When did you start playing golf and who was the person that influenced you the most? I’ve been golfing as long as I can remember, starting around age 5. My Dad influenced me the most, as he taught me how to play and helped me fall in love with the game.

Best Round and where? 67 at The Meadows of Sixmile Creek in Waunakee, WI. A great track that I worked at from 2008-2015.

What would be your dream foresome? I would caddie for my Dad and have him golf with Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Three players that have dominated the game in their eras, and I would love to see them all play side by side.

What is your favorite golf tip and why? I like teaching people about the golf grip and how simple it is to make a very small change in the placement of your left hand (I like the visual cue of seeing 0, 1, 2 or 3 knuckles on your left hand at address) and see a noticeable difference in the outcome of your shots, especially for controlling direction. I love this tip because it’s simple and it’s a pre-swing thought. You can still swing the same way as before and see immediate results.

Your most indispensable piece of equipment? My Callaway Epic Sub Zero driver. I’ve always been erratic off the tee, but I’m able to keep this club pretty straight, which has been a real game changer for me in 2017!

What is the largest misconception the public has about the golf industry or the PGA professional? There is definitely a misconception about the role of the PGA Professional at a golf facility. Many people think that a PGA Professional fills most of his/her time with teaching and playing the game of golf. While there are some positions that fit that description, the majority of PGA Professionals are wearing many hats at work as they do things like managing staff, budgeting, financial reporting, marketing, business planning, event sales, membership sales, golf cart fleet management, retail store management, and more.

Craziest thing you have done to try to improve your game and did it work? When I was in high school, I got into a phase of wanting the ball teed very high. I couldn’t find extra long tees in a store at the time, so I would take golf pencils, remove the erasers from them, and use them as tees. While I hit some really good drives with the high “tees”, I also popped up quite a few, so it didn’t really help my game. After a season of doing that, I realized that no PGA Tour players were teeing their ball that high, so I should probably learn how to hit it the right way.

What are some ways you, as a PGA professional help grow the game of golf? I grow the game through my involvement with the Wisconsin PGA as a member of the board of directors and chair of the Wisconsin Assistant Golf Professionals Association, through promoting instruction and player development programs at SentryWorld, and through sharing my love for the game of golf with one person at a time as I meet new people and discuss my career and my passion with them.

Awards or special notes of interest in the industry? 2004 Acushnet PGA Apprentice Scholarship winner, 2011 Golf Course Owners of Wisconsin Leadership Award, and 2017 Wisconsin PGA Horton Smith Award.

What interests or hobbies do you have away from the course? I enjoy spending time with my three children, playing guitar, discovering new music and new artists, and running an event management software company that I started with my Dad, called EventPro360.