AUSTIN MILLER - Nebraska PGA
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AUSTIN MILLER 6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152 (402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org January 6th, 2022 Nebraska Section PGA 610 J Street Suite 10 Lincoln, NE 68508 Special Awards Selection Committee, It is with excitement that I am accepting my nomination for the 2021 Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award. Having been nominated on a couple of occasions, it was a goal of mine to exceed what I accomplished in prior seasons and compete for this award once again. Being recognized in a section as successful as Nebraska with the plethora of talented professionals, is an honor. The camaraderie among the professionals in this section and the willingness of the section staff to help with any questions or concerns, I believe, makes it second to none. Winning this award would be a true testament to not only my hard work throughout the season, but the outstanding individuals I am lucky to work both with, and for, at OCC. My connection to the game of golf started with playing the game in my hometown of Sidney, NE. It wasn’t until freshman year of high school that I even stepped foot on a golf course and I instantly felt at home. What simply started as something to keep me busy during the spring turned into a summer job and from there, my career path. After two years of playing competitively at Southeast Community College I decided to transfer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and enroll in the PGA Golf Management program. The internships I was fortunate to experience at The Broadmoor, Country Club of Lincoln, and Desert Forest Golf Club helped me to narrow the sector of the golf business I felt I would be the most successful, the private sector. I consider myself extremely lucky to be in my current position at OCC. OCC has grown my passion for working in this business and is a place that in four full seasons has had a tremendous impact on me and is reflected in the passion I put into my work. I want to give special thanks to both Tony Pesavento and Dominick Mitchum. The ability to work under and learn from these two is a privilege. Each year at the club I have been given a lot more responsibilities and opportunity to show what I can do. This includes; running and managing both our Pee Wee golf and Junior golf programs, running Men’s League, managing the outside staff, expanded responsibilities in all of our events, and approval of a Certified JR program proposal I put together in 2020. I am very proud of what I accomplished this season and believe I am a deserving recipient of this award. Thank you to each and every one of you for your time and consideration and service to our section. Sincerely, Austin J Miller
AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
MEN’S LEAGUE
• Men’s league at the club has probably had the most changes from a layout and participation standpoint during
my 4 full seasons at OCC.
• Previous format:
• Sign up on a weekly format as individuals. Golf shop would make the pairings and change the format for a 9
hole 5:30 shotgun.
• While we used this format we would have our regulars that would sign up every single week but participation
would be pretty stagnant (roughly 12-24) every week.
• For the season in 2020 I overhauled the format and envisioned a league with set 2 man teams who would play
every single week.
• Signups were very successful and in our first year had 48 players every week for the 5 week regular season.
• Last year we kept the momentum moving forward and got to 60 players every week keeping the same 5 week
regular season schedule.
• Initially the plan was to have a shotgun each week and gather after. Covid forced us to adjust both seasons and
we started the matches with tee times off of 1 and 10 every week starting at 5:00.
• The format for both seasons is a “Member-Guest” format. Meaning we flight teams based on average index
into flights of 6. During the regular season each team plays 5 9-hole matches against other teams in the flight
for 1 point per hole (2-man BB match play) with individual gross and net skins. At the conclusion of the
regular season, the top 3 teams in each flight earn a portion of the payout.
• For the playoffs, 3 separate brackets are made based on how teams finished the regular season. Gold, Silver,
and Bronze brackets. Gold bracket-1st and 2nd place teams in each flight, silver bracket-3rd and 4th place teams
in each flight, and bronze bracket-5th and 6th place teams in each flight.
• Teams within the brackets are seeded by points scored over the season and play the same format for each
bracketed match. At the conclusion of the playoffs, the winner of the gold bracket is crowned the champion of
league.
• New logos for 2021 that was incorporated on cards, cart signs, and all digital communications:
•
• 2021 Champions Tim Goodnight and Ryan Wade also received a boxing style robe, medals with the
Champion’s only logo, and an automatic invite to our club’s Ryder Cup event.
