Sandpines Golf Links

Meet The Team

Meet The Team: Accounting – Shannon Battraw

by

Shannon has been an absolute key player (pun intended!) in our operations since new ownership took a stronghold in late 2024 at Sandpines Golf Links. A superhero, there is nothing Shannon can’t do!

A pro at reading the greens, Shannon is incredible at everything she does. Learn a little bit more about Shannon & how she got here:

“I began working when I was 16 years old in Seattle for a men’s necktie/dress sock manufacturing company. During the 15+ years I was there, I had the opportunity to learn all facets of accounting: started off filing; left as Controller. While working there full-time, I earned my BA in Business Administration which took me 10 years to accomplish! I knew I had a passion for balancing books and finding those pennies! Thanks Mom!

I would meet my husband, Robert, in 2005 on an annual family trip to Reno. I was living in Washington, and he was living in Texas. I would uproot and move to Texas, and we would marry in 2007. We left Texas, moved to Washington and then moved back to Texas for his job relocation. Upon his retirement, we shipped our things, filled our vehicles and headed West, driving for four days. We settled in Florence 2019 with our beloved Doberman, Abby.

I’ve always worked in the private sector for manufacturing companies. When an opportunity arose to work at FGL, I would find myself in new territory working directly with the public using a Point-of-Sale system! I would begin at the front desk, checking customers in and meeting amazing people.

Once the new owners purchased the course in November 2024, there was an opportunity for me to once again utilize my accounting skills. I still love interacting with customers, so you will find me behind the counter a few days of the week; in addition to maintaining the daily accounting functions.

For over 30 years now, I have been participating in the same football pool. Luck has been on my side a few times…wink, wink. We are Seahawks fans! I like listening to 70s music and working in my yard. I enjoy having my family visit from Washington and exploring new places with them. I also have had the pleasure of running the ladies Thursday group for a few years now. Robert and I both enjoy playing golf. Over the years, we have met so many wonderful people that have become great friends.

Finally, if I have provided each of you with the best possible customer experience while visiting FGL; then, I have met my personal goal.”

Shannon Battraw

Accounting

Meet The Team: Director of Golf – Nik Remer

by

Everyone knows and loves our Director of Golf, Nik!

Nik has a history that runs deep with Sandpines Golf Links, and we are so very lucky to have him as the face of our operations!

A wealth of knowledge, learn more about Nik’s journey (back) to Sandpines & Florence:

“I was born in Oregon, but my childhood was far from typical. My entrepreneurial parents moved frequently, and by the time I was 12, I had already lived in Oregon, Hawaii, California, Nevada, and back to Oregon.

In 1991, we settled here in Florence, where I discovered my passion for golf. At the time, my family had just opened The Westward Ho! Paddle boat business, which kept my parents busy, leaving me searching for something to do. My dad, an avid golfer with a single-digit handicap, was eager to introduce me to the game. I spent my summer at Ocean Dunes Golf Links, where the golf pro, Vern Smith, took me under his wing. In exchange for cleaning carts and picking balls on the range, I had free access to the course and early instruction from Vern, which set me on the right path with my swing.

By 1993, I was playing on my high school’s state championship golf team and working my first paying job at Sandpines Golf Club, a new course in Florence. I was hired as a cart kid under Jim Skaugstad, the first golf professional at Sandpines. Over the next few years, I balanced high school, golf, and working at the course. My game progressed to the point where I earned a spot in the 1996 U.S. Junior Amateur in Flagstaff, Arizona, and received a golf scholarship to Portland State University.

After college, I took a job at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, where I spent four summers at their Ghost Creek course. There, I started the PGA program and learned to teach from top instructors such as Jerry Mowlds, Verne Perry, Bruce Furman, and Christopher Smith. It was at Pumpkin Ridge, mentored by Ben Hay and Dylan Campy, where I discovered my love for teaching golf.

In the winters, I spent time in Indian Wells, California, at a private club called The Reserve and eventually moved to La Quinta full-time in 2003. The Coachella Valley, with over 120 golf courses and perfect weather, became my new home. I earned a position as an assistant golf pro at Bermuda Dunes Country Club, a prestigious club where over the next 10 years I was able to become a PGA member, advance through the ranks, and host the Bob Hope Classic for many years. Over that time I got married, became a father, and was promoted all the way to Director of Golf. I grew in my career and life, but my passion for teaching and helping others improve their game remained constant.

In 2014, when my daughter Violet turned 3, the desire to raise our family in Oregon grew stronger. Unfortunately, the catalyst for our move was a cancer diagnosis for both my father and father-in-law within six months of each other. Christina and I decided to move back to Florence in 2015 to be closer to family. During the next few years, I worked for my in-laws at the Oregon Home Center. We welcomed our son Mikey into the world, and spent a winter in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, as the Director of Instruction at Querencia Golf Club.

