FROM THE DIRECTOR - Methodist University
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Where lives are changed,
careers begin, and service
NEWSLETTER
before self is taught. Fall 2020
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Greetings from the Director’s Office of the MU PGA Golf Management Program – it’s
been an interesting and very exciting start to the school year given our country’s continued
battle with the invisible enemy, Covid-19. Our students have been on campus, some sent off
campus, some in isolation, and some in quarantine. And now, those that were sent home are
able to return, while others have chosen to study remotely. Something I never thought would
happen after 20+ years in education. However, two sayings have become readily apparent to
me during this challenging time:
1) “You can teach an old dog new tricks!” John Heywood (from his 16th century advice to
husbands) This staff has responded to the challenge of teaching on Zoom, remotely, in person, or in whatever form
or fashion is necessary. The staff is pulling it off on a daily basis. Of course there has been the occasional dropped
Zoom call, no volume during a presentation or the student caught napping as they “Zoom In” to class. Ah, to be 18-
22 years of age again and manage the rigors of college.
2) “In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into
something positive.” Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler - Never have I heard an ounce of doubt as to whether or
not we could pull off a quality offering for our students. The golf course looks great, the renovation a success, the
practice tee turf is better than ever and the faculty and staff continue to find ways for us to be better at what we do
each and every day! The goal of “continuous improvement” has not waivered, if anything it has been amplified and
intensified.
We are truly blessed to be at this University, working in this Program, with this staff and this group of students. It
will be a year and a time we will never forget.
On September 23rd we cut the ribbon and opened the new layout, allowing students to play the new holes 1 and 11
along with the new tees on holes 4, 7, 8 and 16. The initial feedback has been very positive and worth all the hard
work that has gone into the project by the
entire PGM and GCM staffs. As I write
today, we are preparing for the opening
PAT of the year which should have been
3 weeks ago. Oh well, roll with the
punches! Should be a fun weekend as
the students get their first real test on the
new Par 71, 6,370 yard PAT layout. Next
weekend the Men’s Team qualifying will
tackle the Monarch Tees at Par 71, 6,567
yards. Can’t wait to see the scores and
hear the feedback regarding the changes.
COVID or no COVID, let the season begin!
Stay tuned as we finish the fall semester – we will be installing the new clock on the practice tee, creating the
memorial garden around it and continuing to tackle some additional projects in and around the Player Center! Our
hope is to have an alumni event in the spring if conditions improve, so all can come back and see the changes – if
not we are shooting for Homecoming Fall 2021! Until then, keep your chin up, keep a smile on your face, be blessed
and join us in remembering the fond memories of spending time DOWNBACK!!
More Affordable Than You Think, More Valuable Than You Know.
Meet the MUGA Board of Directors
The mission of the Methodist University Golf Association is to advance the PGA Golf Management Program at
Methodist University through tournaments, events and educational opportunities while creating a community
that benefits future PGA Professionals.
All full-time day students enrolled in the Program at Methodist University are Members of the Association.
Members gain valuable experience and knowledge that will help them pursue their careers as college graduates
and future PGA Professionals. The Board of Directors are elected by the Members of the Association to lead all
MUGA efforts. Check out their happenings on Instagram @mupgagolfmgt.
President - Macrae Conrad, Senior
Degree: Marketing with a minor in Accounting
Hometown: New Holland, Ohio
Career Aspiration: Impact junior golfers through dedicated instruction and
purposeful mentorship
“I love the endless learning from the staff and students
Downback and the total immersion into golf ”
Vice President - Zane Brownrigg, Senior
Degree: Marketing
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Career Aspiration: Earn a position as a collegiate golf coach
“It’s not often a place has the energy and the beauty of DOWNBACK.
I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have that every time I walk over
the bridge and around the corner to the range.”
