Ed Wankel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Dowling College in Oakdale, New York, an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Administration from Suffolk Community College, New York, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from C.W. Post, Long Island University.

Ed Wankel has thirty-five of professional and technical experience in planning and administration, five years in urban planning and over thirty years in golf course safety, recreation and education planning, administration, maintenance, and risk management. Mr. Wankel was formerly the Director of Studies for Leisure Systems Services, a division of Planning Associations/P.A. Education and Recreation Consultants, for six years. He also was an instructor at St. Joseph’s College for over five years.

Ed Wankel served as the Commissioner of the Town of Islip Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, for twelve years as well as the Deputy Supervisor of the Town of Islip. In addition, he was the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for Suffolk County for over three years.

Ed Wankel was appointed by the Pataki Administration as the Deputy
Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for the State of New York in 1995 and served until December of 1998. In that capacity, he oversaw the Long Island and New York City Regions as well as twenty-three golf courses statewide. Mr. Wankel served as Vice President of the Suffolk County Police Athletic League, as well as the Treasurer of The New York State Recreation and Park Society and was an official of the Metropolitan Golf
Association. (MGA)

Ed Wankel is President of his own firm, Leisure Service Associates, Inc. This firm conducts a variety of management services for both public and private sector organizations that deliver leisure services to the public. LSA specializes in risk management programs for public and private golf facilities. He also was the President of Long Island Golf Management Inc. from 2000 – 2014, when he oversaw the construction of Olde Vine Golf Club, and he managed until 2014, now the Vines G.C. in Riverhead, NY, Tall Grass Country Club, which he also managed and Poxabogue Golf Club in Southampton, NY.

Ed Wankel has spent his entire professional career overseeing the operation and maintenance of some of the best Park and Recreation systems in the country. In addition, he has overseen the construction of numerous recreation facilities and areas including regional, neighborhood and statewide parks as well as three eighteen hole championship golf courses. He also has planned and organized numerous recreational and instructional programs and activities.

Ed Wankel played the key role in bringing the US Open to Bethpage State Park in 2002 and negotiated the contract with the United States Golf Association for this most prestigious event.

EDUCATION

• Long Island University, C.W. Post Center – Master of Public Administration 1995, MPA
• Dowling College, New York, BBA/1974
• Suffolk Community College, New York – AAS/1971
• Metropolitan Golf Association Committee Member Tournament Committee Member
• Revenue Resource Management School
• North Carolina State University Graduate Seminar
• New York Institute of Technology Certificate in Labor Management Relations
• Cornell University, New York Certificate in Contract Management
• NPPS, Certified Playground Supervisor
• Course in Surveying, Farmingdale College
• NAYS, Certificate Parent Supervision, Sports
• United States Golf Association, US Golf Open Future Sites Preparation Committee, 1995 – 2001

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Dowling College, Oakdale, New York, Instructor, spring 1975
St. Joseph’s College, Brentwood, New York, Instructor 1975-1980

 

MANAGEMENT POSITIONS

• Mr. Wankel was President of Long Island Golf Management Inc (2000-2014) In this capacity Mr. Wankel’s company managed three golf clubs, one municipal, one private and one private equity club.
• General Manager, Olde Vine Golf Club, Riverhead, New York 2002- 2014
• Director for the Sports and Convention Center at Suffolk County Community College also (Served as consultant from 2001 to 2002)

Deputy Commissioner, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Mr. Wankel has served as Deputy Commissioner of this Agency from 1995 through December of 1998. In this capacity he was responsible for the Long Island and New York City Regions as well as all twenty-three of the State of New York golf courses.

Mr. Wankel was chairperson of the New York State, Statewide Golf Committee, and oversaw the operations of twenty-three golf courses. In this capacity he concentrated on golf course safety issues.

In addition, Mr. Wankel was primarily responsible for bringing the U.S. Open to the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in 2002. He also oversaw the preparation of a Risk Management study for the Black Course as well as the course renovation by the USGA in 1995.

In preparation for the 2002 US OPEN he oversaw the complete safety audit of the Black Course.

Commissioner, Suffolk County Department to Parks, Recreation and Conservation from February 1992 to April 19, 1995

Mr. Wankel was responsible for the administration of a departmental budget of over $9 million. Mr. Wankel managed over 30,000 acres of parkland including four golf courses with a staff of 375 full-time and part-time employees.

Commissioner, Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, January 1980 through Spring, 1987 and January 1988 to February 1992.

Mr. Wankel was responsible for over 150 park and recreation facilities, including three public golf courses, all of which were acquired or constructed during his tenure in Islip. Mr. Wankel played a major role in the planning, development and construction of the Holbrook Country Club, which opened in 1992.

