| Troy golfer of the week 5/8 |
| Wednesday, 07 May 2008 | |
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Mike DyerThe RecordBRUNSWICK – Matt Heigh¬ es’ first impression of golf was that it was “a stupid game.”“You hit the ball, run after it, and hit it again,” Heighes said.That was when he was 12 years old and growing up in Titusville, Pa. He says that was a “good learning experience.”Now Heighes has proven to be a valuable asset to the Cap¬ ital District. An assistant golf professional at Country Club of Troy, Heighes is The Record’s Golfer of the Week. Mike DyerThe RecordBRUNSWICK – Matt Heigh¬ es’ first impression of golf was that it was “a stupid game.”“You hit the ball, run after it, and hit it again,” Heighes said.That was when he was 12 years old and growing up in Titusville, Pa. He says that was a “good learning experience.”Now Heighes has proven to be a valuable asset to the Cap¬ ital District. An assistant golf professional at Country Club of Troy, Heighes is The Record’s Golfer of the Week.The 31-year-old Cohoes res¬ ident was named Northeastern New York PGA Assistant of the Year in both 2005 and 2006. He starts his second year now as president of the NENY PGA Assistants Association.Membership with the assis¬ tants remains in the 30-35 area but Heighes has added to membership winnings.“We’re going to the next level,” he said. “I want to insure the assistants improve their education of the game.”A graduate of Butler Com¬ munity College in Butler, Pa., Heighes worked at Avalon Lakes Country Club in Ohio and Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Pennsylvania before arriving at Country Club of Troy in 2002.He spent last year as an assistant pro at Schuyler Meadows Club in Loudonville before switching back to Troy this spring.“I came back to Troy because (head pro) Mike Kucera taught me more about golf than anyone else,” he said.Heighes also married his childhood sweetheart, NENY PGA executive director Tracie Warner. They have one child and are expecting another one this December.Heighes says he owes a lot of his success to the Troy course and the membership.“I love the Troy Invitational,” he said. “It’s amazing to see the best players on this course. You earn every shot; you can’t expect pars all day.”He says the Troy member¬ ship is like family to him. “I owe them a lot,” he said. Heighes has come a long way since his grandfather took him out on a golf course in 1990. “He made sure I learned the rules,” Heighes said.By the time he was 13 years old, Matt Heighes says he was serious about the game. He qualified for three Pennsylva¬ nia high school state champi¬ onships.His lone hole-in-one came in Naples, Fla. When he’s not playing golf, Heighes says he likes to take care of the front yard at the Cohoes home. |
