July 8, 2026
038 From Dish Pit to GM: Lorencio Di Gregorio’s Whitewater Journey
<p>In this episode of The AceCall.ai Podcast, we sit down with Lorencio Di Gregorio, General Manager and Financial Controller of Whitewater Golf Club in Thunder Bay, Ontario.</p><p>Lorencio brings a unique perspective to club leadership. Whitewater is not only a semi-private golf facility—it is also a family-run business where Lorencio has worked in nearly every department, starting in the dish pit at age 11 and eventually moving through turf maintenance, back shop, food and beverage, events, administration, finance, and general management.</p><p>With a CPA background and deep operational experience, Lorencio offers a grounded look at what it takes to run a large semi-private club that serves members, daily fee golfers, weddings, tournaments, banquets, and the broader Thunder Bay community.</p><p>We dig into the challenge of balancing two identities at once: providing members with a strong sense of belonging, priority, and club culture, while still making public players and event guests feel welcomed and valued. Lorencio shares how Whitewater manages tee sheet access, member communication, event calendars, pace of play expectations, and high-service hospitality without letting one side of the business overwhelm the others.</p><p>We also explore how AI is beginning to enter the day-to-day reality of golf club operations—from email writing and newsletters to meeting notes, themed events, data analysis, member preferences, turf management, and future customer service opportunities.</p><p>What you’ll learn:<br>✅ How Lorencio went from working in the dish pit to leading Whitewater Golf Club</p><p>✅ Why semi-private clubs need a clear identity and consistent service philosophy</p><p>✅ How Whitewater balances members, public play, weddings, tournaments, and corporate events</p><p>✅ Why communication is critical when members feel pressure from non-member traffic</p><p>✅ How to protect a member-first culture while still growing outside revenue streams</p><p>✅ Why pace of play expectations need to be reset as clubs become busier</p><p>✅ How small staff-member details create a true sense of belonging</p><p>✅ Where Whitewater is already experimenting with AI in content, meetings, and event execution</p><p>✅ How AI could support turf management, member personalization, accounting, and golfer experience</p><p>✅ Why technology should help staff create more human moments—not remove the human side of hospitality</p><p>If you’re a GM, owner, operator, board member, department leader, or future club leader trying to balance member expectations, public access, events, staffing, communication, and technology, this episode offers practical insight from someone who has seen the business from the ground up.</p><p>🎧 Listen now—and subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of golf club leadership, operations, member experience, hospitality, innovation, and AI.</p><p>#WhitewaterGolfClub #ThunderBayGolf #SemiPrivateGolf #GolfClubManagement #GolfOperations #MemberExperience #GolfHospitality #AIForGolf #VoiceAI #TheAceCallAIPodcast #AceCallAI</p>
