Good Sport

Justin Mathers channels passion for golf into lifelong profession

The term “lifer” describes people who have committed themselves to a certain task or career for a long time. Enter Old North State Club Director of Golf Justin Mathers: the epitome of a lifer in the golf industry.

Growing up as an all-sport athlete in Michigan, Mathers enjoyed playing soccer, hockey and tennis, among other sports – but he didn’t pick up a golf club until a friend invited him to play at a local course during his junior year of high school.

“I was terrible, shooting around 100 the first time out,” he laments. “As an athlete I was determined to get better, and quickly. I worked at it all day, every day, all summer long. By the time we went back to school, I was shooting rounds in the 70s and actually broke par once. I was hooked and have not stopped playing and learning the game since.”

As he fell in love with the game, Mathers was convinced by his senior year of high school that he wanted to be in and around the game for the rest of his life.

“Luckily I lived in Michigan, home of the first – and in my opinion, the best – Professional Golf Management School in the country, Ferris State University,” Mathers notes. While in college he played soccer and hockey, and although he did not play golf for the school, he was around it constantly. “I was able to enjoy three wonderful internships all over the country and then take my first head professional job in 2003.”

The internships were at Boyne Highlands, The Heather Golf Course in Michigan; Cuscowilla in Eatonton, Georgia; and Desert Mountain (Outlaw) in Scottsdale, Arizona. He graduated from Ferris State University with a degree in Marketing/Business and Professional Golf Management.

Today, when not in the golf shop at Old North State Club, sending an almost daily golf course update through a whimsical email full of member nicknames and photos, Mathers and his family reside in Waxhaw, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte.

Mathers was “acquired” by McConnell Golf when Providence Country Club came on board, as he was PCC’s Head Golf Professional at that time. Transitioning into the role of Director of Golf at Old North State Club in July 2019 allowed him to enjoy a promotion while staying within the McConnell Golf family. However, the new job title and location have not come without sacrifice.

“My wife and daughter do not play golf but they have always supported my decision to be in the golf business, which keeps me away on weekends and holidays,” Mathers says. Regarding his family, his parents live in Michigan but visit a few times each year; he has sisters in New York and Oregon. Originally from Louisiana, Mathers’ bride of 11 years, Angelle, is a nurse with Atrium’s Health Risk Management team out of Concord, North Carolina. 

“Piper, our daughter, is my favorite person in the world! She is the true love of my life,” proclaims Mathers. “Piper lives and breathes soccer, the same way I did when I was her age [12], and she has even convinced me to be the assistant coach for her club team. I also have a three-year-old Double Doodle named Mr. Clark who has been a wonderful addition to our family. We like skiing [water and snow], fishing, cooking and watching sports. Well, Piper and I do at least!”

When it comes to golf, Mathers is a true lifer with lofty aspirations. “My goal is to one day become the PGA Golf Professional of the Year at the national level,” says Mathers. “Obviously, I would love to win the Carolinas PGA Golf Professional of the Year as well!”

While awards and accolades are accomplishments we all strive to achieve in our respective industry, Mathers’ true passion is fostering and growing the next wave of golf professionals while also keeping the golf program at Old North State Club exciting and fresh with new ideas.

“I look forward taking staff under my wing, developing and mentoring them in the hope that they will do the same if they stay in the business,” Mathers says. “I plan on keeping the energy level high here at Old North State Club while continuing to learn from some of the other great directors of golf employed by McConnell Golf. I have always strived to live by the saying, ‘It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go.’”