Affinity Management is a boutique professional management firm specializing in club management. Affinity has worked with clubs in 24 states since 1997 and deliberately maintains a small client list so its most senior people can impact every club. Affinity prides itself on customizing creative solutions rather than employing cookie-cutter programs.
“These are golf guys with management skills that have a more effective understanding of private clubs and membership issues, a strength that Course Owners and Club Board Members need today more than ever.”
- B. Johnson, President, Reveille, Inc.
Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, Affinity is very involved in Musket Ridge’s operations with a managing director on-site virtually every week.
“Many talk about being a country club for a day, but few do it. Our goal at Musket Ridge is to make our customers feel special. This applies to golfers, brides, and even someone just in for a beer and sandwich. If we deliver a bad experience I want to know about it, so we can make it right and prevent it happening again.”
- David Swales, Managing Director
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Affinity is also proud to have organized the Mac McDonald Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament that raised over $750,000 for the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital with the help of celebrities like John Grisham, Johnny Holliday, Howie Long and Bob Rotella.
Damon DeVito, Managing Director
Considered a leading authority on membership marketing and club issues, Damon co-founded Affinity in 1997. He has an MBA from the Darden School, where he was named the Samuel Forrest Hyde Scholar, and a BA & BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to Darden, Damon was a consultant with the Boston-based strategic consulting firm Corporate Decisions, Inc. (now part of Mercer), focusing on growth strategies and management issues for Fortune 500 companies.
David R. Swales, Managing Director
Prior to co-founding Affinity, David managed a number of golf clubs and hospitality businesses, including several fine European hotels and the prestigious Wentworth Club in England. As Club Manager, David oversaw all operations for the exclusive private club for 3,000 Members including three championship golf courses, an executive course, twenty guest rooms, and twenty-four tennis courts. David acted as a liaison to tournament representatives for events including the annual Volvo PGA Championship and World Match Play. During David’s tenure at Wentworth the Club’s Head Touring Professional was seven-time Ryder Cup player and twice Captain Bernard Gallacher. Laura Ashley founder Sir Bernard Ashley subsequently recruited David to Keswick Club in Virginia where he and Damon DeVito paired to increase membership tenfold in three years in the sixth most saturated market in the US.