Claude Thorn

General Manager

claude@fhcc.club 

Claude moved to Statesboro in June of 2021 to become a part of the FHCC family as the General Manager of the Club. Claude is originally from the small town of Riverdale, located just south of Atlanta, Georgia. He launched his professional career in the Professional Golfers Association of America as an Assistant Golf Professional at Flat Creek Club in Peachtree City, GA, then moved to Capital City Club in Atlanta, followed by several years as the Head Golf Professional at Houston Lake Country Club in Perry, GA. Claude then moved into the administrative arena as a Regional Accountant for two different golf management companies. In 2002, he became the General Manger at Polo Golf & Country Club in Cumming, GA. Claude married his passion for hospitality with his love for golf and has been managing Clubs since.

Claude majored in Finance at Clayton State College and Ministry at Atlanta Christian College. He is a 4DX Certified Manager, Class A member of the PGA, serves on the Board of Directors for RowKids International, is a Foster and Adoptive parent, and attends First Baptist Church of Statesboro.

Claude’s beautiful wife Debbie is retired as the Middle School Principal and Assistant Headmaster of Hilton Head Christian Academy. Claude and Debbie are the proud parents of two boys and two girls and grandparents to three girls. Claude loves his new and hopefully last home saying, “I wish I had been able to grow up in Statesboro. We are fortunate to be able to live, work, play and serve in the Bulloch County area.”

Walt Garvin

Director of Golf

walt@fhcc.club 

Walt has been the Director of Golf since August 1, 2000. He started his golf professional career at Forest Heights in 1994 as he was finishing his business degree from Georgia Southern University. In 1997, Walt moved to Sea Island to become an assistant professional at Ocean Forest Golf Club. During this time, he was elected into membership of the PGA of America.

He has won multiple PGA awards throughout his career including Chapter Professional of the Year, Chapter Junior Golf Leader of the Year and the Georgia Section PGA Professional Development Award. He served on the Georgia Section Board of Directors from 2002 – 2005. He played golf at Mercer University from 1989 – 1991. He transferred to Georgia Southern and was on the GSU team from 1991- 1993.

Walt is married to Elizabeth Raulston Garvin and they have two children, Mary Banks and Griffin.

Drew Pittman

Head Golf Professional

dpittmanpga@yahoo.com 

Drew came to Forest Heights Country Club in June 2015 as the Head Golf Professional. He grew up in nearby Vidalia, Georgia, and in 1984, came to Statesboro to attend Georgia Southern University where he majored in finance and played on the golf team. He would later become the Men’s Golf Coach at GSU from 1994-1997. After graduation, Drew became a PGA of America member. He was the Head Golf Professional/General Manager at Twin City Country Club in Sandersville/ Tennille.

Drew returned to Statesboro in 2003 and became the Head Golf Professional at Southern Links Golf Club. He later worked for the Canongate Golf Group in the Peachtree City area and Okefenokee Country Club in Blackshear. After coming back to Statesboro, he ran Hackers Golf Park for 5 years before coming to Forest Heights.

Last year Drew became a member of the PGA of America Quarter Century Club. He comes from a family of golf professionals, with his dad, Andy and sister, Kelly Pittman Gilley being PGA Members as well. Drew’s beautiful wife, Charanne is the Nurse Practitioner/ owner of Juve Integrative Medicine and Wellness in Statesboro’s West District. Drew and Charanne are the proud parents of five children. They enjoy life in Statesboro and look forward to many more years in this wonderful community.

Joe Glisson

Golf Course Superintendent

joe@fhcc.club

Joe, a native of Statesboro, Georgia, kickstarted his career at Forest Heights Country Club alongside Steve Collins in 1995. Transitioning to Willow Lake Country Club in Metter, he served as Superintendent from 2003 to 2016. In 2019. Joe seized the opportunity to return to where it all began at Forest Heights. An active member of the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association for several years, Joe resides in Statesboro with his wife, Kristen, and their children, Mackenzie. Reese and JD.

Joe has the reputation of the guy who can fix anything. He puts his heart and soul to any task at hand and once he puts his mind to something you can rest assured, he will figure it out. In his spare time, he has been known to tinker with rebuilding cars and most recently rebuilt a ’66 Ford Truck that the family fondly refers to as “Old Blue”. However, it’s his children that are his pride and joy. His oldest daughter, Mackenzie, received her undergraduate degree from UGA and went on to receive her Master of Science in Nursing degree with a concentration in Clinical Nurse Leader. She is currently working as a RN at East Georgia Medical Center Women’s Pavilion. His middle child, Reese, is the receptionist here at FHCC. She is currently in her sophomore year of undergraduate to earn her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education She finds joy in keeping her father straight at work and at home. His youngest son, JD, is a sophomore at Southeast Bulloch High School and an avid soccer player. Most weekends you can find Joe at a soccer field cheering for JD, but in the fall he will be somewhere he can watch the Bulldogs! Although he begged each of his children to take up golf when they were young, all three of them just recently took up an interest in playing, so you may begin to see Joe more on the course with a golf club in hand.

Joe looks forward to a long career at FHCC and continuing to make the course a place members can be proud of.

John Smith

Golf Instructor

johnls65@hotmail.com 

John L Smith works as a golf instructor at the Teaching Center of Forest Heights Country Club. With a long-standing affiliation with FHCC, John and his wife Robin, who serves as the Events & Service Manager at FHCC, hold a deep affection for the Club and its members.

Married since 1995, John and Robin have two wonderful children and four lovely grandchildren. John was raised in Waycross, Georgia, and attended Southwood School, engaging in various sports. Influenced by his father, JL Smith, who is also a member at FHCC, John and his brothers, Taylor, Hank and Robert all shared a deep love for sports. John, Taylor, and Hank all went on to play golf professionally.