Deputy Town Supervisor, Town of Islip, 1987

Mr. Wankel served as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Town. He was responsible for the administration of a $96 million budget and 1,400 full-time and part-time personnel.

Executive Assistant to the Supervisor, Town of Islip, 1979

Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Town of Islip from August 1973 to April 1979

Director of Studies, Leisure Systems Services, Planning Associates, Education and Recreation Consultants, Inc., New York 1967 to 1973

MANAGEMENT CONSULTING

• Consultant for Tallgrass Golf Course in Shoreham, New York 19992000. Prepared a risk management analysis for this new golf course. He also managed this Golf Course. (2004-2010)
• Negotiated contracts for the Village of Bellport, New York, for their municipal golf course.
• Prepared “Request for Proposal” for the Village of Port Jefferson for the management and operation of Harbor Hills Golf Course.
• Prepared an analysis of the management agreement for Smithtown Landing, NY, Golf Course
• Consultant to Town of Madison, Prepared RFP for new golf course under a Public/Private partnership 1999 – 2006
• Served as consultant to Olde Vine Construction Corp. for the development of a new private golf club. 2002-2013. Prepared a risk management evaluation on golf course design. He also managed Olde Vine Golf Club including sales and marketing.
• City of Melrose, MA, prepared a request for proposal and examined safety issues on this public golf course.
• Has managed Poxabogue Golf Center, Southampton, NY from 2004 thru 2012 and developed a variety of golf instructional programs and activities. He also prepared a safety audit of the golf course and implemented the same.

Expert Testimony

• Mr. Wankel has provided expert testimony on Golf Course related cases including; golf cart roll over’s, Driving Ranges, errant golf ball injuries, golf course maintenance issues and design flaws since 1989.
• Mr. Wankel has testified in the courts of Connecticut, Pennsylvania New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, Florida and Maine. He has prepared reports for clients in New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Florida, Colorado, South Carolina, Utah and New Mexico, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

PUBLICATIONS

• “Computerized Recreation Planning”, Journal of the New York Recreation and Park Society, December 1970
• “Safety on the Golf Course”, Long Island Golfer Magazine
• Columnist for the “Tribune”, wrote a column “Around Long Island Parks”

SEMINARS

Mr. Wankel has presented a number of educational seminars for the following organizations:

• Metropolitan Golf Association (Risk Management)
• New York Recreation and Park Society
• Long Island Recreation and Park Association
• National recreation and Park Association, NRPA

COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Suffolk County Police Athletic League, Board of Directors • Golf Course Advisory Committee, The Quarry, Naples, Fl.
• Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation, Board of Directors
• Bayport Heritage Association, Member
• Town of Islip Council on the Arts, Member/Treasurer
• Chairman of Recreation Commission, Village of Lake Grove, New York
• Southold Kiwanis
• Southold Chamber of Commerce, NY
• North Fork Environmental Council member, NY
• Member Golf Committee, Olde Vine Country Club, NY

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• National Golf Foundation
• Golf Advisory Committee, The Quarry, Naples, Fl
• Metropolitan Golf Association
  1. Public Golf Committee
  2. Tournament Committee
• United States Golf Association
• Long Island Golf Association
• New York State Turf Grass Association
• National Recreation and Parks Association
• American Park and Recreation Society
• New York State Recreation and Parks Society
• Long Island Recreation, Parks & Leisure Services Association
• American Society of Public Administration
• Club Managers Association of America

AWARDS

• Mr. Wankel was nominated for the 1998 Metropolitan Golf Association Distinguished Service Award in 1999.
• Dowling College Distinguished Service Award 1998
• Suffolk Community College Distinguished Service Award 1997
• Man of the Year, Suffolk County Police Athletic League 1996

REFERENCES

• Robert Strumor Esq., Attorney, Santa Fe, NM
• Gerald Lotto Esq., Attorney, Bohemia, New York
• Edward Matthews, former Commissioner of Parks, St. Luci County, F

GOLF COURSE PLANNING MANAGEMENT & SAFETY EXPERIENCE

Edward Wankel has been a park and recreation professional for over thirty five years. During his thirty five-year career, he has taken a special interest in the game of golf and has made numerous contributions to promote the game, expand public golf opportunities, and improve existing facilities, as well as providing new facilities for the public golfer as follows:

• Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation from April 1995 to January 1, 1999.
• U.S. Open 2002

Edward Wankel was the primary player for the State of New York in the solicitation and negotiation OF THE CONTRACT with the USGA to bring the U.S. Open to Bethpage Black in 2002.

