Golf Management Instructors

The United States Golf Managers Association has taken advantage of the incredible talent within the USGTF and in doing so, we provide education through instruction from currently employed specialists in every aspect of golf course management. Our colleagues are open and thoughtful people who share their vision and sound advice. They also feel they have a duty to continue to push the boundaries of golf career development.

Arlen Bento, Jr. Profile

Arlen Bento Jr. is an award winning Golf Professional with over 17 years experience in the golf course management industry.

Arlen is the former Head Golf Professional of the PGA Country Club in Port St. Lucie Florida and the Director of Golf at Eagle Marsh Country Club in Jensen Beach. He has won three national awards in the golf course industry including two Golf Digest “Four Star” awards and one Golf Shop Operations “Service Ace” for customer service.

Arlen started his career in the golf business as an Assistant Golf Professional in Hawaii after graduating from the University of Hawaii with a degree in Political Science with emphasis is Economics and Speech Communication. He worked as an Assistant Golf Professional at the prestigious Oahu Country Club in Honolulu and then at the Barbers Point Golf Club in Ewa Beach as an Assistant Professional where he earned his PGA Class “A” Membership.

After attaining his PGA Class “A” Membership, Arlen moved to Florida and secured the position of Head Professional at PGA Country Club in Port St. Lucie. At that time, Arlen was one of only two Head Golf Professionals hired directly by the PGA of America to manage a golf facility owned by the PGA.

Currently Arlen is the owner of ABJ Golf Sales. ABJ Golf Sales is a golf industry sales and marketing business that represents many different companies in South East Florida. Arlen and his professional sales staff sell products and provide event services to over 40 golf retail stores and 180 golf courses.

Arlen lives in Jensen Beach with his wife Julie and two sons’ ages 12 and 10. When he is not working he enjoys playing golf with friends, boating, fishing and spending time with his family.

Gary Glenister

After nearly 20 years of working with the City of Mississauga as a Recreation Facility Manager and part-time golf instructor, life took an unexpected turn in a new direction. An employee displaced due to downsizing and re-organization, I was free to pursue my true passion, golf, full time. Having played golf for 30 years, I knew golf was the field of employment for me.

A member of the USGTF since 1998, Port St. Lucie, Florida and a Master member since 2006, Phoenix, Arizona, I was now certified and ready to work.

During this ten year period, I have worked with Pro Golf of America (retail), been General Manager and Director of Golf at both Walkerton Golf and Curling Club and Pinewoods Golf Club. I am presently the Owner, General Manager and Director of Golf at Deer Run Golf Course in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. The past eight years at Deer Run has given me hands experience of managing daily operations, banquets, turf operations, lesson programs and customer service.

To the USGTF I say thank you for opening the door for me to this fulfilling, challenging, and ever changing career and lifestyle. I would enjoy the opportunity to share some of my experiences with others and continue to follow the path my personal journey is taking.

Mark Harman

Mark Harman presently serves as the National Course Director for the United States Golf Teachers Federation, and is also the teaching professional at Crosswinds Golf Club in Savannah, Georgia. Beginning his teaching career in 1989, he has worked in a variety of settings, including golf schools, giving individual lessons, and training and certifying others in teaching golf for the USGTF.

In addition to teaching, Mark is also an experienced tournament director. As a new graduate from Franklin College of Indiana in 1985 with a B.A. in Computer/Information Systems, Mark organized and ran the Plymouth (Indiana) City Championship when the former tournament directors declined to do so that year. Mark has also been the Tournament Director for the USGTF since 2002, running its national championship event, the United States Golf Teachers Cup, which regularly has over 100 participants. He is experienced in all phases of tournament operations.

Mark is also an accomplished tournament player, having won the United States Golf Teachers Cup five times, the individual championship of the World Golf Teachers Cup twice, and six other professional events. He has also represented Team USA in the World Golf Teachers Cup seven times, with Team USA winning the event in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2003.
When not working in the golf business, Mark spends time at home with his wife Coyne LaMoreaux and their two sons, Chrysogonus and Michael in their hometown of Ridgeland, South Carolina.

