Michael Miller

Interview With Michael Miller Executive Director Illinois Section PGA

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with Michael Miller the Executive Director for the Illinois Section PGA. Mike is beginning his 24rd year with the Illinois PGA, serving the last 17 of those as Executive Director. He previously served 3 seasons as the Section's Tournament Director and 4 years as Associate Executive Director. He also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois PGA Foundation.

The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
In grade school, I started caddying for my older brother and his friends when they would play at the local public course in our home town. My brother was way into golf and I was always trying to emulate him so I picked up on the game hanging with him around the golf course.

What is your current home course?
The Glen Club, Glenview IL

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
Posting my career low round (80) on my favorite course, Shoreacres (Lake Bluff, IL)

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
I have two. Bunkers that aren't raked when I land in them and, when I have to ride, carts paths only. Makes the round seem excessively long.

What is your favorite club in your bag and why?
Putter. It's the club you score with.

What is your favorite golf destination? Pinehurst. Bandon Dunes is a close second though.

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
Pebble Beach. I'd say Augusta, but let's be honest, chances are slim and none.

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
Merion. A classic! Plus the one time I've played there I was only able to play 13 holes due to weather. I really want to finish that round!

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
Fourteen club rule. Should it really matter how many clubs you carry??

Dream foursome (living)?
Fred Couples, George W. Bush, Kevin James.

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Donald Ross, Ronald Reagan, my grandfather.

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Without a doubt ..... the long putt.

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Career round. But I WOULD like just one "ace" before I die!!

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Twilight golf ...... it is the most beautiful and peaceful experience in the game.

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Power draw.

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Either one, as long as they have Coors Light!

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Bathroom

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Hot Dog

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
Thick Rough. Green-side bunker shots make me nervous.

9) Walking OR riding?
Walking ..... but caddies are a must! The only way to truly experience the game.

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid? Hybrid

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Long Par 3

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Always shorts (when it's appropriate).

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Palmer

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Neither. Springsteen!

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Money always makes it more interesting. And it tests your game more.

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Flop shot

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Lay up. I think people that know me would tell you that's pretty predictable.

18) 18 holes OR 36?
36. More if daylight allows.

Revised: 03/05/2012 - Article Viewed 31,516 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.