Jesse Mueller, the 2023 Southwest PGA Section Rolex Player of the Year, is the PGA of America General Manager at Grand Canyon University Golf Course in Phoenix, Arizona.
Jesse Mueller on the importance of keeping your game up amid your busy schedule:
I played golf at Arizona State University and pursued playing professionally for eight years. Back then I had time to play and practice. Today, with my GM duties at Grand Canyon University Golf Course, a public facility that does almost 60,000 rounds of golf each year, it takes discipline and commitment to maintain my playing skills. I earned the Southwest PGA Section Player of the Year honors and still compete at a high level as I did at the recent PGA Cup, where our PGA of America team defeated the PGAs of Great Britain & Ireland. These aspects of being a PGA of America Golf Professional are still very important to me, even with my many leadership responsibilities at the course. With little room in my schedule for practice, I don’t spend much time beating balls on the range. I do work on my short game and putting and devote 30-40 minutes per day when preparing for a tournament. I compete in many Section events during the summer and focus attention on my game during those months. Time on the range, however, is limited to about 20 minutes a day in preparation for an event. Although I don’t spend much time practicing on the course either, I maintain a healthy mental game, take care of my body with yoga four times per week and do several stretching exercises to keep my mobility and flexibility intact.
Jesse Mueller on the business impact of keeping your game up amid your busy schedule:
As a PGA of America General Manager, I am looked to as a leader at my facility. Sure, it’s most important to demonstrate good management skills so our customers are happy, our employees are satisfied in their jobs and our business is successful. But whether you’re leading a team of employees or have a full calendar of golf lessons to give, it doesn’t hurt to keep your playing skills up. After all, that’s why we all got into the business of golf, for a love of the game. Sure, we’re all busy, but it will do you well to find small pockets of time to rekindle that love of playing the game. Do it for yourself even more than for others.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email jesse.mueller@gcu.edu.
