Matt Morse founded our company in 1997, making simple golf course markers. He first heard of recycled plastic in 1996 through a mutual friend. Out golfing one day, he picked up a recycled plastic marker and took a closer look. He thought it was wood from a distance. The more he learned about the material, asking around and reading about it, the more he realized it was ideal for outdoor furnishings on a golf course. It was the novel material that would prove to be the seed for a company he would grow to be a worldwide manufacturer.

Passion, drive and possibilities were fuel for the startup, then named Great Lakes Golf Course Products. The company started out primarily making small, on-course accessories but Morse knew that was just the start. He began envisioning a wider breadth of coordinating property furnishings, pioneering a new space the company would come to define in the golf world. The team manufactured and sold direct out of facilities smaller than 1000 sq. ft. in Nashotah, Wisconsin for a short while and then North Prairie. We made local deliveries from time to time, always with a smile (as well as set of golf clubs) and still do today.

Quickly outgrowing our space, the company moved to Delafield, WI. There we knocked down a wall every couple of years, literally and figuratively, expanding our workspace and growing as a team. “We either succeed or fail in the shop.” Matt Morse would share at company meetings, fostering a quality-oriented culture. The sentiment still rings true in our work.

Having sold to countless non-golf businesses and institutions, it became apparent that other markets presented genuine opportunities for growth and diversification. In 2000, Great Lakes Specialty Products was created to serve Corporate, Park & Recreation, Education, Government and Foodservice markets. This division was later rebranded as Max-R, highlighting its use of maximum recycled content material and its focus on customized recycling bins.

By 2007, the company had once again outgrown its facility but also the regional name. Upon moving operations to Oconomowoc, WI, Great Lakes Golf Course Products legally became Prestwick Golf Group. By this time, we had worked with a majority of the top courses in the country and had gained a good deal of experience serving the hospitality industry in addition to the core golf market. By natural extension, Prestwick Limited was born as the sister brand to the golf division and the company’s gateway to the hospitality market. What began with a simple golf course marker, grew to become a portfolio of brands, known as The Prestwick Group. The company has since shipped over $150 million in manufactured product to 57 countries and counting.

Finally, in the Fall of 2009, Prestwick’s operations were relocated to Sussex, WI. Here a “lean” culture truly took hold, centered around adding value and economy of movement. The 60,000 sq. ft. facility is now equipped with state-of-the-art tools maximizing throughput and efficiency. With smart processes and a great team over 100 strong, Prestwick is driven to achieve sustainable growth through a customer-centric working philosophy.