2007 Illinois PGA Senior Masters Honorees Bruce Carson and Leon McNair

Illinois PGA professionals Bruce Carson and Leon McNair share roots out east - Carson was born and raised in Rhode Island while McNair spent his early childhood in New York. Through hard work and dedication to the game of golf, they will once again share a common thread - the honor of being recognized as an Illinois PGA Senior Master.

Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, Bruce Carson built his lengthy golf career from the ground up…literally. At age 12, Carson was already getting his hands dirty on a local golf course, Winnapaug Golf Club, by watering greens and mowing fairways.  His dedication paid off five years later as “the old Scotsman” that owned the course offered him a job in the pro shop. “That’s really where I got my start,” Carson recalled.

After playing often throughout college, Carson graduated and went to work for Point Judith Country Club in Rhode Island for two summers.  In an effort to stay busy year-round Carson also worked in Florida during the winter months.  Before long, Wee Burn Country Club in Connecticut offered him an assistant position, which he accepted and continued to work for two seasons, while still traveling to Florida in the winter months. As an assistant, he was both a teacher and a player, participating in all the big events in the Met Section PGA and even qualifying for the U.S. Open twice.

In 1980, Carson accepted his first head golf professional position back at Point Judith C.C. in Rhode Island. He admittedly wore many hats at this facility, taking on roles of golf professional, club manager, and even coach of a Division I university golf team.  During his nine years at Point Judith C.C., Carson maintained his winter employment in Florida - a move that would open even more doors for him.

In 1989, Carson was presented with the opportunity to become the head golf professional in his very-frequented state of Florida. A two-year stint at Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club lead to the head golf professional position at The Windsor Club, also located in Florida.  Carson spent nearly six years there before fate came calling once again.

The great Hubby Habjan had been a permanent fixture at Onwentsia Club as head golf professional for over 40 years. “Hubby was known for many things,” Carson commented. “Known widely for being a club-maker, he was also a great professional.  He held great club events and was also a great player.” In 1996, when Hubby made the decision to retire, the hunt for a formidable replacement was on.

“Onwentsia doesn’t publicly advertise employment opportunities. They hire somebody to go out and find the right person for the job,” Carson said, remembering how a headhunter had inquired about his possible interest in the position. After two great interviews, the job was his.

As he has progressed through his career, Carson has turned his attention to the operational side of the golf business. “Now I tackle everything,” he said, commenting on his involvement at Onwentsia. “I’m running operations in areas like the golf shop, locker rooms and halfway house. I’m really involved in many aspects, but I enjoy it. I like to feel at the end of the day that we met all the challenges we faced.”

In keeping with the tradition of Hubby Habjan and Onwentsia, club-making is among the menu of offerings from the full service club shop. “We provide our members with all club-related needs – club repair, club fitting and even club making,” gleams Carson. “It’s a great service. We can fix a broken club overnight or adjust lofts/lies in 20 minutes.  Onwentsia is one of maybe five facilities in the country that provide this level of club service.”

Carson attributes part of his success to two mentors who were both not only head professionals at private country clubs, but also former tour players. Carson worked under Roy Pace, Wee Burn C.C., in Connecticut and David Marad, John’s Island club, in Florida. “They demonstrated to me how a private country club should be run,” Carson said. “Although one facility had a typical membership of 400 and the other had 1500 members, there are shared aspects that are critical in both operations. Every day should look like it's opening day.”

Carson, a self-admitted “worker by nature,” has dedicated his time and resources to developing programs that make Onwentsia Club a truly special place for residents of Lake Forest and the surrounding communities.  Onwentsia’s junior golf program is one example. “Historically, children were frowned upon from being at the club,” Carson stated. “Times have changed and now we have over 100 kids enrolled in the program each year.” The children are taught every aspect of the game from how to dress, how to play, how to behave and how to take care of the course. “We have very few restrictions on when kids can play,” Carson commented. “Because we have a structured program it is very successful. Sunday afternoons from 4-9 in the summertime are packed with parents and kids playing as a family.”

Also noteworthy is the Caddie Mentoring Program Carson has implemented. “This is a caddie club,” he commented. “Ninety-five percent of the rounds here are done by caddie, so, as a result, we have about 75 caddies on staff each year.” As with normal caddie turnover, 12-15 new recruits are brought in at the start of the new season. “We augment our standard training by having 2 or 3 younger caddies go out with a senior caddie on a slow day,” Carson explained. “The senior caddie will play golf and explain the intricacies of the game and caddie duties to the new caddies who are carrying his clubs.”

“What has been here has always been good,” Carson stated explaining his impact at Onwentsia. “I’ve just had the opportunity to refine them. We’ve taken good things and made them better.”

