Mason Ewing
Head golf professional at Bella Ridge Golf Club
Age: 24
Location: Greeley
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
After playing baseball, football and basketball growing up, I decided to pursue golf as a career. I attended the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs and graduated from the PGA Golf Management Program with a degree in finance. While attending the program, I interned at TPC Colorado and EagleVail Golf Club. After graduating, I returned to TPC Colorado before working at The Grove, a golf course located just outside of London. Then I moved back home and got the head golf professional job at Bella Ridge last November.
Explain your career, achievements and professional highlights.
While in college, I was elected to the student board and graduated magna cum laude. Getting hired at TPC Colorado after finishing school really kick-started my career. Also, living on a different continent and traveling to eight countries helped me grow in both my professional and personal life. I was nominated for the Colorado PGA Player Development Award this past year. Lastly, getting my dream job at 23 years old in a position where the average age for a head pro tends to be 40-50 is my biggest highlight.
In what ways do you give back to the community?
I have volunteered at the Weld Food Bank and Garden Square at Westlake, an assisted living home. I also help mentor five staff members who are pursuing PGA membership. One of our assistant professionals will become a PGA member this December, and four of our other staffers have all moved past qualifying level.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
I am proud of all the work I put in to prepare me for this moment in my life. This job was a large leap: One day you wake up and you’re responsible for running an entire golf operation. But through it all I have felt comfortable, confident and prepared because of my work ethic. I have used every experience to shadow, learn and grow.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
I would love to lead Bella Ridge to become one of the best golf courses in the state. It’s a special property, and I want to be a key part in growing it into the premier golf course in Northern Colorado.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
Have faith, enjoy the present and don’t be so tough on yourself. Once I started to lean into my faith and trust the path I was being led down, the pieces of my life really started coming together. The last few years have presented me with a lot of changes, but there were times where I wish I would’ve stressed a little less and took in where I was at that moment.
Tell us something unique about you.
I love to travel and see new places. I have been to over 15 countries and plan to see many more. My favorite city I have seen is Amsterdam.
What do you think led you to achieve your dream job at such a young age?
I think it was a mixture of determination, learning from great professionals and luck. I pride myself on my work ethic; wherever I am, I try to put my best foot forward. There’s a lot that goes into being a golf professional, and I have been blessed to work under some great people who have taken the time to help me grow and develop.
What piece(s) of wisdom do you impart on the golfers you mentor?
To be able to run a golf operation, you must know it top to bottom. I implore each of them to work in all areas of the operation because one day, they’ll have to be responsible for making sure each of those jobs is running as efficiently as possible. I also want them to be people of high integrity. Golf is a tight-knit industry where networking is a large part of how you progress. I believe that if you treat people the right way, good things will happen to you in return.
