Brett Meyer ’07 was golf team captain at Central and played in two NCAA Division III National Championships. Ten years later, he’s also won a national reputation for being one of the country’s best professional golf instructors. Meyer was recently named one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers in America for 2016-2017 and teaches at The Leadbetter Academy in Orlando, Florida.
“The job found me more than I found it,” Meyer says, “through previous work, the network I built up and, of course, a bit of good timing.”
After completing degrees in Spanish and business, Meyer held several different positions in the golf industry, from sales and equipment to teaching and professional certifications. He has been teaching assistant to David Leadbetter since 2012 and regularly works with PGA, LPGA and European Tour professionals.
Read more about Meyer’s experience at Central and beyond:
What’s the best part of being a professional golf instructor?
I’m fortunate to work with great mentors at a top-level facility. I like the flexibility in my job, the variety of people I meet and the variability of each day. Things aren’t on replay.
How did you find your start at Central?
I was born and raised in Mendota, Illinois. I knew I wanted a smaller school with plenty of study options and a solid golf program. That was easy to figure out after a couple of great visits.
I found my major more through trial and error than a planned process. I earned a Spanish degree within the first three semesters and chose business management/marketing for its broad reach of job possibilities. I explored biology, environmental sciences and athletic training majors and managed to graduate in four years. I still have interest in all of those fields.
On Central’s golf team, I was a part of a big, diverse group of teammates and friends. That has helped me in regard to working with a wide range of cultures, personalities and environments in the golf business. I also remember projects that required teamwork and divided responsibilities. You learn real quickly not to let yourself and others down.
What were your next steps after graduating?
My first step was to go out and explore opportunities through personal and professional acquaintances. Growing up in small-town Illinois, then attending Central, gave me plenty of fantastic, close-knit relationships and experiences, though I also had to feed my mind and curiosity about what else was out there. It was a process—one building block to another.
What’s on your bucket list?
If there’s a list, its header tells me to do things sooner rather than later to avoid regrets. Probably travel. I’d like to explore all of Europe. We live in a great country, too, with a huge variety of cities and landscapes. I have to make sure stops and experiences in the U.S. are checked off as well.
