Inspirer of the Week – Week 16
Casey Russell
WORK ON YOUR WEAKNESSES!
It’s simple. You need to understand every area of your craft in order to become
successful at it!
Think about it… What do you do for a living? Or what do you want to do for
a living?
What is one thing you’re great at in that certain craft of yours?
What is one thing you’re not as great at in that certain craft of yours?
After you answer all of those questions, ask yourself…
Will I be able to do this for a living if I don’t
improve at what I’m not as great at?
The answer to that question should be NO! If you want to do what you do for a
living at the highest level, you must be able to learn it, think it, understand it,
teach it, and most of all, DO IT!
For Week 16, we chose someone who has worked on his weaknesses since
the young age of 12 years old when he was diagnosed with Type 1
Diabetes. To this day, he wears an insulin pump in order to control his
diabetes. That summer, he started playing golf and has been hooked ever
since. He said that when someone is diagnosed with something, it’s going
to change him or her in some way. For him, he simply knew that he needed
to be strong and not show his parents that he was upset. He wanted his
parents to feel comfortable. Therefore, he didn’t complain, stayed positive,
handled his situation, and worked on his weaknesses!
Congratulations to Casey Russell on being our Week 16 “Inspirer of the Week!”
Casey is from West Monroe, Louisiana. He currently lives in Victoria, Texas
where he is the Head Golf Professional at The Club of Colony Creek. His wife’s
name is Ashley. She is a first grade teacher and the mother of their daughter,
Charly, who will be 5 years old this May.
When asked who he is as a person, Casey said:
“I am a motivated person. If I want to achieve something, I make sure to
work hard for it. I feel that’s what made me a good golfer is that I was
willing to work hard at getting better. Growing up and practicing, I knew
that I was not going to lose because I was outworked. It is funny to say, but
I feel like I hate losing more than I love winning. When I win, I am very
happy, but I expect to win. If you don't believe you are going to win, you are
going to be correct every time. When I lose, it is something that I can
accept, but I want to make sure I do what is necessary to win the next
time.”
After college, Casey never pursued playing golf at the professional level and he
let that become a burden by simply thinking about raising money in order to play.
After moving to Houston with his (at the time) fiancé, working odd jobs, and not
touching a golf club for three years, Ashley told him that he should get back into
the golf industry because he was happier when he was playing.
His golf career all started at Sweetwater Country Club where he applied as a
marshal. During his interview, Bob McHugh, asked Casey if he would like to be
an Assistant Golf Professional instead. After talking with his wife, Ashley, they
both decided that would be a great idea.
Now being one of Casey’s biggest mentors, if Bob McHugh wouldn’t have asked
Casey to be one of his assistants, Casey may not be in the golf industry today.
From that point on, Casey’s goal was to become a Class A Professional like Bob.
He achieved this goal by being elected a member in Mach of 2016.
Last week, Casey played in the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open! The process
of getting an exemption into the tournament was through the Southern Texas
PGA Section Championship. In order to play in the section championship, one
must be a Class A Professional, which means this was Casey’s first chance to
play and win. And, that’s exactly what he did. After shooting three straight 68s,
Casey was now invited to the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open! This section
championship win also got him an invite to play in the Professional National
Championship this June. The top 20 players in that event will be exempt to play
in the PGA Tour’s 2017 PGA Championship!
We asked Casey about his experiences before, during, and after his first PGA
Tour event and he had some great responses for us!
Since he was 12, he’s had the dream of playing in a PGA Tour event. He said.
“21 years later, it was time.”
“I was very nervous on the first tee. I had a pretty big turnout consisting of
my family, friends, and members of the club. On the practice green, before
walking to the first tee, I looked over and saw a familiar face with a big
bucket hat on! It was Bob McHugh; the man that got me into the business
for good and helped me make it as a Class A professional! I striped it down
the fairway on the first tee shot!”
After playing Thursday and Friday, Casey did not make the cut. After shooting a
77 on Thursday and a 69 (one of the low scores) on Friday, Casey said that he
was not happy with his performance. He expected to compete! He did say that it
was a great learning experience. After being -1 through nine holes on Thursday,
Casey made a few mistakes on the back nine holes that really killed his overall
score for the tournament. On Friday, Casey fought right back and had a putt on
the 17th hole to be even par for the tournament and make the cut, but a threeputt ended that fight, he said. One thing he took away from his first PGA Tour
event was that there is a fine line between making the cut and making money
versus missing the cut and going home early. He said, “Every shot counts and
you have to continue to grind out there.”