In 2018, I heard that Sandpines Golf Club had been sold and renamed Florence Golf Links. I sent the new owners a letter, hoping for an opportunity to return to my roots. I shared my experience in the golf industry and expressed my love for raising a family in Florence. In June of 2019, I was hired as the General Manager and Head Professional at Florence Golf Links. Coming back to the course where my golf career began has been one of my proudest moments. It is why I was so thrilled to be able to contribute to the restart of the Siuslaw high school golf program after it had been gone over a decade! 

Over the past five years, our family’s connection to Florence has deepened. We settled into our forever home, adopted a golden retriever named Caramel and a German Shepherd named Chai, and now have two cats, 10 chickens, and a 5-foot ball python named Uni. Christina has been the middle school art teacher for several years, and both kids thrive in school, enjoy the performing arts, sports, and love their hometown.

Today, I’m incredibly grateful for the journey that brought me full circle. I am excited to share my passion for golf through our community’s youth programs. Watching my own children, Violet and Mikey, grow in the game, along with other young golfers, is incredibly rewarding. My love for golf, my family, and my community have shaped who I am and it’s very fulfilling to be able to give back to a sport and community that has meant so much to me throughout my life.”

Nik Remer

Director of Golf, Florence Golf Links

PGA Member

Meet The Team: Superintendent – David Roath

by

Meet the keeper of Sandpines’ greens! For every time you compliment the course’s play, David is who we have to thank!

“My journey to Oregon began in 1985 when I left the bustling San Francisco Bay Area to attend Oregon State University (Go Beavers!). Little did I know that this decision would shape not only my professional life but also my deep passion for golf.

Golf has been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. Since 1989, I’ve maintained a single-digit handicap, and the game has always been at the heart of everything I do. While finishing my studies at OSU, I worked part-time as a golf shop attendant and greenkeeper at Trysting Tree Golf Club. This hands-on experience in golf course maintenance only deepened my love for the sport and planted the seeds (pun intended) for what would become my career.

After earning my Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, I made my way to Portland, where I got married, started a family, and continued to pursue my golf dreams by playing in amateur events all over Oregon. I spent 10 years in sales and sales management, gaining valuable experience that would serve me in future roles. However, as my daughters were growing up in the late 1990s, I felt the pull to return to my true passion: golf.

In 2000, with my daughters still quite young, I returned to Oregon State University to pursue a Post-Baccalaureate Bachelor of Science degree in Turf and Landscape Management. It was a pivotal decision that allowed me to merge my love for the game with my professional aspirations. By 2002, I had earned my second degree and was ready to take the next step in my career.

I accepted the Assistant Superintendent position at Trysting Tree, the same golf course where I had worked during my college days. At the same time, our family grew with the birth of my son. I had the opportunity to help Trysting Tree host a US Open qualifier in 2004, and I was incredibly proud of the excellent playing surfaces we were able to present for that prestigious event. The very next day, I received an offer to work at Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon, where I helped maintain the Meadow Course until 2011.

After a brief stint managing a landscape company, I returned to golf course maintenance, taking on roles at Tetherow (2014-2017) and Pronghorn (2017-2021). Each stop along the way helped me hone my skills and build a deeper understanding of the intricacies of turf management and course conditioning. Finally, in March 2021, I took on the role of Golf Course Superintendent at Florence Golf Links on the central Oregon coast.

Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by a simple goal: to create the best playing conditions possible. As both a turf manager and a golfer, I want to make golf courses that I’d love to play on—greens that are smooth and consistent, fairways and approaches that are firm with plenty of roll, and rough that provides a challenge. While it hasn’t always been easy, we’re getting closer to achieving those ideal conditions at Florence Golf Links. As we continue to improve the rough and bunkers, I find myself even more eager to play golf this year, as I can truly see the fruits of our labor coming together.

Family has always been central to my life. My children grew up in Central Oregon, all of them graduating from Bend Senior High School. Erin, now 27, is a real estate agent with Sotheby’s in Bend. Kylee, 25, is in the biotech industry in San Diego. And my youngest, Alexander, at 21, is currently a junior in Engineering at Oregon State University—he’s following in my footsteps, although his passion seems to lie in a different field.

Looking back on the years since I first arrived in Oregon, it’s clear that my journey has been shaped by a combination of passion, family, and a relentless drive to create great golf experiences. With each year that passes, I’m reminded of how fortunate I am to be doing what I love and to have shared this journey with my family. Whether it’s on the golf course or in the turf management world, my passion for the game and for helping others enjoy it remains as strong as ever.

When I’m not on the course making sure your green pace is the best it can be, you can find me on the hunt for the best food Florence has to offer, checking out the local competition, building memories with friends and family, or traveling to find warmer/drier climates—especially during winter. 😉

I’m excited for my next chapter, filled with more golf, more improvements to Florence Golf Links, and more memories with family – mine & yours!”

David Roath

Superintendent