My Childhood Role Model: "The Pro" Paul VanLoozen

Just about a year ago, I made the decision to take a leap of faith and move in the direction of my soul's calling.  I left behind my childhood dream job of being a Head Golf Professional in the pursuit of my adult dream job, a full-time teaching professional.  That journey over the past year has been epic in nature.  As I look back on the trials and tribulations of the path that has brought me to my current location and situation, I am so grateful for the many blessings and all the help and encouragement I have received along the way.  As I contemplate the long and winding road of my life and the connection to the game of golf, I reflect back on the man who inspired it all and the impact he has made on my life.

Early on in life I developed a strong attraction to the game of golf.  I loved everything about the game and the solitude and inner reflection that the game offered me as a "lone wolf" personality type.  While much of life overwhelmed my nervous system, the game of golf offered me a place to recalibrate myself and to come to understand and appreciate my inner world.  It was also a game built on fundamental principles of camaraderie, compassion and fairness, a combination that attracted me like the force of gravity.  No matter what path my journey has taken in this life, I have (like a force of nature) been drawn back to this game that has such a firm hold on my soul.

In my early teens, at the encouragement of my grandfather, Earl Tracy, I began the pursuit of the Evans Scholarship (a full-ride college scholarship provided to caddies who excel in scholarship, leadership, work-ethic and community service).  I began this journey by working at Edgewood Country Club in Union Lake, Michigan.  The course was a relatively short walk from my family's home and it served as a wonderful combination of a place where I could earn good money while also being around the game that I already loved so much.  As is the case for many young people around the country who are drawn to the game of golf, the Head Golf Professional very quickly became my greatest role model. 

Paul VanLoozen was a quiet and austere man with a slight build and a flowing, effortless golf swing.  He had an air of solemnity about him and carried himself as a man who took the role of shepherding a golf community as a sacred task.  I admired him and I wanted to be like him.  I bought the same clubs he played with and I strove to make my golf swing as similar to his as I could.  I have no doubt that many of my mannerisms as a teacher are most-likely still unconsciously patterned after the way Mr. VanLoozen walked and talked. 

I worked for a number of years at Edgewood CC and over time I made my way through the ranks to be the highest level of caddy and eventually even into the clubhouse for the sought-after position of bag room staff.  On that journey I was always motivated to catch the attention of "the pro".  After many years of hard work, I became a fixture at the golf course and began to have regular interaction with Mr. VanLoozen.  One fine day, after many rehearsals in my mind, I worked up the courage to ask him if he would mind taking a look at my golf swing.  He agreed and my level of excitement and anxiety reached an apex in my young life as we made the short walk from the clubhouse to the driving range for our one and only lesson.

That short time we spent on the driving range is a blur in my memory.  Although, as I write this, I find that one shot is seared into my memory.  It was a perfectly hit shot with a slight draw that landed on the target green and showed to my idol the pinnacle of my golfing ability at the time.  I will probably never be more proud of any swing I've taken in my life than the one I produced on that day.  In that one moment in time, there was a shared affinity between myself and the man I looked up to above all others.  I don't recall if Mr. VanLoozen gave me any pearls of wisdom that day.  What I do recall is that there was a feeling of appreciation and approval from my role model.  That validation was something that propelled me forward in my passion for the game of golf and is one of those moments that defines my life.

When I was given the opportunity to take the reigns of Carolina Colours Golf Club in New Bern, North Carolina as the Head Golf Professional, it was the culmination of my childhood dream.  I stood in the same role as my childhood role model and I was as proud and excited as I could possibly be to stand in those shoes.

Although my health did not cooperate with the challenges and stresses of being in the Head Golf Professional role, it was an experience that will always stand as a great achievement in my life story.  I was lucky enough to stand in the same place as my childhood idol and to carry the banner of shepherding a golf community, just as Paul VanLoozen did for many years at Edgewood Country Club.

Not only did that experience allow me to fulfill a life-long goal, it also gave me the razor-sharp clarity that I would need to take the leap and move in the direction of where my soul called and my survival demanded. 

Today I am filled with gratitude to Mr. VanLoozen for inspiring me and giving me a clear vision of what it means to be "the pro" and to all the wonderful people at Carolina Colours Golf Club for giving me the opportunity to live my childhood dream.