FIRST CALL - Key Persons
Former Marine sergeant Ben Wilson is a teaching professional seeking PGA Professional certification at The Clubs at St. James in Southport, North Carolina.
Wilson was going through a therapy session one day when the physician asked him about things he liked to do before his military duty. Among the activities Wilson mentioned was an occasional round of golf.
"His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree," Wilson, 40, says of the therapist. "He said, ‘You play golf?' I said, ‘Yes sir,' and he said, ‘OK, we're going to get you back into golf, and we're going to use that as therapy.' And I said, ‘OK, you can explain that one later, but OK.' "
The physical benefits were obvious. Golf can be good exercise, if you embrace the organic demands. Spare the ride, spur the cardio. But there was more to it than that and the more Wilson played, the more those blessings became self-evident.
"I started figuring out how therapeutic golf was for me mentally," says Wilson, now a teaching pro at The Clubs at St. James in Southport, North Carolina. "When I was having a bad day, I would go out to the driving range. And something about being on a driving range and hitting golf balls … it just was therapy, mental as much as physical. And I realized, ‘Hey, we're onto something here.'"
With the encouragement of his wife, Jennifer, Wilson went all in. He applied for a job as a starter at Compass Pointe Golf Club in Leland, North Carolina, and the next thing he knew, he was pursuing a professional apprenticeship. It's been a whole new mission, another means to serve.
"One of the things that stuck out the most to me," Wilson explains, "is that when I'm on the golf course, I'm not thinking about anything else. I'm not thinking about being on patrol, I'm not thinking about my injuries, I'm not thinking about the military or thinking I need to worry about anything.
Job Titles:
- Journalist
- TFC Contributor
Bradley S. Klein is a veteran golf journalist specializing in architecture and maintenance. A former PGA Tour caddie, Klein was architecture editor of Golfweek magazine for 28 years and the founding editor of Superintendent News before moving on to Golf Channel's GolfAdvisor.com. He holds a doctorate in political science and was a university professor for 14 years in international relations and political theory before leaving academia in 1999 to devote himself fulltime to golf writing. Klein has published nine books on golf architecture and history, including "Discovering Donald Ross," winner of the USGA 2001 International Book Award. In 2006, Klein was inducted into the International Caddie Hall of Fame. In 2015, he won the American Society of Golf Course Architecture's Donald Ross Award for lifetime achievement. Klein has served as a consultant on numerous early golf course development and restoration projects, including Old Macdonald at Bandon (Ore.) Dunes; Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club; and Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. He is working on master plans for Kennett Square (Pa.) Golf & Country Club; Country Club of Waterbury (Conn.); and Longmeadow (Mass.) Country Club.
TFC contributor Bradley S. Klein provides a unique perspective on the club's two-year process to reclaim the Golden Era architect's original intent
Job Titles:
- Director of Instruction, Compass Pointe Golf Courses
Corey John Higgs: I was playing high level junior golf as a teenager and one day I thought I'd like to become a full-time coach. I really enjoyed helping my friends and parents' friends play golf, so that's what I did. I remember asking my head pro Kurt if he thought I'd be a good coach, he said "Yeah you do a great job helping me with my junior clinics" and he helped me get started in the business.
TFC: What is your favorite instructional tip to share with a golfer?
CJH: The upside down golf grip drill. Take a golf club and turn it upside down. Grip the club by the clubhead - hover the grip about 1 foot off the ground. Swing the golf club to the top of your backswing and gradually swing your club back down, increasing the speed of the grip as you turn your hips towards the target. The goal is to hear the swoosh sound of the grip and shaft at impact and just after impact. If you hear the swoosh of the club at the start of the downswing (top of swing), the golfer is casting and losing their source of power. This would demonstrate incorrect sequencing.
TFC: What advice do you have for someone considering a career in golf?
CJH: If you are passionate about being involved in the golf industry, then go for it. There are many reasons why it's the greatest game and to be a part of it is very special indeed.