The Paulson Story
Casey Paulson is a luxury real estate, operations, and development executive with more than 30 years of experience leading elite private golf clubs and resort communities. He currently serves as Project President of Driftwood Golf & Ranch Club, a premier 850-acre Hill Country community, as well as Regional Vice President of Operations for Discovery Land Company, supporting projects across South and Southwestern regions.
Paulson has spent more than two decades with Discovery Land Company and previously served as Project President of Silo Ridge Field Club in New York’s Hudson Valley, overseeing development and operations. Prior to that, he was General Manager and COO of Vaquero Club, one of Texas’s premier private club communities.
He is also the Co-Founder and former President of Bluejack National, home to the first US golf course designed by Tiger Woods; the club was named Golf Inc. Development of the Year (2015) and Golf Digest’s Best New Course (2016). Paulson is a Class A PGA Professional, the 2014 North Texas PGA Section Professional of the Year, and a Certified Club Manager who has competed at both collegiate and professional levels, including qualifying for the 2012 PGA Professional National Championship.
The Paulson Journey
I fell in love with golf as a teenager. I played in high school and college and never really thought about a career where golf wasn’t the focus. Now, that has certainly taken some incredible twists and turns. I get to do many different things every day that are far removed from running tournaments and giving lesson — but golf remains the central theme.
It was such an incredible honor to join Discovery Land Company as the first Director of Golf at Kuki’o in 2002. I was able to shape the culture of our golf and club services throughout the company. There were several young golf professionals who I was able to lead and mentor during this period who now have key senior management roles within Discovery, and I am very proud of that, and certainly of them.
In those early days, I was able to spend considerable personal time with Discovery founder and chairman, Mike Meldman, which was critical to my understanding of the real estate side of our business and how we provide a true luxury experience, delivered in a relaxed and deeply personal way to our members.
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You wake up in the morning — what’s the driving passion?
I wake up every day excited about my job. As my mentor Brent “Mr. B” Buckman said, “We get to do for work what we do for fun!” Creating meaningful, personalized experiences for our members is a responsibility we take seriously, from everyday moments to major milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, and celebrations.
We focus on listening closely and finding ways to make each experience special.
What was the genesis for the project at Driftwood?
Mike’s (Meldman) vision for Driftwood Golf & Ranch Club was to create a private, legacy community that honors the natural beauty and agricultural heritage of the Texas Hill Country while delivering a world-class club experience.
The concept centered on preserving the land first — integrating vineyards, wide-open green space, and native landscape into a thoughtfully planned residential community anchored by a championship golf course designed by Tom Fazio.
The genesis was simple: create a place where families could gather, connect to the outdoors, and enjoy an elevated yet relaxed lifestyle just outside of Austin.
When someone hears the words “a Discovery project,” what should come to mind?
Being a part of Discovery is a lifestyle and community experience. Members will enjoy a wide range of luxury amenities, including state-of-the-art hospitality through culinary experiences, clubhouses, spas, fitness centers, kids’ adventure centers, and family-friendly activities; a variety of sports engagement opportunities; and outdoor activities such as golfing, hiking, biking, and fishing.
Discovery projects are famous for being built around families where multiple generations can spend time together.
What makes the Austin market so compelling from a golf perspective?
The Texas Hill Country’s natural beauty, rolling landscape, and proximity to Austin make it an ideal setting for Discovery’s residential club model.
Driftwood offers the brand’s signature high-touch hospitality in a market where members can live full-time while enjoying the privacy of an 800-acre gated setting—featuring vineyard views and a Tom Fazio golf course—with easy access to the city’s strong economy, culture, and long-term real estate appeal.
In describing the Driftwood member – who is that exactly?
A defining aspect of Driftwood is that most members live there full-time. The community is built around connection, family, and consistency, with a focus on multi-generational engagement.
It’s designed as a place to live, grow, and belong—offering a full lifestyle for all stages of life, not just golfers.
Given your background on the ground floor of several different golf projects for Discovery, what’s the most important lesson learned?
Our members are truly special in that they value experience and connection above all else. We prioritize delivering physical amenities – i.e., the golf course, the clubhouse, etc. – but what members really want is conversation, camaraderie, and community.
We pride ourselves on creating memories at any stage of the project, even if that is with an airstream and a BBQ as our “tools,” instead of the big clubhouse and fancy kitchen members will enjoy in the future.
Discovery is noted for customer service and feedback, respectively. Define both terms and how Driftwood succeeds in doing so.
Across all Discovery properties, customer service is highly personalized, anticipatory, and relationship driven. At Driftwood, this means knowing members by name, understanding their families, and curating experiences around how they live day-to-day.
Unlike traditional country clubs, Driftwood operates as an extension of home. Whether it’s arranging unique and memorable experiences or handling those nitty-gritty details, our experienced team will handle the small stuff so members can focus on the memorable moments.
Real estate: How many homes are on property and where do matters stand with sales currently?
Driftwood features 318 homesites across the property, with members able to choose from a range of residential options including Villas, Cabins, Bungalows, Duplexes, and Custom Estates. The majority of members have made Driftwood their primary residence, reflecting the club’s strong appeal as a full-time lifestyle community rather than a seasonal destination.
What amenities can members look forward to that are yet to be developed?
Driftwood’s 38,950-square-foot golf clubhouse is under construction and will become a central gathering place.
It will feature men’s and women’s locker areas with lounges, saunas, steam rooms, and bars, plus a signature restaurant, indoor and outdoor bars, a private dining room, and patios with floor-to-ceiling views of the course’s scenic finishing holes.
Architect Tom Fazio has been the primary designer for the various Discovery projects. What elevates his work and what specific attributes make Driftwood so compelling for the design it provides?
Driftwood Golf & Ranch Club is anchored by a championship 18-hole Tom Fazio golf course that winds through rolling hills, limestone outcroppings, century-old oaks, and preserved wetlands.
Four back-nine holes feature water elements, while dramatic finishing holes deliver a memorable, competitive experience. A three-acre short game park offers practice for all skill levels.
The Sunrise and Sunset Comfort Stations offer scenic views and curated local snacks, enhancing the daily golf experience.
If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally – what would it be and why?
Bifurcation is top of mind for me, but I question who it truly serves. Golf’s magic lies in allowing weekend players to use the same equipment as pros like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, creating a shared experience across all levels.
As Titleist says, golf is aspirational and works best when equipment and rules are unified—and I couldn’t agree more.
Best advice you ever received — what was it and who was it from?
If I had to distill the best advice I ever received down to one idea, from a business standpoint, it might just be this: before you do anything else, make sure everyone around you can see the vision so clearly that they would fight for it even without you in the room.
Alan Mulally built one of the greatest turnarounds in American business history on that principle, and the more I have led teams and launched clubs, the more I understand why. A vision nobody believes in is just a plan.
A vision everybody believes in is a movement. We formally “re-adopted” a mission, vision, and values at Discovery over the last few years, and all the emphasis is on people and relationships, respecting and treating everyone great. It is an easy vision to get behind at Driftwood and at Discovery.
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