After high school, John pursued his education at Georgia College in Milledgeville, excelling as a soccer player and achieving All-American honors as a goalkeeper. He later transitioned to Augusta State to join the golf team. Following his academic journey, John embarked on a professional golf career, competing on various tours for 33 years. He also gained experience as an assistant golf pro and head golf pro before traveling with the PGA Tour as a caddie and golf instructor. After retiring from professional golf, John devoted himself to full-time teaching and has amassed a large group of students since the opening of the FHCC Teaching Center.

In his free time, John enjoys playing tennis, tending to his yard, music and spending time with his wife and family. He feels very fortunate to have made many friends throughout all the years he has been affiliated with FHCC and looks forward to building many more lasting friendships here.

Will Herrington

Food & Beverage Manager

will@fhcc.club

Will is an award-winning executive chef with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Will grew up in Statesboro and got his start at Forest Heights Country Club after attending culinary school in Nashville, Tennessee. Since then, he has worked at some outstanding restaurants and venues in Athens, Nashville, Winter Park, Florida, and Savannah. Will is married to Haley who is the Director of Children’s Ministries at Statesboro First United Methodist Church. They have two handsome boys, Lynwood and Wilson.

Robin Smith

Events & Service Manager

robin@fhcc.club 

Robin serves as the Events & Service Manager in the Food & Beverage Department at Forest Heights. She has been part of the FHCC team since 2015. Her husband, John, works as a golf instructor at FHCC’s Teaching Center.

Robin has two children, Kayla and Joseph, and four grandchildren, Aubrey, Amelia, Eli and Ali. Robin cherishes spending quality time with her family. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading, cooking, gardening and bird watching (especially hummingbirds).

Before joining FHCC, Robin accompanied her husband, John, during his professional golf career and PGA Tour caddying stints. She also worked for the Darrell Survey company which monitors weekly apparel and golf equipment used by PGA tour players. Traveling with the PGA Tour was a fulfilling experience for Robin, allowing her to explore various locations worldwide and forge lasting friendships with players and their families.

Recognized as FHCC’s “Jack of all trades,” Robin adeptly handles a range of responsibilities daily and holds a deep affection for Forest Heights Country Club as well as its members and her co-workers.

Savannah Carter

Fitness Manager

savannah@fhcc.club 

Savannah Carter has a master of Science in Kinesiology and certification as an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist. She offers personal training and group exercise instruction. Savannah has over a decade of training experience. She holds two degrees in kinesiology and has a background in college athletics, fueling her strong dedication to health. What began as a personal journey to wellness has transformed into a mission to inspire others. Helping individuals regain their health gives her immense purpose and joy daily. While she has worked with diverse clients, ranging from athletes to the elderly, Savannah finds the most fulfillment in assisting those striving for better health. She is happily married to Clayton Carter and they recently celebrated the arrival of their baby boy, Shep.

Jacob Mitchell

Director of Tennis

jacob@fhcc.club 

Jacob Mitchell was born and raised in Vidalia, GA. He began playing tennis at 9 years old and continued playing tournaments until he was 17 years old and committed to play college tennis at Georgia Southern University. From there he would spend the next four years playing alongside the best team he could have ever wished for.

Jacob’s coaching career began in 2018, when he started working summer camps and giving private lessons at the Riverside Academy in Sandy Springs while he was there training. From then on, Jacob spent the summers in Sandy Springs continuing his coaching through the end of his college career. During his senior year, Jacob was dealing with some injuries, so began working with the Men’s Tennis Team as an assistant coach. The team won the regular season Sunbelt conference championship for the first time in history that year, something Jacob is grateful to have been a part of.

Jacob was hired as the Director of Tennis in February of 2024, and has enjoyed getting to know all of the members and continuing the great tennis culture that has been building here. He looks forward to many great years at Forest Heights.

Melody Giberson

Pool Manager

melodygiberson@gmail.com 

Melody Giberson was born and raised in Peachtree Corners, Georgia which is about 20 minutes east of Atlanta. She joined the FHCC family in May of 2024 as the pool manager for the summer. Melody has done competitive swimming her entire life which is what brought her to Statesboro. She was recruited to compete during her college career at Georgia Southern University. She joined the swim and dive team in the fall of 2020 and just finished her swimming career in the Spring of 2024 after four years with the program.

Melody majors in computer science at Georgia Southern. She has been a lifeguard for three years and is Red Cross certified. Additionally, she has provided coaching for group and private swimming lessons for approximately six years.

Reese Glisson

Receptionist

reese@fhcc.club 

Reese is the receptionist at Forest Heights She joined the FHCC team in 2022 as a server where she developed a love for the members and the club. In 2024 she began assisting in the front office on a part time basis which quickly transitioned into a full-time role.

Reese was born and raised in Statesboro where she spent a large part of her childhood on a golf course. Her time was not necessarily spent playing golf, but more as a sidekick to her dad and any lifeguard on duty. Her love for the water has continued and she still enjoys spending time at the pool with friends and running off to the beach every chance she gets. Reese is a family girl, loves to laugh and finds the fun in any situation.

Reese began her work career in babysitting the way many kids do, but it quickly became obvious to Reese and her parents that she had a special knack of bonding with children in a way where they respected her but also had fun with her. She felt this was her calling which led her to the decision to become a teacher. She is now in her 2nd year of college to earn her degree in teaching. Her previous experience has taught her how to handle fast paced environments and take control of situations to accomplish goals set before her.

She may be small, but she is mighty, and her personality is even bigger. She never meets a stranger and enjoys talking to people. She has a way of making people feel instantly comfortable. When Reese is around there is no stranger to be found. She looks forward to continuing to get to know and serve the members of FHCC.