Barry Lezark

Barry has been a resident of South Florida for fifty-three years, moving here from New Jersey as a child. After owning his own golf shop in Broward County he then moved to Palm City, Florida. A new career begun, working on the maintenance crew at the world-renowned Jupiter Hills Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. He attended Palm Beach community college, and was promoted to the assistant superintendent position to oversee the construction of the north and south courses at the PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, FL. He then became the head superintendent.

Five years later, he accepted a position as the assistance superintendent at the Legacy Golf and Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, FL. Being involved in turf management, he continued his education by taking classes at the University of Georgia. Barry was later awarded the construction and head superintendent position for the city of Fort Pierce at their newly owned and redesigned Indian Hills Golf Course, where he remains currently.

Barry is experienced in golf course construction, turf management, and overall golf course maintenance operations. He is a Class A superintendent and certified for chemical use, a member of the Superintendent Association of America, Florida and the Treasure Coast, and has certification in Hazardous Material Operations, OSHA Level 2.

Pat Montana

Patrick J. Montana, Ph.D., is a Professor of Management at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business in New York and former President of the National Center for Career Life Planning of the American Management Associations, and a USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional.

Dr. Montana’s background includes experience as former President of the Professional Institute of the American Management Associations which offered management training and education to all nonprofit markets and the public sector. He also served as a Presidential Interchange Executive assigned to the United States Department of Labor, Washington, DC, where he earned the Secretary of Labor’s Recognition Award for “Outstanding Work in Career Development and Pioneering Work in Career Counseling.” Prior to this assignment he served as a vice president and Director of Strategic Planning and Human Resource Development for the Sperry and Hutchinson Company in New York.

Dr. Montana has lectured and consulted widely in the fields of management and marketing and conducted seminars for numerous organizations including IBM, AT&T, General Motors, Becton Dickinson, M&M Mars, Illinois Tool and Lever Brothers, among others.

Internationally, he has taught management and marketing to senior executives at the University of Waterloo in Canada as well as in Italy, Egypt and China. He also taught in Puerto Rico.

In the golfing industry, he served as Head Golf Professional for the Cortlandt and Yorktown Golf Learning Centers and Club Fit in Westchester County, New York and teaches golf at Fordham University and at the Hollow Brook Country Club in New York.

Dr. Montana is the author of 27 books in management, marketing and career life planning. His latest book entitled, Conquering the Course: Nine Steps to Managing Your Business and Golf Expectations, was published by John Wiley and Sons. Among his articles in Golf Teaching Pro Magazine (Winter 2003) is “Learning and Applying Management Skills in the Golf Business.”

Mike Stevens

Often one of the strengths of the USGTF is the life experiences of its many members prior to becoming full time golf teaching professionals. One such is Mike Stevens of Tampa, Florida. After graduating from the University of Miami in 1972 with a B.S. Degree in Chemistry, he served in the U.S. Army at Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey where he conducted research in urethane plastics. He received a government patent for developing a quick set foam that would freeze mechanical triggering devices in suitcase bombs. After an honorable discharge in 1975, he went to work for CD Medical in Miami Lakes, Florida starting in the Quality Control Department. He eventually became Director of Quality Control and later took charge of a production department of 150 people overseeing a $4 million dollar budget.

While at CD Medical, Mike obtained a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management from Nova Southeastern University. In 1986, the Bausch & Lomb Company made him an offer to good to refuse and he moved to Tampa, Florida to assume the Director of Quality Control for newly formed Pharmaceutical division. He was later promoted to Clinical Research Director and responsible for securing clinical studies at University teaching hospitals for new Bausch & Lomb products. That experience led to a position in product marketing. In 1992 Somerset Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of Parkinson’s disease drugs offered Stevens a position as their Quality Control Director.

At Somerset, Mike was responsible for testing and release of all drugs manufactured for patient use. Because of his previous experiences, he was asked to take over the vacant Director of Marketing for the company in 1995. This would be the final position of a 20 year career working for corporations. In December 1995, Mike became a certified USGTF member and established his own golf teaching operation at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

Thomas Tarleton Wartelle

Thomas T Wartelle has been involved in golf for over 25 years. The game of golf has taken him from caddie to professional player. Thomas began his professional playing career in1993 and has played tournament golf worldwide. He is a Master Teaching Professional, Director of the World Golf Teachers Federation and conducts seminars worldwide on teaching golf and the golf swing. Thomas earned a B.S. in Agronomy / Horticulture from the University of Louisiana.

