PERFECT FIT
And his decision to come to Virginia?
It was a perfect storm of sorts.
McGetrick’s wife, Emily, had always
hoped to be back on the East Coast and
closer to her family in Delaware and the
Annapolis area. She was in the private
equity field and recently accepted a role
with BDO, a global firm that delivers
assurance, tax and financial advisory
services, to build out their private equity
client base in the region.
“RTJGC was looking for a director of
instruction,” Mike McGetrick said. “So
this was a great opportunity for me and
for her. It was a win-win. It was a chance
to come to a world-class club, and as a
PGA teaching professional, you can’t ask
for anything better.”
And as RTJGC’s president, long-time
member Ed MacMahon said, the club
couldn’t have asked for anything better
than its dynamic new director of
instruction, a constant presence on Golf
Magazine’s list of the top 100 teachers in
America for the past 25 years.
“Our mission at RTJGC is to bring a
world-class golf experience to our members
and guests,” McMahon said. “Our
golf course has always been nationally
recognized and now with the addition
of Mike McGetrick, we’re able to greatly
enhance the experience. He brings
a wealth of knowledge from teaching
many of our nation’s top male and female
golfers and the ability to transfer that
knowledge to the everyday golfer.”
McGetrick’s list of clients includes
multiple major champions and winners
of events on the PGA and LPGA Tour.
Among others, he’s coached Tom Kite,
Gary Hallberg, Scott McCarron, Brandt
Jobe, Meg Mallon, Juli Inkster, Beth
Daniel, Pat Hurst and Karrie Webb. Those
players have a combined total of 53 worldwide
wins as well as 11 major championships
while working with him. At RTJGC,
the membership runs the gamut from mid
handicappers to scratch players.
INSTRUCTIONAL PARADISE
It’s clearly an instructional paradise.
There are five indoor/outdoor bays that
allow for year-round teaching. The club
has acquired the latest instructional
“
I don’t teach
a certain method.
I teach each person
individually, and I
work around their
strengths and
weaknesses to better
their golf game.
technology, a vast practice facility that
includes a short-game area with five regulation
green complexes and a practice
range that allows players to work on shots
off any type of lie, flat, uphill, down-hill,
sand or deep rough.
“And it’s an unbelievable golf course,”
McGetrick said. “One of the most scenic
courses in the country. The golf course
has great balance, a lot of movement in
the greens, over 130 strategically placed
bunkers, and undulating fairways. The
only time you have a level lie is on the tee
box. That, and the view and backdrop of
Lake Manassas.”
McGetrick also has been greatly
impressed by a membership that includes
former president Barack Obama, the
nation’s top lobbyists, successful entrepreneurs
and professional athletes. “I’ve
never been to a place where the members
love to play the game so much,” he said.
And the members now have a director
of instruction who truly loves to teach.
“First and foremost, I’m a people person,”
he said. “I just enjoy being around
people, and I like what golf does for people
when they play better. It’s the psychology
of it. Getting people to play better golf
improves the quality of their life. After
more than 30 years of teaching golf, I still
wake up every morning excited to help
players at all skills levels.
“I believe I’m good at coaching players
on how to develop an understanding of
what they’re currently doing and how to
go about correcting or improving it. It’s
important they understand how they can
work on this on their own once they finish
a lesson with me. I don’t teach a certain
method. I teach each person individually,
and I work around their strengths and
weaknesses to better their golf game.”
McGetrick balances out his instruction
programs by teaching all aspects of
the game including on-course playing
lessons. He also welcomes students who
are not RTJGC members at all skill levels.
“I enjoy solving the puzzle,” McGetrick
said.
After all, once an engineer…
For more information, go to
Mikemcgetrickgolf.com.
vsga.org
S EPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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