• For the upcoming season we are anticipating a full field with 36 teams returning to a shotgun start of all 72
players 6 flights on the front and back 9 every Tuesday evening at 5:30.AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
SATURDAY FIRST TEE GAMES AND MAXWELL CUP
• One of the first things that I was trusted with at OCC was the running of our Saturday First Tee Games.
• The first tee games take place on every non-event Saturday mornings starting on Men’s Opening Day and
concluding the Saturday before the Maxwell Cup.
• Entry is OPTIONAL for every member who tees off at 12:00 or earlier. The entry fee is $25 per player. Of
that entry, $20 is paid out in shop credit each week and $5 is put into the Maxwell Cup season ending pot.
• Saturday First Tee is a way to keep the members engaged on a “normal” Saturday and the Maxwell Cup is our
way of rewarding those who support the events every single week.
• The operating procedure for a first tee event starts on Friday. I will go through and pick an event, they are
always random format and can be individual, 2-person, or 4-some games. Next, I create the event in Golf
Genius on the assumption that every eligible member will play in the event.
• In the morning, I confirm that nothing changed with the tee times or groups, update handicaps, and print
scorecards.
• Since it is optional I have to speak with each and every group prior to teeing off and distribute their cards.
The leaderboard is always displayed live downstairs in the locker room so members can see the results as the
late morning tee times are coming in.
• The factor that links the first tee games to the Maxwell Cup is the point tracking. Members receive 1 point for
participating in each event and 2 points if they finish in the money. I created a point tracking allocation table
in golf genius based exactly off of our purse distribution for the event. The top 25 point earners are the only
ones who are eligible for the Maxwell Cup season pot.
• 2021 numbers: Maxwell Pot: $4800 (shop credit paid out to individual low net), total participants: 960, and
avg participants /week: 55.
FOUNDERS CUP
• Founders Cup is our member’s version of the Ryder Cup. Much like the Maxwell Cup, participation in club
events is how points are earned and the top earners are invited to participate.
• In addition to points, the winners of major club events (Member/Member, Member/Guest, League, etc.)
earn automatic invites. Inevitably as some cannot commit, we continue down the list.
• Teams are captained by Tony and Dom so it is my responsibility to run the event while they are playing with
and captaining their respective teams of 15.
• Format is 36 holes on Saturday (Foursomes and Four Ball), followed by singles on Sunday. All matches are
worth 1 point.AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
MEN’S GOLF
• Similar to most operations, men’s golf is where the bulk of our events and programming fall under. We
have league, major events, weekly events, and season long events.
• Below I will lay out all of the men’s events that I had a big part in running and operating in 2021.
MEMBER-MEMBER (SAM REYNOLDS)
• Our member-member tournament is named after Sam Reynolds who was a very influential member at the
club in addition to serving as a senator. Sam Reynolds won seven Nebraska State Amateur Championships –
1912, 1914, 1916, 1919, 1922, 1923 and 1926. In addition, was the runner-up on four other occasions.
• In 2021 we had a total of 56 teams (112 players) and was formatted as follows:
• Day 1: Practice Round – 12:30 shotgun start – format is 2-Man BB with Individual Gross and Net Skins
(optional cash entry fee for practice round)
• Day 2: Round 1 – Tee times starting at 8:00 AM – 2 -Man BB
• Day 3: Rounds 2 & 3 – Tee times (leaders off last) – Front 9 Total Quota and Back 9 Total Net
• The biggest difference for our event in 2021 was the optional betting. We as a staff ran the entire horse races
for day 1, day 2, and overall ourselves. The 56 teams were split into four equal races based on team handicap.
• In the past, an accounting firm was hired to run this for us. By running the races ourselves, it allowed us to
pay out more money to the members since the fee that the firm took ate a big chunk of the overall money. All
of the betting was done via software so members were emailed a receipt with their wager instead of having to
keep track of tickets and submit them like in the past. This allowed extreme accuracy in payouts and a digital
record to the minute.
MEMBER-GUEST (THE INVITATIONAL)
• For the second year in a row, this time because of the Senior Open, we were forced to host The Invitational in
the fall, rather than its normal date over Father’s Day weekend.
