On January 7th, 2020, and with tears in his eyes Jeff Adkerson simply nodded yes to this question, “Well, are you going to accept the job?” The person asking the question was me. For the better part of 6 weeks, Jeff had been going through the interview process for the Executive Director of the Golf House of Kentucky. Every conversation we had leading up to that moment was of excitement and new beginnings. It wasn’t until that early January day, after he had been offered the job, it all became real that it would mean leaving his beloved Mississippi State University as the Director of the PGA Golf Management program.
Thank You, Jeff
By Adam Scott
I have spent many nights awake trying to come up with the perfect article for Jeff. How do you put 17 years of service, leadership and care into a few hundred words? I finally decided this needs to reflect on Jeff Adkerson as the man, not the Director. I could list all of his accomplishments here and tell you how he felt in those moments, but truthfully I cannot with full accuracy tell you how he felt about his many accomplishments. Why? Jeff never focused on what he had done and was always focused on the next thing he could do to improve the program. Even in moments where I felt he earned the opportunity to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment, his mind always seemed to be on the next step. I can only hope he now has had that chance, the chance to reflect and realize he had an impact on this program which will be difficult to measure but will be felt for an incredibly long time.
My view of Jeff has been unique as it has evolved from disciplinary teacher to loving friend. He started as the Assistant Director of the program in July of 2003, one month before I was to arrive as a freshman. As a student, I spent my time testing his patience and pushing my luck a bit more than I should have. At that young age, I did not quite understand why he was as hard on everyone as he was. I didn’t understand why I felt he was harder on me than some of my peers. It wasn’t until we had a discussion in which he showed an interest and a confidence in me that I had not felt myself. He challenged me to be better than I had been and I had much more to me than has been exhibited to that point. That moment changed the course of my life. His words of confirmation were all it took to allow for me to believe in myself and march towards the career for which I have been blessed to enjoy.
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