I graduated from Doniphan-Trumbull High School located between Hastings and Grand Island, NE in May of 2003. In the Fall of 2003, I was taking classes at UNL geared towards a bachelor's degree in Professional Golf Management before the program was actually an approved degree!
I chose to get a "taste" of as many sides of the golf business as possible through my internships to help me decide what avenue I wanted to push my career. My first internship was at Crooked Creek Golf Club as a shop assistant. I feel this internship taught me a lot about running a busy public course with an even busier league play schedule.
My next internship involved working with the Nebraska Section of the PGA here in Lincoln. I worked closely with Bruce Lubach helping him and the section in planning and running the Pepsi Junior Tour and working the various section qualifying events and tournaments. It was great to experience the administrative side of the PGA by working in the Nebraska Section PGA office under Bruce.
I followed this internship next at Yankee Hill Country Club as an assistant to the Food and Beverage Manager. I learned the ins and outs of running a restaurant for a private membership and planning weddings & events for the public.
My last internship in Lincoln was a combo at Jim Ager Memorial. I worked part time in the golf shop, part time teaching individual lessons and junior clinics, and part time on the maintenance crew. I would wake up at 4 am to mow greens, rake bunkers, cut new cups, etc. Then around noon change clothes, grab a bite to eat, and teach lessons or work in the shop until close. My 4ish years in Lincoln taught me a lot about the golf business.
I was fortunate enough to meet my wife Kathryn "Kassy" during my time at UNL and she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. When we graduated, we needed to make a decision on whether to stay or go. She needed to continue her education in a graduate program and I needed to do a few more months of internship to officially complete my PGM degree. We finished schooling at UNL in December, got married on April 19th and moved to Fort Collins Colorado on April 21st (no honeymoon). I had started my last internship at Ptarmigan Country Club in Fort Collins that January before getting married and moving. I would drive out to Colorado and work for 2 weeks then drive back to Lincoln to work for the PGM program for 2 weeks and prepare for my wedding. I did this until we officially moved at the end of April.
I worked at Ptarmigan Country Club for 4 seasons as an assistant. I loved my job, loved the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, loved the membership, but was working under a younger head professional. So I knew I needed to make a change to continue to my growth and development.
I decided to buy GolfTEC in Fort Collins with fellow PGMer Brad Thorberg. Together we have grown ourselves as professional coaches as well as our GolfTEC business year after year. We continued to grow even through the latest recession! I have to give some credit to the GolfTEC system. Learning to teach using video, 3d motion, and launch monitor data changed my world as a PGA Professional.
I also attained my TPI certification as well as my high school coaching certification during my time with GolfTEC. GolfTEC truly is the leader in golf instruction and very soon I feel will carry a similar title in custom club fitting. Coming in 2018 we will introduce our own proprietary fitting software, add more vendors, and create a partnership with a custom build shop allowing us to take fittings to the next level!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention my beautiful family. Kassy graduated from Denver University with a Master's degree in Social Work and currently works for St. Vrain Valley School District working with high need students. We gave birth to our first son, Kellen (6) in May 2011, second son, Parker (2) in February 2015, and our third son, Bodie (1) in August of 2016. Everyone is happy, healthy, and loving Colorado with all of its beauty.
It sure doesn't seem like it was 10 years ago since being in Lincoln fulltime. As the saying goes, "Time flies when you're havin fun"!
Go Big Red from Colorado!
More details at: https://pgm.unl.edu