Member Profile

Mike Matuch

PROfile

Mike got into golf as a summer activity back home in St. Catharines, Ontario.  The more he played, the more he loved the game which led to getting a membership at Sawmill Golf Club where he played a lot with his dad and his golfing buddies.  After high school Mike enrolled in the Professional Golf Management Program at Niagara College and instantly knew the golf industry was where he belonged.  After achieving his Business Administration in Professional Golf Management and in the summer of 2006, Mike and 6 others from the program packed up their cars and headed west to do a summer internship at Kananaskis Country Golf Course. In describing his experience, Mike says “The towering Rockies, the peace and tranquility and the amazing customer service environment driven by Bob Paley along with his infectious personality showed me that I had found a new place to call home in Alberta!”  
 
In 2007, Mike passed his Playing Ability Test becoming a PGA of Canada Professional.  From Kananaskis Mike spent some time in Calgary at McKenzie Meadows, and then back to Sawmill before returning to his new “home” in Kananaskis for the 2010 - 2012 golf seasons.  With Mike’s passion to continually challenge himself both personally and within the industry he decided he wanted to advance to a Private Club.  He was fortunate to meet Wib Lamb, the Head Professional at Bearspaw Country Club and joined the team in 2013.  Mike is forever grateful to Wib, Blair Felesky and the entire Bearspaw management team for allowing him to grow and eventually take on the Head Professional role in 2016.  It was there that Mike was inspired to try out unique structures that translated to an amazing culture for employees and members.  His efforts paid off as Mike and his team won both the Provincial and National Retailer of the Year Award in 2017.  The following year, in 2018, Mike was a finalist for the Alberta Club Professional of the Year.
 
Working in environments that foster team-oriented core values have nurtured Mike’s beliefs to where they are today; to create positive experiences resulting in a great culture.