As director of the World Golf Teachers Federation, Thomas holds the distinct record of training and certifying more teaching professionals in various countries world-wide than anyone in the history of golf. Thomas was named as one of the WGTF’s Top Teachers in the World. He is frequently seen performing his entertaining golf clinics that feature golf trick shots, history & lore and inspirational dialogue on playing this great game.

His company, Asteur-Louisiane LLC has provided agronomic golf course consulting worldwide with clients in Asia, Europe and South America. Asteur-Louisiane specializes in golf course agronomy, architecture and championship course preparation. He has worked on projects ranging from golf course construction, rebuilding existing courses and upgrading golf courses to modern standards.

Thomas has voyaged to over 30 countries around the globe as a player, teacher and consultant. He speaks several languages fluently.

Thomas’ learning center is headquartered at Indian Hills Country Club in Opelousas, Louisiana. He lives nearby in Grand Prairie, Louisiana with his wife Sylvie and their son Gabriel Augustin. When not golfing, Thomas enjoys spending time with his family, sports, and playing traditional music.

John Johnston

John Johnston has over 14 years of experience working in Corporate America before joining the ranks of teaching professional and golf retail store manager. John stopped working as a software developer on a Friday and started managing a golf retail store the following Saturday. He simply knew it was time for a career change. His desires were to work more closely with people. John realized that you do not get much social interaction while writing or fixing computer programs.

Now, with many years of acquired knowledge as a store manager and a golf instructor combined with a background in big companies, has helped John understand customers and students better. He feels that it’s all about relating to people. When you understand individuals and their lifestyles, you can better serve them in a retail environment and give them better guidance as a golf instructor.

His education is in computer science, business, and is a level III member of the USGTF. He attended Andover College in South Portland, ME where he earned an associate’s degree in computer science. Later, he received a bachelor’s degree in Business Studies from Southern New Hampshire University. And, while working as a computer operations supervisor and a software developer he gained a master’s degree in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

Currently, John is the golf teaching professional at Long Shot Golf Center in Brunswick, Maine where he owns and manages his retail operation. Also, he is the golf teaching professional at Bath Country Club in Bath, Maine.

John resides in Bath, Maine with his wife, Zarina, and one year old boy, John III. Because his wife is from the Ukraine, he enjoys studying Eastern European History and the Russian Language. He is already acquainting, John III, with the proper golf grip.

Robert Ransone

In 1999, after 28 years with a Fortune 500 company, the last 17 as a Vice President, I decided it was time to change careers and accepted a position with the Somerset County Park Commission in New Jersey in its Golf Division. The Park Commission operated four 18 hole golf courses and ran a three week junior program that attracted 350 students yearly.

With a strong playing background and a vision that we could grow the Junior Program I attended the USGTF’s teaching program in 2000 and qualified for my level III certification. Since then I have been able to grow our Junior Golf Program to a 10 week program which attracts 1,000 youngsters each year and I established an adult program which continues today. Our golf courses have grown to six with the newest being a world class facility that has already hosted the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Public Links Championship, multiple USGA qualifying events including this year’s US Women’s Open Sectional Qualifier and New Jersey State Golf Association events.

An important part of the new facility is a stand alone Learning Center that supports all of our teaching activities and permits us to provide instruction from short game to on course playing lessons. An indoor Callaway Custom Club Fitting Center is also part of the Learning Center and provides custom club fittings for over a thousand customers each year. As Director of Golf Operations it is my responsibility to oversee the daily activities of these six diverse locations and provide leadership for all employees including USGTF and PGA professionals.

My comprehensive background in management in private industry coupled with my new golf skill sets has enabled me to lead the operations function in a period of tremendous growth. I made a great move in 1999 and my USGTF certification has served to validate my golf credentials.