On August 20, 1996, the USGA and Governor George Pataki announced that the U.S. Open championship would be contested on the legendary Black Course in 2002. Under Mr. Wankel’s direction the Black Course was completely restored during 1997/98 and was reopened to the public on June 10, 1998. The restoration plan was prepared by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones and all work completed by the USGA at no cost to the State of New York. Mr. Wankel ensured that the historic nature of the course was preserved and the original features of A.W Tillinghast’s 1934 design restored for future generations of golfers to marvel at. His concern for the needs of the public golfer was reflected in his insistence that all tee boxes be restored during the Black Course restoration, not just the championship tees. As a result, the public golfer has been given a U.S. Open course with recreational features golfers of every ability can enjoy.

Golfers with Special Needs

During 1998, under Mr. Wankel’s direction, new golf professional contracts were awarded at Sunken Meadow and Bethpage Park golf facilities. Mr. Wankel made sure that those new contracts had clear provisions for the inclusion of junior golf programs and opportunities for women, minority and physically challenged golfers. He introduced golf cars at Sunken Meadow for the first time, and expanded cart access at Bethpage to include the Green Course and made provisions for carts for the physically challenged.

Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for Suffolk County, New York

As Commissioner, Edward Wankel was responsible for the development of a public/private partnership for the restoration and revitalization of the Bergen Point Country Club in Babylon, New York.

Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for the Town of Islip

When Mr. Wankel was appointed first as deputy commissioner in 1973, there were no public golf courses owned and operated by the Town of Islip. When he left as commissioner of the department in 1992 to take a new position in Suffolk County, Islip had three public courses, primarily due to the efforts of Edward Wankel.

Brentwood Country Club

The Town of Islip with the encouragement of Mr. Wankel purchased Brentwood Country Club in 1973. He then went on to oversee the renovation of the course and its ancillary facilities and opened it to the public in 1974.

Gull Haven Golf Course

Gull Haven Golf Course is a nine-hole facility that was once part of the Central Islip State Hospital.

When the Town of Islip first took over this facility, it was part of the New York Institute of Technology’s holdings. Under the guidance of Mr. Wankel, the Town of Islip operated Gull Haven under a management agreement. Now Gull Haven is owned and operated by the Town of Islip Department of Parks, and has been preserved for the public golfers as the result of Mr. Wankel’s earlier efforts.

Holbrook Country Club

In 1986, Mr. Wankel recognized that the demand for golf in the Town of Islip could not be met by the existing facilities.

In 1987, Mr. Wankel started a process that resulted in the construction of a new eighteen-hole championship golf course known as the Holbrook Country Club. P.J. Cowan, the winner of the 1997 and 1998 New York State Open Championships, calls Holbrook Country Club his home course. This course Opened to the public in the spring of 1992, shortly after Mr. Wankel left for his new position in Suffolk County.

General Information

1.  Golf Course Safety Expert – Mr. Wankel has been recognized as an expert in golf course safety since 1990 and has testified on a number of significant cases in Virginia, New Jersey and New York.
2. Mr. Wankel was the chairperson of the New York State Statewide Golf Committee, which oversees the operation of twenty-three New York State golf courses from 1995 – 1998. He was responsible for safety at all of these courses.
3. Mr. Wankel was an active member of the MGA public golf committee and has been a presenter at a number of meetings of this committee concerning public/private partnerships and golf course safety for over a decade.
4. Mr. Wankel had been a member of the tournament committee for the MGA for the 15 years.
5. Mr. Wankel has initiated a number of golf course safety programs at public facilities at all of Suffolk County, New York’s golf courses.

Mr. Wankel has been a volunteer at the following major golfing events:

• 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills as a Marshall
• 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills as a Marshall
• 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional – Future Sites Committee
• 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot at the Leader Board
• 1998 U.S. Open at Olympic-Future Sites Committee
• 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst – Future Sites Committee
• 2000 U. S. Open at Pebble Beach – Marshall 6/14/00
• 2001 U.S. OPEN at Southern Hills – Escort
• 2001 LIGHTPATH Senior Open – Walking Scorer
• 2002 U.S Open Bethpage Black Course
• 2013 US Women’s Open at Sabonack CC, Southampton, NY
• 2013 Walker Cup at Sabonack CC, Southampton, NY, worked for golf
  Channel

Mr. Wankel was a consultant to the DeLalio family during the construction of their golf course in Shoreham known as Tallgrass. In this capacity, he prepared an analysis of safety issues for this new course. As the former manager of Poxabogue Golf Center, through his former company, Long Island Golf Management Inc., he has developed.
Numerous golf instruction programs including clinics for all age groups and Junior Golf Camps for children ages six through 13 years old. (2004 – 2012)

At Poxabogue Golf Center Mr. Wankel maintained, managed and operated a seventy (75) position Golf Driving Range and Teaching
Facility.

anaged Tallgrass Country Club from 2004 thru 2010.