My
Story
I started playing golf around the age of 12 very casually for the first year or so. a few months before my 14th birthday, I was committed to making my high school golf team as a freshman. With the generosity of the Head Professional, I was able to get an unlimited amount of rounds in for 6 months at what was West Winds Golf Course (New Market, MD). I took advantage of this offer and typically walked about 9 to 36 holes per day. Learning how to play by tossing a dozen golf balls behind trees, playing 2 or 3 balls per hole, and experimenting with any shot that you could imagine. This experimentation and imagination lead the way to my love for this game.
During my sophomore year of High School, I switched my home course to Clustered Spires Golf Club (Frederick, MD). This is where I got a job on the cart staff and I would frequently play 36-54 holes a day during the summer months, six days per week. Head Professional, Scott Peterson PGA, is the one who sparked my interest in the possibility for becoming a golf professional. This golf course and the people there became my home away from home. I would spend all day and almost all night at Clustered. Frequently being the first one to arrive and then the last to leave.
My skills developed over time, with a huge breakthrough coming the summer after my senior year where I started shooting in the 60’s on a fairly regular basis. Just after helping lead Linganore to a 4th place finish in the MPSSAA State Championship, that same summer I finished Runner-Up in our Club Championship as well as 7th in the Frederick City Amateur.
This late bloom of successful golf encouraged me to play JUCO golf for Allegany College of Maryland (Cumberland, MD), where under the mentorship of my coach, Josh Leibfreid, I managed to win five individual titles and the JUCO Division 2 Regional Championship in 2018.
Years later, I still compete in the MAPGA Sectional Tournaments with the biggest highlights coming from a T1 Gross Finish at the MAPGA Pro-Junior at Woodmont CC with student Paul Gomes, a T1 Finish at the APA 2-Man Better Bell at Chevy Chase Club with friend Tyler Potts, as well as a T7 finish in the MAPGA 2-Man Scramble at Trump National DC with colleague Billy Cullum.
Personal Best 18-Hole Score: 64 (Clustered Spires)
Personal Best 9-Hole Score: 30 (Clustered Spires: Front Nine)
How I Started Playing…
I attended Allegany College of Maryland (Cumberland, MD) for two years. It was here that I was studying in their Professional Golf Management/Hospitality Management programs. It was here that I earned the Most Outstanding Student Award for the PGM program in 2018 for my work with jump starting a series of “Play Golf Today” clinics for Juniors and Women, located at Cumberland CC and the Bedford Elks CC. These Play Golf Today clinics were my very first formal introduction to coaching.
The PGM program at ACM educated and enhanced my skills on how to operate a Pro Shop, teaching and coaching, club fitting, business and more.
During my time at Allegany College of Maryland, I worked hard with my Coach, Josh Leibfreid, on making my first major grip/swing changes. Josh was the one who first introduced me to The Golfing Machine/Dave Pelz, and together we worked diligently to transform my game. The effort paid off with winning five individual titles and the JUCO Division 2 Regional Championship in 2018.
I’m thankful to my coach and mentor, Josh, for engaging and growing my interest in the golf industry and providing me with the skills necessary to start my career.
Allegany College of Maryland…
How I Began Coaching…
During the time of my final internship for the ACM PGM program in 2018, I was with the Montgomery County Golf Academy. I was finishing my 6-month internship where I worked in the Pro Shop at Needwood Golf Course (Derwood, MD) and coaching junior summer camps across the MCG courses. As my internship was concluded, I was offered the opportunity to stay on board with MCG and I accepted. Becoming a part-time Assistant Professional and part-time Instructor at Falls Road Golf Course.
At the start of my time at Falls Road, I worked… a lot. Frequently with 12-14 hours days, 13 days in a row, with every other Sunday off. I busted my tail to prove my place in the industry and it was about 9 months into working at Falls Road that I realized that teaching was my passion and purpose in golf. I switched to become a full-time Instructor during my second season at Falls Road.
During my 7 years with MCG, I have taught 12,000+ private lessons, 2,500+ clinics, 70+ junior summer camps. I have accepted roles in the Academy that included Assistant Director of Instruction, Internship Coordinator, MCG Junior Tour Commissioner, Director of Operation 36, and more at various points in time, but teaching lessons and clinics has never wavered.
My Mentorship…
There are dozens of coaches, professionals, colleagues, family and friends who have helped me along my 7+ years of coaching, but two stand out.
As time went along, my eagerness for learning stayed strong. It was in 2020 when this passion was discovered by Mike Dickson, PGA Master Professional. Mike was coaching at Congressional CC for around 17 years and when they were reconstructing their training facilities, Mike taught next to me at Falls Road. I took every opportunity to learn under Mike that I could find and I asked a lot of questions. Mike invited me shadow one of his AimPoint Express + Edel Putter Fitting clinics at Talbot CC, and it was that trip that began a road of self-improvement that grew exponentially. I owe Mike the credit for continuing to expand my knowledge of The Golfing Machine, Lynn Blake Certified, USKids Golf, and more. During my time knowing Mike, he has continued to grow in his skills and knowledge as well, highlighting in becoming a PGA Master Professional and starting a new line of training aids (LagMaster). Without Mike and his generous sharing of ideas and experience, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Now Mike teaches as an MCG Master Instructor at Little Bennett Golf Course.
Through my mentorship under Mike, I was introduced my another immeasurably important mentor of mine, David Kuhn. David is the Head Golf Coach of the Peters Township High School Golf Team and started the Kuhn Golf Academy (Pittsburgh, PA). David’s attention to detail, expertise in communication and genuine passion for his students, caught my attention immediately. David has matured my understanding in The Golfing Machine from several Lynn Blake Certified Instructor programs that he has taught. David has also improved my ability to effectively run our coaching programs (Path to Varsity & Path to Champions) as these classes have taken direct inspiration from his academy. As a result, the Kuhn Golf Junior Academy and Brent Wilkerson Golf are partners under the “NO LIMITS!” philosophy. It is to David that I owe the success to our junior players and programs to.
Thank you Mike & David.
Operation 36…
In 2022, at Falls Road our junior programming was limited. We only had Entry Level weekly classes, summer camps and private lessons, and there was no clear pathway for juniors to improve.
Insert Operation 36. I began Operation 36 as a way for our juniors to go from our Entry Level programming to the actual golf course, where the game is actually played. To this day, the decision to bring in Operation 36 is the best choice that I have made in my coaching career. It created a clear second step for our junior golfers and provided a specific curriculum, clear goals, appropriate challenge points, easy tracking progress through the Op36 App and so much.
In 3 years of Operation 36 at MCG, we’ve expanded to a second location (Northwest Golf Course), Taken 2,000+ Total Strokes Lost from our players baseline scores, created 176 golfers (who passed Level 1), logged 75+ 9-Hole Events, 370+ Level Ups during our 9-Hole Events.
We’ve also managed to add new coaching programs through Operation 36: Beginner Coaching Program, Intermediate Coaching Program, Supervised Practices, On Course Practice Programs, and then our specialty programs, Path to Varsity and Path to Champions.
During my time coaching Operation 36, I have been honored to be considered an Operation 36 Top 50 Coach (twice) and as of 2025, an Operation 36 Master Coach.
Thank you to everyone at the Operation 36 team for making this program possible.
