Unlike many professional golfers whose parents groomed them from a young age to be the next Tiger Woods, my mother was simply looking for something to keep her 11 year-old son busy for the summer of 1991. So she signed me up for a summer community ed program. The local golf pro thought I had a very natural swing for an 11 year-old and took me under his wing. I went on to play on my high school golf team but basketball was my first love, and besides, girls didn’t come to watch golf matches.
It wasn’t till college that I really started to take golf seriously. My dream of playing college basketball wasn’t materializing. Maybe I was looking for solace, but during the summer of 2001 something “clicked” and my love of the game blossomed. That summer I literally hit 400 golf balls a day, six days a week. My rapid improvement only fueled my newfound love of the game. I decided that I wanted to make a career out of golf. I knew that my game wasn’t polished enough for the PGA Tour so I chose what I thought to be the next best thing, a club pro. I graduated from the PGA academy and earned my Class A PGA Professional status in 2005 and settled in to what I thought would be a lifetime position as a club professional. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to get competitive golf out of my craw. I’ve even asked God to take away my desire to compete. Nothing has worked. In the meantime, my game keeps getting better and I keep moving up in the state rankings.
In 2010, two things converged to send me on my present trajectory. I was downsized at work and at the same time several business professionals and golf enthusiasts who have played with me expressed interest in helping me raise the capital to pursue my dream.
When I evaluate my position realistically, I see a steady improvement in my game every year. My desire to compete at the highest level on the PGA Tour is stronger than ever. However, to hone my game to that level I need to be able to practice and compete on a full time basis. I honestly believe that I have the talent and potential to have a successful career on the PGA Tour.
My Family
I started hanging out with Cara when we were both 15. We were both athletes and that was part of the attraction. No one thought it would last but we married in 2000. In the long run our mutual love of sports makes my run to the tour plausible. Being a huge sports fan herself, Cara is my biggest fan and is eager to support my quest.
There are a lot of young single guys out there trying to play their way onto the tour and I’ve been asked if having a family is an impediment. In reality, my family keeps me grounded. I love golf but I love my family more. At the end of the day, golf is a game and if you forget that, your passion can turn to consumption and lead to early burnout. There’s a long list of golfers who’ve learned that lesson the hard way.
