New face at Newport Beach Golf Course

Bryce Alderton

Bill Wyman dreamt of becoming a head golf professional, but the more

he thought about it, the more he wanted to discover a niche to call

his own.

The 24-year-old native of Okemos, Mich., and current Newport Beach

resident didn’t realize job prospects within the golf industry would

pepper him from every angle.

His hopes shifted a bit.

For 16 months, Wyman attended classes at the Professional Golfers

Career College from 8 a.m. to noon, then either played or practiced

in the afternoons on one of five courses in Temecula.

Then in April, with an associates degree in professional golf

management from the accredited college in hand, Wyman set his sights

west.

Teaching reared its head and looked Wyman in the eye.

Enter Newport Beach Golf Course -- the quaint, 18-hole track where

you can hone your short game while playing under the lights.

Wyman’s assists head pro John Leonard with club repair and fitting

and eagerly awaits his first lesson at his new home.

Wyman’s first day was May 3, just about a month after he

graduated.

“This was the only job where I would be teaching right away,”

Wyman said. “And I really like the area.”

Wyman hopes to use what he learned from four semesters of both

classroom instruction and extensive swing analysis in his new role at

Newport, where he often pounds balls on the range after work, which

normally occurs around 6 p.m.

But he is no stranger to instructing students.

Wyman used video to analyze players’ swings as part of the

supplemental out-of-class material in college.

He took knowledge gained from the classroom, which included

courses in golf shop operations, tournament planning, finance,

fitness, rules of golf and psychology and applied it to teaching.

“I got a lot of experience teaching golf and figured out what I

wanted to do,” he said.

Wyman began playing golf at age 7 and spent four years on the

varsity team at Okemos High before spending two years at Lansing

Community College in Michigan.

Wyman helped manage the cart fleet at Timber Ridge Golf Club in

East Lansing, Mich., while in college, furthering his interest in the

golf industry.

Like most amateurs growing up, he dreamt of joining the PGA Tour,

but when that hope fizzled, Wyman decided to dedicate his time to

helping others.

Wyman needs to complete six months of work and pass an ability

test to qualify for the PGA’s Class A membership program, a rigorous

five-year commitment that culminates in a degree and certification as

a PGA golf professional.

Wyman doesn’t want to become a PGA pro, just gain the knowledge to

use on his future students.

“I really like people,” Wyman said.

“The entire golf industry goes through the same program whether

you are a club fitter, teacher or head pro,” Wyman said. “Learning

about club repair work and finding somewhere to do it with hands- on

training, there are so many opportunities in the golf business.”