Scotty McAlarney

Scotty McAlarney is owner and Golf Director of Scott Greens Golf Club, home of the “A swing for Life Golf Academy”. Teaching golf instruction since 1994, Scott became associated with the U.S.G.T.F. in 2004. As an amateur player of 18 years, Scott had a notable career winning various player awards and tournaments. Due to untimely injuries to his elbow and hand, Scott had to give up the playing side, and has enjoyed a remarkable teaching career since.

Scott now gives approximately 450 lessons year round through his golf academy, utilizing his indoor teaching facility for half a season and the remaining months outdoors at his “A Swing for Life Golf Academy” lesson area. Using launch monitor and the latest fitness, training, and video equipment, Scott works with some of the best junior players in his area.

As head golf coach for the Mid-Valley Spartans, Scott was named “Coach of the Year” by his peers in 2000. He is also the winningest golf coach in the school’s history. Scott is also the lead instructor for the Northeast Golf School during its summer camps. In 2006, Scott served as a regional director for a national junior tour.

Most recently, Scott has co-produced and hosted several golf instructional videos for the Scranton Times/Tribune newspaper website. He is currently producing a D.V.D. on clubfitting with his son and business partner, Corey McAlarney, who is a certified clubfitter/instructor for Jim McLean.

Scott recently received a 2009 Entrepreneurship award on behalf of his family businesses, which he shares with his wife, Jill, and grown up children, Ryan, Corey, Ashley, and Sean.

Using the daily mantra of “Doing it on God’s time”, Scotty’s personal and business decisions are based on this blue print for success!

Bob Mullen

Bob Mullen is a USGTF Master Teacher, Author of the Book, Golf From the Ground Up, certified ski instructor, successful businessman, decorated Marine, 3 sport letterman in college, and man who has studied the development of the modern golf swing from the hip-slide and arm rotation, and what Hogan errantly called supination and should have called flexion, to the variations of the swing plane.

The past three years have been dedicated to video study of the six parts that make up the modern golf swing: grip and quiet hands, foot work, weight shift, rotation, alignment and ball position. The clone like look that you see in the modern swing today is designed to give the golfer a combination of maximum time and maximum velocity in the hitting zone. Understanding the modern swing is understanding basic fundamentals.

Bob teaches those fundamentals every day along with understanding how the adult brain learns motor skills. Understanding how we learn is almost important as what we learn.

Bruce Sims

My enthusiasm for the game began with my dad while I was in high school. In 1970 I joined the Air Force and was stationed at Elgin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. That is when my passion for game became even more real when I recorded my first sub par round – a 65!

Upon my return to the United States, I attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. There, I was on the golf team, and over the next few years had a very successful amateur career. I decided that I wanted to be more involved in the golf industry, so I purchased a golf retail store and club repair. It was at that same time that the USGTF came into my career.

In 1997 I completed my USGTF certification. Since becoming a USGTF member I have held many roles in the golf industry. I owned and operated the Lubbock Golf Academy, assisted at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was Director of Instruction at Possum Trot Learning Center in Myrtle Beach. I taught with America’s Favorite Golf Schools and enhanced my knowledge and desire to teach even further.

I eventually relocated back to the Dallas area, and in March of 2001 I was hired as the general manager at The Golf Club at McKinney in Texas, where I remained for three years. While in this position I was responsible for the day-to-day facility operations. This included management of 25 employees for both golf and food and beverage departments, along with many other duties.
By 2004 I was still operating Lubbock Golf Academy, but had relocated to Plantation Golf Club in Frisco, Texas, and three years later I founded Bruce Sims School of Golf. The school has three locations in the metroplex.

James E. “Coach” Robertson

James E. “Coach” Robertson is first and foremost a coach. While he has taught Applied Sport Psychology and Successful Coaching in college, including on the doctoral level, he still considers himself to be a coach, and with good reason. He has coached at every level of the game, up to and including NCAA Division I golf and the PGA Tour. During his career, he has worked with players on the PGA, LPGA, Futures, Nationwide, Champions, European, and Canadian Tours. He has been quite busy writing about golf, as well.

Coach has authored several books on both business and golf, researched and created a golfer’s psychological profiling instrument, and worked on books with some of the major names in the business. He currently directs The St. Andrews Golf and Performance Academy, consults in player development for American College Connection, is the head instructor at Butler Country Club, as well as being a PGA Tour instructor.