• Another huge change, due to the popularity of the event, was expanding the field from 60 to 72 teams. This
presented numerous challenges, most noticeably staff being back in high school and college at the time.
Another challenge was daylight with the championship shootout finishing 10 minutes before darkness.
• The format is 2 Man BB match play within their flight. They play 5 matches against everyone in the flight for 1
point per hole. The flight winners and 2 highest scoring teams who didn’t win their flight advance to the
championship shootout. The winner of the championship shootout is crowned champion.AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
LADIES’ GOLF
• Along with Junior Golf, it is the ladies’ golf programming that has undergone the most drastic changes from
my first year at the club. It has been Dom and I’s mission, along with some of the biggest supporters and
participants, to make it more engaging and fun for the ladies of the club. We are doing this through leagues,
events, and clinics.
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY LADIES LEAGUE
• We have two main sections of ladies golf at the club. Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings. All
participants must pay the OCC Ladies Golf Association dues.
• The biggest difference in these two are Tuesday mornings are for more of our serious golfers who decide
whether they want to play 9 holes or 18 holes. Each week the format is different and they play an event with
flag prizes and a prize fund each week. Players on Tuesday mornings have the sheet blocked off for them and
are the only members who can access those tee times. They put together their own groups or join in when
others have openings.
• Thursday evenings are targeted more for beginners and those who don’t have a work schedule conducive to
playing on a weekday morning. They sign up in groups or as individuals and are placed in groups and assigned
a tee time. Each group arrives 30 minutes prior to their tee time and receives instruction from Dom and
myself. We focus on a new thing each week and work with each and every one of the ladies across the season.
Each group of 4 receives 20 minutes of instruction and then has 10 minutes to get ready and to the tee box for
their time.
• The Thursday group has no event, no format, and no set number of holes in which they have to play. They go
and play as many holes as they want and most choose a scramble format to play fast and have the most fun.
Signups really exploded in 2020 with about 16 women every Thursday evening and sustained in 2021. We let
the ladies sign up for every week that works for them and the signups are open the week prior.
LADIES GUEST DAY
• One event that has continued to grow in popularity is guest day. This is our ladies’ version of Member-Guest
and gives us a chance to host an event that our members can be proud to show off the club to their guests.
• We had 64 players sign up and they choose if they want to play 9 or 18 holes. The biggest challenge is having
two shotguns in which they get done at the same time for lunch and awards. The format for 2021 was a step-
aside scramble and each participant was given a nice gift in addition to a prize fund.AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
JUNIOR GOLF / PEE WEE GOLF
• The junior golf program at OCC has far been my biggest task and the thing that I have had the biggest
footprint on in my time at the club. It has changed dramatically since I arrived and attendance has set new
highs each and every season.
• We know as an industry that junior golf is so important because it helps create lifelong players and that is
something I am trying to do with my programming at the club. I’ll start this section discussing our biggest
program which is our Friday morning juniors (ages 7-15), I will also touch on Pee Wee golf (ages 4-6), and
our first year competing in PGA Jr. League.
• Junior signups hit an all-time high for Fridays with 124 golfers committed to come every single week. Each
week all of the kids received, in groups of 8, 20 minutes of instruction with myself and the other assistants
before heading out to play 9 holes. They teed off in foursomes off the front and the back beginning at 8 am
and the last tee time at 10:30 am.
• Instead of playing from random yardages or just from the front tees, every junior was enrolled in Operation
36 and started playing from 25 yards away. Each and every Friday they were given a chance to accelerate
through and move back like the program is structured. Outside of their set times with a parent they could also
pass these yardages using the app.
• Each group was assigned a forecaddie each week who ensured play from the right tees and was the scorekeeper
for the group.
• Week #6 served as the tournament week and a boys and girls champion and runner up from each yardage
division was crowned.
PEE WEE GOLF
• Pee Wee golf is designed to give the basic movements and instruction for those who are just too young to be
in regular Friday golf.