Golf reminds us a lot of life. Like Casey said, “EVERY SHOT COUNTS and
you have to continue to grind out there.” With that being said, no matter
what you do in life, every shot counts! Everything you do on a daily basis
is so important in order for you to get to the next place in your life that you
want to be. Waking up late COUNTS! Living an unhealthy lifestyle COUNTS!
Not giving 100% at everything you do COUNTS! Shooting a few extra free
throws after practice COUNTS! Good or bad, every shot COUNTS! Don’t
waste your shots to get to where you truly want to be in life. Only you is
stopping you. We promise.
Since Casey is the Head Golf Professional at The Club of Colony Creek, he has
a lot of other things to attend to besides working on his own golf game; such as
meetings, member events, non-member events, lessons, scheduling, and
assuring everything on the “golf end” of the club are running smoothly. When he
does find time to practice, he said:
“I make the most of it. It is important to work on your weaknesses. Before
the Valero Texas Open, my chipping was a struggle. I made sure to focus
on that and continue to get better. On the second day of the event I missed
seven greens and got them all up and down. Work on your weaknesses.”
And, that’s why we made that statement earlier in the story! Like Casey said, it is
so important! He proved it in what he did at the Valero Texas Open and what he
said above. No matter what your weakness is in your craft, work on it! It will pay
off before you know it!
When asked about his favorite part of the golf game, Casey resplied:
“All of my life I have been a guy that loves to practice. I don't do well unless
there is some pressure. I can never play well if I am just out with buddies
and we are playing for fun. I need to have some money on the line or be in
a tournament. I love to have a new glove on, clean golf balls, and some
good grass to hit off. That is my happy place! I will practice any part of
game and enjoy myself. Playing for nothing or a score is No Fun!”
To anyone looking to work in the golf industry…
“My advice to anyone wanting to be in the golf industry is to get your Class
A. Work an hour a day on it and knock it out. You also want to learn as
much as you can from different golf professionals. Pick their brain, learn
what works, learn what can be done better, and always be willing to change
to improve.”
A few people that Casey looks up to are his former bosses, Bob McHugh and
Rodney Houston. From Bob, he learned that you can allow your staff to help you
with and make decisions. From Rodney, he learned the importance of building
relationships with your staff and your members. He also looks up to his wife,
Ashley, as she is great teacher who cares about her kids and is always
passionate about helping them along with becoming a better teacher.
When Casey isn’t at the golf course, he enjoys hanging out with his two girls,
Ashley and Charly. He loves watching movies, hanging out outside, and working
on the house. He has stoned his fireplace, set up the garage with a pegboard for
organization, and built a table. He said, “These things are fun.”
“My OneDay is to qualify for the PGA Championship. As a Class A
professional, that is the pinnacle of what you can achieve as a player. My
goal this year is to win the Professional National Championship in June
and play in the PGA Championship in August!”
One quote that has always caught Casey’s eyes is:
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” –
Henry Ford
After reading this story, Casey showed us what it takes to do something at the
highest level. From giving up golf for three years, to shooting three straight 68s,
to working on his weaknesses, to being a great husband and father, to enjoying
himself and his hobbies, to playing golf on the PGA Tour… Casey showed us.
Nolan here… I’m thankful to know Casey, personally. We’ve talked and played a
good amount of golf together and one thing that I love about Casey is that he is
always willing to bet on himself! No matter what it is. He was confident in himself!
He probably has even more of a spark to his confidence than most people, but
that’s what it takes. In order for anyone else to believe in something you’re doing,
you must believe in that something first! Even if you’re lying to yourself for the
first few months, believe! And, you’ll eventually truly believe in it.
Thank you, Casey, for being our Week 16 “Inspirer of the Week!” We’re truly
inspired and motivated by you and your story.
To everyone else, we hope you benefitted from Casey’s story as much as we did.
Continue to work on your weaknesses in order to perfect every part of your craft.
“It’s not going to happen in one day, but one day, it’s going to happen.”
Stay inspired,
Connor and Nolan Eli