Secretary - Jack Hoover, Sophomore
Degree: Business Administration
Hometown: Columbus, Indiana
Career Aspiration: Advance to become a Head Professional
“My favorite part of Downback is the sense of retreat that you feel when
you walk across the bridge. Beyond the bridge is a tight-knit community of
people that are constantly working to improve their game.”
Treasurer - Jillian Drinkard, Junior
Degree: Business Administration
Hometown: Appomattox, Virginia
Career Aspiration: Earn a position as a collegiate women’s golf coach
“Downback is a fun environment where I can hang out with my friends while
practicing and playing the game I love. I can truly say that I have spent 80% of
my time Downback whether its for practice, to see my friends, to play in Monarch
Tours, or to get lessons from the most amazing professionals in golf. Either way, I
have continued to make memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.”
Majors Tournament Director - Robert Fletcher, Junior
Degree: Business Administration with a minor in Marketing
Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Career Aspiration: Lead a high-end private golf club as the Head Professional
“Downback is a get-a-way for PGM students. it brings a diverse
group of students together to work on the same common goal.”
Monarch Tour Director - Britney Tyndall, Junior
Degree: Business Administration with a minor in Management
Hometown: Currituck, North Carolina
Career Aspiration: Work for the United States Golf Association as a Rules Official
or for the PGA TOUR as a Tournament Director
“My favority part about Downback is the consistent
family-friendly environment”
Summer Internship Experiences
by Caroline Bryant, Junior
Intern at The Patterson Club in Fairfield, CT
At The Patterson Club I was able to run junior programs, assist in
merchandise operations, aid in tournament operations, and I was able
to learn from two Methodist Alumni, Dan Hemme ’16 and Sienna
Fucci ’18. My experience at The Patterson Club was amazing because
the staff was always encouraging and helped me whenever I was unsure
about something. The staff taught me many new things that I will be
able to take with me on my career journey and they are continually
helping me with my future positions. Overall, The Patterson Club is a
wonderful internship opportunity because the club has a terrific staff
that helps lead their interns to success. Caroline Bryant (left) with fellow student
Jillian Drinkard.
by Jack Hoover, Sophomore
Intern at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, IL
I cherished this experience and would recommend it to anyone interested in the North Shore area. While working
at Onwentsia I was able to witness how the Head Professional, Nick Papadakes, took a wild summer and made it
successful and memorable. I also had the privilege of
meeting and working with Claire Castetter ’17 and
Alex Watson ’19. This summer we started a kid’s
summer fest. The camp consisted of multiple stations
with a variety of fun activities. Nick showed me
the principles of a successful operation. Along with
this I was able to run a Nine, Wine, and Dine and
was able to assist with many more tournaments.
This was a great way for me to expand upon
my tournament operations experience. These
weren’t the only areas I was able to get hands on
experience. In addition, I was able to shadow two
of the Professional’s lessons to observe their teaching
methods. I walked away from this internship with a
great confidence in teaching and a greater passion
for tournament operations. This summer was an
Jack Hoover (right) working with the junior golfers at incredible experience!
Onwentsia
Wesley Manus, Senior
Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, NC
This experience was more than I could have hoped for in regards to growing
my knowledge and building upon the skills needed to become a successful
golf professional. I was able to split my time between our golf shop, teaching,
junior camps and outside operations. Being able to work under Director of
Golf Andrew Shuck ’95 will be something that I can take with me for the
rest of my career. Additionally, I was grateful to meet Nick Cannon ’09, and
work closely with Robby Bruns ’12. The staff constantly put me out of my
comfort zone to be able to learn and grow within myself during the whole
summer. Each member of the staff brought a wealth of knowledge that I was
able to learn from and utilize as a resource for each task given to me. I was
given the lead responsibility of running the outside operations as well as the
caddie program - a position that provided me with management experience.
Being able to learn these management skills along with communicating
responsibilities for our operation is a priceless opportunity as an intern. If
there was one piece of advice I could give to anyone in the Program, it would be to always accept tasks out of your
comfort zone and tackle them head on while utilizing the knowledge and experience of the staff around you. It was
a privilege to be able to work at such a prestigious and hands on learning environment like Charlotte Country Club.
