PROFILE
Current Position: Player Development Manager, George Dunne National Golf Club, Oak Forest, Illinois.
Years as a PGA Professional: 19.
Top achievements / honors: PGA Certified in Teaching and Coaching, and Player Development.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @Kurtis1908
TAP-INS
What app is a must-have on your phone? WeatherBug.
What book(s) would you recommend? "Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service," by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.
Who is your favorite golfer? The underdog.
What is your most memorable round of golf? Passing my playing ability test.
Q&A
The First Call: What made you want to pursue a career in golf?
Kurt Uniek: Love of the game.
TFC: What is your favorite instructional tip to share with a golfer?
KU: Brush the mat and hit the spot you were looking at.
TFC: What advice do you have for someone considering a career in golf?
KU: You better love it, otherwise you will grow disenchanted with it fairly quickly.
TFC: What is the best advice you have received on your career path?
KU: Create fans, not customers.
TFC: Is there a particular area of your job that you find most rewarding?
KU: Not one particular area. As a whole, the big rewarding areas are introducing new golfers to the game and helping current golfers become less frustrated with the game.
TFC: What is one challenge you currently see in the industry? Thoughts on how to address it?
KU: We are going to have a problem — if we don't already — with staffing facilities with qualified workers. There is a certain work ethic that you need in this industry to be successful and I don't see a whole lot of that with the younger generation.
TFC: Do you have a preferred style or philosophy for teaching golf?
KU: I train the eyes, hands and brain. I let my students know this game is very difficult and it is my job to simplify it so they think they have a chance at it.
TFC: Where is there room for growth within the industry?
KU: I think there is room for growth in every area. If you are not trying to improve and grow then you are dying.
TFC: When you look at your career, in what area(s) do you believe you have evolved for the better? And how so?
KU: Being a full-time instructor the last 10 years has allowed me to use my better skill traits to build a brand. I create relationships, and that serves me much better now than it did early in my career.
TFC: How does being a PGA Professional add value to your brand?
KU: It gives me immediate legitimacy. Then I add the double certified classification to it and it helps a lot.