he gets to share with Margaret and their wide group of Grand Haven and New England friends. They spend summers in New Hampshire, travelling throughout Vermont and Maine to visit friends and enjoy the natural beauty and taste tempting seafood!  And naturally a lot of golf! 

Thanks, Ted, for all you’ve done for us in the MGA this year. You’ve done “one great job” with Tournaments and we all sincerely appreciate that. And fellow members…… don’t forget to pass along “congratulations” to Ted the next time you see him!