Macrae Conrad, Senior
Country Club of Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
After a summer of junior golf at the Country Club of Birmingham in Alabama, I have no doubt as to my place in
the golf industry. Instructing, and more importantly mentoring, junior golfers has always been an interest of mine,
but this experience made it a passion. From my second week at the club to the moment I clocked out on my last day,
my focus was on sharing my love of the game with
the kids who came through the junior camps, PGA
Junior League, and the junior club championship.
Before I arrived, I knew I would be working with
hundreds of juniors, but I did not realize what that
looks like in practice; we were able to fill every camp,
take dozens of kids on the course each weekday,
break the record for participants in the junior club
championship, and see every junior walk off the
ninth or eighteenth green with a smile from ear
to ear. I developed my junior instruction, became
confident in my abilities as a teacher, expanded my
creativity in stations, and discovered my leadership
potential. I am thankful to the MU alums Eric
Eshleman ’09M, Aaron Croyle ’01, Chris Biggins
’14, and James Bruns’ 16 along with other members
of the staff at Birmingham for making me a part
of their team and to the parents who shared how
excited their children are about golf after working
Macrae Conrad posing with a few of his junior golfers with me.
at The Country Club of Birmingham.
Mr. Hogge is Calling You by Jerry Hogge As I sit down to pen my feeble thoughts about the many PGM graduates I have had the privilege to speak to during this COVID era, I am amazed at the many successes. There is countless success in the golf industry, the business world, family businesses, and starting your own business. Each of you have represented our PGA Golf Management Program well and you make me proud. Getting to catch up with some of you that I haven’t spoken to since graduation has been a true highlight. Your response to my request for support of the PGM Program has been generous and outstanding! If you have not heard from me, it is because a) your voicemail was full, b) you didn’t respond to your email or, c) I have not reached that point in the alphabet. I am currently in the “K’s”. Some of you are unable to give at this time and that’s okay – I am confident you will give back when you are able. I am pleased to report that 267 graduates have given for a collective total of $29,550. I personally thank each person listed below. My goal is to raise a minimum of $60,000 annually strictly to benefit the PGM Program. Thanks again for your support. Let’s fill up the Claret Jug! Christopher Abbott ‘17 Chris Biggins ’14 Alec Brown ’17 Jameson Collar ’17 Will Abee ‘11 Drew Billard ’17 Robert Browning ’98 Chad Collins ’01 Nathaniel Adelson ‘12 Shaun Bishop ’05 Robert Bruns ’12 Dan Colosi ’11 Davis Agnew ‘14 Brian William Bishop ’94 James Bruns ’16 Stephen Colt ’05 Leighann Albaugh ‘02 Jared Black ’09 Mike Buccerone ’95 Cody Conklin ’14 Travis Alfrey ‘96 Jordan Blais ’17 Tom Burick ’08 Christian Connelly ’17 Scott Allen ‘06 Nate Blanchette ’98 Duncan Burke ’00 