Mike Scully chooses a non-traditional path to mark his presence at Medinah
Mike Scully is a true golf lover and it is his love for the game that has brought him to Medinah Country Club. Scully is now Director golf operations at the club, but he initially started off as a fourth assistant pro.
It has been a tale of two sports for Mike and, at one point, he had to choose one. He chose golf.
"Being a 6-5 kid, over 200 pounds and golf the same time of year as football, the football coach is going to win out over the golf coach," remembered Scully.
He is now 46 years old, the Director of golf operations at the prestigious club that will host the 39th Ryder Cup, slated to take place from September 28-30.
Mike has also led his University’s Football team on numerous occasions. Scully has also featured in an NFL game as an undrafted player.
He then went on to coach Football at one of the schools and then later on, he moved to Florida, where his father worked in search of a job.
Scully wanted to enter in the Food and Beverages section of the club, but the manager said that he should also get his card.
"He was using a regular set of golf clubs, so he looked Paul Bunyan with a toothpick when he would play," Butler said.
"But we got him the right clubs and within a year and a half, he went from an 18 to 20 handicap to a scratch golfer," further said Butler, who was then the Head-Pro at The Forest Country Club.
Scully spent all his early life in Chicago and for him, working in his home town was the best ever thing that could happen to him.
When Mike finally got the call from Chicago, it was hard to refuse and he immediately set off to the place he loved.
Scully knows that next few days will be tough till the end of the Ryder Cup and he is making sure that the event goes smoothly.
"The golf course is absolutely spectacular right now, the players will rave about the conditions," Scully said. Dry conditions will be a slight problem but then its nature and they cannot do anything about it.
Hosting the Ryder Cup will be the highest point of his career and for somebody who had to choose between two opposite sports, it is a major achievement.
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