• Pee Wee golf is on Thursday mornings lasting an hour. They are split into four equal groups and rotate
every 15 minutes to a new drill. Drills all use snag equipment as well as non-golf equipment like a cornhole
set and soccer balls to develop touch and how the slope on the ground effects the ball.
• Signups were at an all-time high in 2021. A lot of new young members and no Pee Wee golf in 2020 were a
big factor we were able to have 56 juniors every Thursday morning.
JUNIOR LEAGUE
• 2021 marked the first year I coached a JR league team at the club. Parents have been asking for a replacement
for Team Golf and this was the option I chose. I started small with a team of 8 to see how it all worked and
parents loved how small the events were and how much faster they played.
• Moving forward I am anticipating larger teams and more events for them to choose from.AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
OUTSIDE SUPERVISION
• OCC’s golf operation varies slightly from what I would call “normal” assistant duties. On a day-to-day basis
I spend most of my time outside of the shop running the outside operation. It is one of my responsibilities to
be the first point of contact for a member or a guest when they arrive at OCC. In 2021, with the exception of
one person, we had a brand new outside staff so I was entrusted with the responsibility of training these new
employees and getting them up to speed with the operation.
LEADERSHIP/TRAINING
• With it being my fourth season in a role where leadership is not only expected, but required, I once again
learned a great deal about leadership and all the things involved in it.
• Finding ways to gain the respect of men and women, all with mixed experience in the business and both
younger/older than myself was the first challenge I faced.
• The first step for being a good leader was learning absolutely as much as possible about the operation. This
included learning the member’s names, preferences, and anticipating what questions the staff may have.
• Leading by example is the most natural form of leadership for myself and something I found effective when I
was learning from my mentors. Always being outside greeting members by name and running through the
parking lot to grab their clubs helped to reinforce habits that we wanted the whole outside operation to
develop throughout the season.
• Another key in running efficiently as an operation is communication. We wear radios at all times and are
constantly talking to each other and whoever is in the golf shop so that we are all on the same page.
• Being patient and understanding is a must when it comes to the training aspect of the job. Since we don’t
have a formal training program, I am expected to explain what we expect, give examples of the best way to do
it, and give them the opportunity to meet our expectations.
• Leadership is something that can always be improved, in the coming seasons I want to keep finding ways to
improve my techniques in reaching those I am expected to lead so I can help make sure OCC provides
outstanding service to our members and their guests.
• 2021 was the first year since arriving at the club where I was able to hire and bring on outside staff that I
chose. It was my first time going through the interview process and finding people that I felt would fit into the
job and help us improve the operation.AUSTIN MILLER
6900 Country Club Rd | Omaha, NE 68152
(402) 571-7470 | amiller@omahacc.org
PURSE DISTRIBUTION CALCULATOR FOR EVENTS
• Below is a screenshot of the spreadsheet I designed in early 2021 to make figuring our payouts as easy as
putting it in one cell of a spreadsheet. You can also see the payout allocation table we use for all of our
events:
• While this seems small, I find myself using this for every single event with a payout. It saves me an
extraordinary amount of time and with it down to the cent, I no longer need to round and keep adjusting
payouts as I go. I simply plug the total purse in the cell, click enter, and all the payouts are done based on
the number of spots we are paying out for a given event. This allows me to have the payouts done before the
event is wrapped up and have them ready to present immediately after scoring the last card.Nebraska PGA Special Awards Committee I am writing this to endorse Austin Miller, PGA, for the 2021 Nebraska PGA Assistant Professional Award. Austin has been the First Assistant Professional at Omaha Country Club the past four seasons. He plays an integral role in all phases of the golf operation – tournaments, outside service, merchandise, women’s golf, club fitting, caddie program, men’s league, overall member services, etc. He does a great job in all phases. Austin has many positive professional attributes: • Great work ethic • Very organized and detail oriented • Always working to become more educated in the golf industry • Team player • Eager to help Austin has many positive personal attributes: • Honest • Great communication skills • Enthusiastic • Friendly and willing to help • Kind I hope you will give serious consideration for Austin Miller, PGA, to be the 2021 Nebraska PGA Assistant Professional Award winner. Respectfully, Tony Pesavento
To whom it may concern,
I would like to recommend Austin Miller for the Assistant Golf Professional of the Year. His
leadership, service, and inspiration are at the paramount of his profession. Austin works tirelessly to
improve the game of golf at OCC. His daily efforts have helped grow the game of golf and specifically
the participation of the game. No task is too big or small—from greeting members and guests as they
arrive to running and organizing different events—Austin always leaves an impact on the things that he
does.