Mike Connors ’05 Brian Alley ‘06 Kristina Blaylock ’89 Danielle Burns ’17 Thomas Cook ’17 David Anderson ‘06 Elizabeth Blomgren ’14 Aaron Burt ’95 Ron Cooke ’90 Holly Anderson ‘89 Drew Bohn ’97 Tom Burton ’15 Craig Coombes ’09 Billy Anderson ‘93 Tanice Bosanko ’99 Pete Butt ’99 John Coughlin ’97 Eric Angis ‘12 Brian Boss ’02 Brett Carman ’14 Jeff Crabbe ’02 Erick Arbe ‘04 Alex Bounan ’06 Kelsie Carralero ’14 Chad Crocker ’10 Daniel Arnold ‘02 Andrew Bourgoine ’07 Christopher Carrier ’11 Brian Cuppett ’92 Tyler Arnold ‘12 Nicholas Boutin ’08 Ryan Carroll ’10 Steven Daly ’11 Jeff Avant ‘96 Nick Bova ’07 Greg Carver ’08 Andrea Daly ’13 Kirk Baker ‘06 Matthew Bova ’09 James Casello ’11 Terry Davis ’01 Don Baldassare ‘12 Brent Bowen ’96 Daniel Castano ’16 Kyle Deas ’05 Aaron Balderston ‘01 Zack Brady ’10 Dakun Chang ’14 Logan Decarolis ’09 Andrew Banner ‘10 Chase Brannon ’07 Brian Chappell Craig Decato ’16 Nick Bardino ‘14 John Brautigam ’09 Jason Cherry ’91 Brent Deems ’09 Christopher Barnhart ‘97 Dale Briggs ’92 Barry Childress ’97 Nick DeFalco ’17 Peter Barron ‘98 Justin Bright ’05 Thomas Chipman ’97 Justin DeFont ’04 Corey Beelke ‘06 Joseph Brislin ’10 Greg Ciavarelli ’08 Nate DeGoede ’05 Jason Benko ‘03 Erick Brock ’94 Ed Francis Clark ’13 Aaron Dement ’02 Greg Benson ‘10 Michael Broderick ’07 AJ Clark ’16 Matt Denesha ’08 Landon Bentham ‘08 Joe Brookfield ’05 Sean Coleman ’08 Andrew Derbyshire ’99 John Bentley ‘98 Michael Brown ’07 Brett Coleman ’93 Derek DiStefano ’05
David DiStefano ’95 Sienna Fucci ’18 Patrick Hanna ’99 Noah Miller ’17 Lee Doiron ’18 John Gaeta ’10 Kevin Harrington ’00 Jason Mills ’13 John Donohoe ’17 Scott Galayde ’00 Jordan Harris ’10 Maddox Morneau ’15 Michael Dooda ’09 John Garde Justin Harris ’14 Liam Mulligan ’17 Randy Doucette ’96 Grant Gardiner ’17 William Hartenstein ’11 Andrew Newmarker ’14 Eric Duea ’09 Josh Gardner ’07 Cory Head ’07 Matthew Novozinsky ’13 Keith Duffy ’01 Dan Garrison ’98 Dan Hemme ’16 Carl Ollinger ’02 Peyton Durham ’19 Brandon Gaydorus ’15 Chris Herrick ’05 James Ondo ’05 David Durham ’99 Matt Gdovin ’02 Stephen Herschel ’19 Adam Patronik ’18 Kevin Dzielecki ’99 Devin Gee ’08 Adam Hevey ’07 Jim Percherke ’90 Kyle Eager ’18 Griffin Genier ’19 Adam Hickerson ’18 Bobby Peterson ’10 Dave Eavenson ’96 Jason Gentili ’01 Mike Hillman ’07 Rob Pilewski ’92 Sean Edmonds ’92 Sean Gervais ’16 Nathan Hoffman ’02 Scott Reilly ’06 Peter Egazarian ’04 James Giampaolo ’12 Billy Holbrook ’96 Michael Lee Riddle ’93 Nate Eichner ’17 Stefanie Gideon ’04 Alex Holroyde ’10 Gerard Scheer ’99 Jeremy Elliott ’92 David Gilinsky ’17 Jason Hommel ’95 Ryan Sharp ’10 Eric Epting ’17 Graham Gilmore ’02 Adam Horton ’05 David Sibley ’95 Eric Eshleman ’09M Loretta Giovannettone ’14 Trey Howell ’10 Brad Smedberg ’02 Connor Evers ’19 Robert Glass ’12 Ryan Hull ’11 Gregg Snyder ’99 Steve Feddern ’96 Nicholas Gonneville ’13 Paul Jackson ’03 Aaron Stevens ’16 David Feightner ’05 Andrew Good ’18 Michael Jacobs ’99 Douglas Stidham ’05 Michael Ferguson ’09 Jason Goodhind ’10 Hank Jenkins ’12 Kevin Swan ’07 Zack Fidler ’04 Dan Gourley ’01 Justin Johnson ’05 Zachary Sweet ’14 Jason Field ’13 Taylor Graby ’16 Travis Johnson ’16 Christian Swift ’05 Gregory Fischer ’11 Ben Graff ’03 Travis James Johnson ’17 Clint Van Laningham ’96 Charlie Fisher ’01 Karen Gray Radley Jones ’01 Fred VanSteen ’96 Jason Fisher ’97 Josh & Melissa Patrick Jones ’97 Michelle Warde ’01 Corey Fisk ’98 Greene ’14 Jason Joyner ’98 Julie Welage ’00 Jeff Flis ’12 Brad Gregorin ’03 Ryan Kalista ’04 Michael Wesko ’13 Evan Force ’04 Trent Gregory ’89 Gregory Kashe ’12 Lucas Wheeler ’11 Cameron Fossa ’18 Larkin Gross ’19 Carol Keeton ’01 Daniel Whicker ’06 Ryan Fountaine ’02 Sunny Grosso ’10 John Kelley ’90 Billy Whitney ’01 Rick Foutz ’92 John Gudauskas ’97 Todd Kelsey ’99 Dieter Wiedmayer ’10 Stephen Frederick ’02 Neil Guess ’95 Bryan Kienke ’03 Brian Williams ’14 Liam Friedman ’11 Brian Gussis ’06 Matthew Lowell ’10 Gregory Wingate ’09 Michael Frisina ’12 Richard Hagie ’08 Adam Maples ’12 Bryan ’97 and Tracy ’99 Robbie Fritz ’05 Lindsey Frye Hales ’05 Hugh and Lindsey Wright Jared Fryer ’96 Zach Hambrick ’94 Matthis ’04 Dustin J Wrighter ’14 Recruiting Update by Connor Evers My first year of recruiting for the PGA Golf Management Program here at Methodist has been a success. I am happy to report that we have had over a 50% increase in enrollment for the fall of 2020! This class also represents 16 different states. So far the new students are enjoying the updates to the practice facilities and the new course renovations Downback. Recruiting for the class of 2021 has produced new challenges that we are facing head-on. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the University did not have on-campus visits for nearly 3 months. With this being said, we have used other forms of technology (our new best friend, Zoom) to do virtual campus visits. As always alumni, please let us know if you have anyone in mind to be a future student here at Methodist. We would love to have the opportunity to speak to them and talk about the benefits of being a student in our Program and alumni of our fraternal-network. Best of luck to our alumni in the rest of their 2020 golf season.
Welcome to the PGA!
Congratulations to our grads who have been elected into the PGA of America Membership as
of Summer 2020.
McKenzee Pane, PGA Andie Savel, PGA
North Shore Country Club, Glenview, IL Private Golf Instructor, Sudbury, MA
Griffin Cosgrove, PGA
Vineyard Golf Club, Edgartown, MA
Know a high school student interested in golf?
Recommend the
MU Summer Experience Camp
June 27 - June 30, 2021
https://www.methodist.edu/pgm/summer-experience/
James Bruns ’16
Head Golf Professional, The High Hampton Inn & Resort, Cashiers, NC
Chad Craft ’02
General Manager, Jonathan’s Landing, Magnolia, DE
Sara Dickson ’09
Head Golf Professional, Wilderness Country Club, Naples, FL
Sonny Grosso ’10
Director of Golf, Seagate Country Club, Delray Beach, FL
Ian Harrison ’16
Director of Instruction, Currituck Club, Corrolla, NC
Jason Hastings ’10
Head Golf Professional, Trumbell Country Club, Warren, OH
Adam Kushner ’06
General Manager, Berkeley Hall Club, Bluffton, SC
Justin Norvell ’04
National Director of Operations, Topgolf, Dallas, TX
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