Sit with Patrick Manning for a few minutes and it’s clear he’s surveying each room he sits in, looking to see what pieces can be improved and reworked. The managing partner of Black Desert Resort, which this week is hosting the inaugural Black Desert Championship, Manning is a real estate development veteran, with more than three decades of experience and somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 billion in real estate sales under his belt.
This week’s event has proven a big success, as the Tom Weiskopf-designed course, which sits against a stunning backdrop in Southern Utah, has proved perfect for TV, with the red rocks and jagged cliffs offering a dramatic disparity from the green grasses and foliage of the high desert.
Golfweek got a chance to sit down with Manning, who is looking to push the envelope when it comes to player experience at the fledgling resort, and is interested in developing the region around St. George.
Black Desert: Leaderboard