One of the things that sticks out to me is Austin’s management of the Junior Golf program at
OCC. As the membership at OCC has grown, Austin has helped grow the Junior Golf program by double
the participation when he initially started. In having a son that takes lessons from Austin, I can tell you
he makes an impact on the minds of the youth in the game. My son will always ask me to video him
while golfing so he can show Austin later. The great thing about Austin, is that he actually watches these
30 second videos and keeps encouraging my son to embrace his love of the game. This impact is
immense on the growth of the game in the future and is a joy to witness.
Another event that Austin has had an impact on is Tuesday night Men’s league. Having been a
member at OCC for 8 years I have seen a lot in Men’s league. Austin has taken over and caused the
participation to grow from 16 members a week to over 60. His attention to detail and his
encouragement of members to get uncomfortable and play with new people and other members is
growing the game of golf. He has orchestrated golf league to be an event every Tuesday with a 9-hole
round of golf, dinner, and separate prizes. Even when corvid hit he worked around this and switched
from a shotgun start to Tee Times and made sure members were comfortable playing the game.
In closing, I feel that Austin is an exemplary example of what a golf professional should be. He
loves the game of golf and he embraces the game of golf. He tries to help other find their love of the
game. This helps grow the sport. Austin is at the top of his craft and I feel he is deserving of this award.
Sincerely,
Joe NiedereeJanuary 6, 2022 Mr. Gil Russell, PGA Special Awards Selection Committee Nebraska Section PGA 610 J Street, Suite 10 Lincoln, NE 68508 Dear Mr. Russell and Committee Members, I am writing this letter on behalf of Austin Miller who has been nominated for Assistant Golf Professional in the Nebraska Section of the PGA. I am honored to be writing this letter on behalf of Austin as he has been an integral part of my children’s youth golf experience. We have had a close relationship with him since he arrived at Omaha Country Club in May of 2018. I feel that he is very deserving of this award and would love to share with you some of his amazing qualities. First of all, Austin is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. He is always the first one I see around the club and the last one to leave. He works tirelessly for all members of the club, but especially for the youth. When he arrived at the club there weren’t very many programs offered for the youth and it felt more like a babysitting service. Over the past 4 summers he has continually improved the program and implemented more individualized teaching opportunities with smaller groups of kids. These opportunities are not only full of valuable teaching moments to improve their game, but he has created an environment that is competitive and most importantly fun! I’ve watched the competitive spirit come out in all of the kids (even my non-golfer) loves her weekly lessons and always striving to do her very best. One of my favorite things that Austin implemented is a course on golf rules and etiquette. He created an outstanding PowerPoint that he uses to teach all participants before each golf season. This is mainly used for the youth and women at the club, but would be beneficial for all members. You can never have enough golf knowledge. These are life lessons not only for the game of golf, but more importantly in everyday life and being successful members of society. Golf is a multigenerational game that you’ll be able to enjoy for years to come and I love that Austin is instilling that in them so young. Above all, Austin is a wonderful role model and someone everyone in my family looks up to. His drive to better himself as a golf professional is shared by few in the industry. He’s willing to seek advice when needed and willing to be vulnerable. I have personally seen Austin’s growth both professionally and personally over the years. He is truly a remarkable golf professional, he is honest, approachable, smart, available, patient, and has the highest integrity. Thank you for taking the time to read my recommendation and if there is any further information that I may provide to assist your selection, please don't hesitate to ask. Sincerely, Amanda Dana OCC Member amanda.dana@hotmail.com
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