A shining example of Carson’s impact in the golf world is realized through the growth of those that worked under him. “In my 28 years as a head professional,” he stated proudly, “eighteen of my assistants have gone on to become head professionals and/or superintendents and/or club owners. That means a great deal to me.”

Leon McNair spent his boyhood growing up in Cooperstown, NY, near the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s legendary Doubleday Field. In addition to watching some Hall of Fame games from his garage roof, he also spent many days golfing with his parents at Leatherstocking Golf Course. “I can still vividly remember walking down the 18th hole alongside my parents with a club in may hand, occasionally hitting the ball when I was five,” McNair recounted. “That’s the first time I can recollect having a club in my hand.”

When McNair was seven years old, his father was transferred to Chicago with the National 4-H Group where he was employed.  From their residence in Lombard, McNair made a spontaneous decision that would turn out to shape his future. “In the early 1950s, I decided to jump on my bike,” McNair said, “and ride out to Glen Oak Country Club in Glen Ellyn to see about a caddying job.”

McNair began caddying at Glen Oak C.C. for some phenomenal people – John Morrell, Jr. and George Dawson in particular.  Fellow PGA Professional, Paul Reinking, was also a caddy at Glen Oak C.C. at the time.  Morrell and Dawson, who were nationally known amateur players, took the initiative to teach these young caddies about the game.

“We really learned by watching them and asking questions,” McNair remembered. “They showed us how to play the game right, and how to hit special shots.” The time McNair spent caddying jump-started his passion for golf.

McNair enjoyed playing in high school at Glenbard West and in college at Southern Illinois University, where he made the team as a walk-on.  In 1964, the SIU golf team claimed the NCAA Division II National Championship.

At this point in his life however, McNair still did not yet see a future career in golf.  He loved the game but really had no thoughts of pursuing a career in the industry. Needing money for college expenses and knowing that his caddying days were coming to a close, McNair searched for other sources of income.  Good fortune intervened and McNair was introduced to Brent Wadsworth, at the time an up-and-coming golf course contractor. McNair worked in many areas of course construction from surveying, to irrigation and drainage, to even operating bulldozers and heavy equipment. Ironically, he worked on Fox Bend Golf Club’s original nine holes, a facility that would become Leon’s career-long home.  McNair continued to work for Wadsworth over the next few years, occasionally taking off a semester from college in order to earn more income.

McNair still had no intentions of working in the golf business as his sights were set on a job with Xerox back in his home state of New York after graduation. But then the call came. In late fall of 1966, Wadsworth contacted McNair to offer him the head professional job at the newly-constructed Fox Bend.  “I still have my original agreement from 1967,” McNair claimed. “It was for $85 per week plus lessons, etc.”  What really sealed the deal for McNair was the fact that the agreement included a house plus all utilities. “That was huge. That’s what made it work,” he said.

In the early 1970’s McNair was presented with the opportunity to invest in Fox Bend and become a partner in the operating company. McNair became intensely involved in all aspects of the club, not only the golf course, but food & beverage and maintenance. The operations stayed that way until 1980 when the club was sold to the Fox Valley Park District and Oswegoland Park District, making Bob Vaughan, business manager/executive director for the Fox Valley Park District, his principal boss.

“My business life has been blessed in the respect that I worked for two of the greatest people in the world,” McNair reflected. “[Wadsworth and Vaughan] understood golf.  They had vision, they wanted golf to grow and they weren’t micromanagers. That’s what made it tick. They understood the importance of giving back to the game.”

McNair also had the good fortune of being able to work closely with family members. His wife, Carole, added to the success of Fox Bend G.C. by managing promotions and finances for 30 years. In addition, Leon’s brother, Jim, filled the role of superintendent at the club for over 25 years.

Although McNair retired from Fox Bend as Director of Golf in 2005, he is still actively involved in the golfing community in philanthropic ways. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the First Tee of Aurora, a role he started back at it’s inception in 1999.  McNair also serves as president for the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation which supports programs like First Tee, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA golf programs and inner city youth golf groups. At the end of 2007, the self-funded Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation will have donated $3.5 million to worthy causes.

McNair has certainly been involved with the Illinois Section throughout his career. He opened up Fox Bend to section tournaments like the Illinois Open, Illinois Section Championship and Illinois Match Play Championships. He served on the Illinois PGA board for five years, culminating in his serving as president from 1991-1992.  McNair also receive the highest honor bestowed on a section member, the Illinois PGA Professional of the Year Award in 1992.

“If you’re going to have tenure, if you’re going to have longevity, if you’re going to be important to your establishment,” McNair reflected, “you need to be involved in everything that’s happening.”