The Pete Dye Golf Club has been around for nearly three decades. The course initially opened in July of 1993 with the front nine in play and by the fall of 1994 the back nine was open.

 

It would be 1995 when the first full season began. Since that time, a lot has changed.

 

The original owners are gone, in fact, multiple owners have shown up and departed. Even the course’s namesake, the legendary Pete Dye, has passed away.

 

As for anyone left that is original, one person remains standing. And even that person’s days are now officially numbered.

 

Recently, Donna Baldini Mitchell announced she would be stepping down as her role as general manager of the course. It is a title she has held for several course owners, including current owner Randy Buzzo, and a title she has held for 13 years.

 

To hold it that long, under so many owners, is impressive. To know where she got started at with the course makes this story even more impressive.

 

“I started at the inception,” said Mitchell. “When I first started, I was a golf shop attendant. I was folding shirts, dusting, and fixing displays and doing those type of things to get my foot in the door.”

 

Her foot would soon be followed by the rest of the body. She morphed into different responsibilities, different job descriptions doing, as she said, “a little bit of everything.” Eventually, she became in charge of everything and for the past 13 years she has served as the general manager.

 

While Pete Dye is technically not in Bridgeport, it is associated with Bridgeport. When shown on the Golf Channel or in national magazines, it is almost exclusively referred to as being in Bridgeport, which is not a bad thing considering the course’s glowing national and, yes, worldwide reputation.

 

The person leading the charge and making sure everyone kept coming back and wanting to come back? That would be Donna Baldini Mitchell; the homegrown product at Bridgeport High School graduate who managed to be all business in her job and spread it equally with kindness and personality that had made her a hit with the members – many she has known since day one.

 

They have become, as she said, a second family. Like any family, leaving it for a new future is not always an easy thing to do. The decision to leave was compounded by the bonds made over decades of work making sure every detail was correct so that every moment at the entirety that is the Pete Dye Golf Club was special.

 

“I’ve never had to make a decision this important or crucial or even life changing. This decision to leave met all of those criteria,” said Mitchell.

 

As expected, after 27 years, it was not an easy decision to make.

 

“There was definitely stress and anxiety. There were conversations with my family just to see what would be for all of us and myself,” said Mitchell. “As much as I love what I do, it’s definitely taxing at time. When you’re running a business of this magnitude, you’re essentially on call 24/7. I didn’t mind because it was important in my position to make sure the club and the members were taken care of all the time, but it is a lot of work.”

 

Rewarding work. And as mentioned above, it was because those members she has taken care of knew they were being taken care of and treated her with the same respect she treated them with.

 

“Honestly, those members are part of my extended family if for no other reason the amount of time I’ve spent there, but it’s more than that,” she said. “They were there to congratulate me when I first graduated from college. They watched me get married, they watched me pregnant and have two children. At the same time as I’m growing, I watching members have their own kids and grandkids and we’re sharing that experience together.

 

“You build a bond like that with so many people where you share life experiences and it is exactly what you have with a family,” she continued. “To leave that made the decision extremely difficult.”

 

When she leaves, which will be this coming Friday, Feb. 5, she will not be leaving a mess for someone to fix. Instead, Mitchell leaves behind a facility that is still considered among the nation’s best.

 

“The course today is absolutely phenomenal, and every resource that comes in through the club is put back into it with the support of our owner,” she said. “We want this to remain nationally ranked and that commitment will continue after I’m gone.”

 

The new commitment will come with a new chapter on the job front that she is not sure yet holds for her. The new commitment will also come with a refreshed chapter with her family.

 

“Time with my family is at the forefront,” said Mitchell.

 

She is married to Daniel Mitchell. The couple have three children, son Jack, daughter Emma, and stepdaughter Jordan. I should note she is the stepmother to the same young lady I am stepfather to, and I have watched up close and personal too many times to recall what an absolutely wonderful person inside and out Donna Mitchell is with those kids and her husband.

 

Of course, she is the daughter of Don and Margaret Baldini. And if anyone knows her parents, they know quite well she gets the goodness and hardworking mentality honestly.

 

One thing Donna Mitchell knows is she is the last one of the original people to be inside the property lines on Aaron Smith Drive to be there.

 

“I am the last one. We did have a superintendent, Gary Grandstaff, who retired two years ago, but was working prior to the opening who may have been there longer,” said Mitchell. “I do know I am the last to go. It is just time.”

 

At peace with a difficult decision, Mitchell is excited to see what the future holds in the place she has always called home.

 

“As much as I’m looking forward to time with my family, I’m looking forward to see what our great community and surrounding communities have to offer,” she said. “The growth I see is so promising. I can’t wait to see what’s out there for me.”

 

If Karma is real, what is out there is what you deserve. An even better life with a happy ending.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Donna Baldini Mitchell inside the Pete Dye Golf Club, while bottom photo shows her with her family. From left are daughters Jordan and Emma, husband Daniel, Donna, and son Jack. Photos courtesy of Donna Mitchell.