Keith Maher has spent most of his life in New Jersey, but he is delighted to be back in the South.
In January, Maher was named the new PGA head golf professional at the Greenville Golf & Country Club.
Maher went to college at Campbell University in North Carolina, and moved back to the outskirts of metropolitan New York City after graduating. Since that time, he has missed the Southern hospitality.
“I am really happy to have moved to Greenville,” Maher said. “The people I have met so far have been really friendly and really down to earth.”
Before coming to Greenville, Maher worked at Edgewood Country Club in Bergen County in New Jersey. He said the opportunity to be a head professional at the Greenville Golf & Country Club was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“At some point you get a little stagnant at a certain profession, and you want to move ahead,” Maher said. “And sometimes moving ahead means you have to relocate. I have just stayed confident and it has been a great experience so far.”
Maher said he did not come to the country club to reinvent the wheel. He said he hopes to build on what is already great about the club.
“The golf course is great,” he said. “It is a great member friendly golf course. It has a lot of character to it. No two holes are the same, which makes the layup really nice.”
However, he does see areas he can help improve.
“I would like to dress the place up the way the place should be dressed up. I would like to give it a little more tender loving care,” he said. “I plan to give attention to detail to certain things about the course. For example, we have a beautiful driving range, but there are no umbrellas or chairs out there. So, I would say the main thing is to bring a little more attention to details like that.”
Maher also said he is looking forward to all the tournaments the club hosts on an annual basis. Because of all the rain over the winter, Maher, nor club members, have been able to play the course much recently. However, Maher believes the course should be in fine shape when it hosts the 38th Annual Mississippi State-Ole Miss Tennis & Golf Classic on March 27-29.
“They have a great tournament program around here,” he said.
Maher, a lefty, was a baseball player as a child and was introduced to the game of golf when he was 15 years old. His passion for golf took off instantly.
“I love the freedom of golf,” he said. “Golf gives you a place to clear your head. You can see some beautiful aspects of nature while playing golf too. You have the sun on your shoulders, and it can be very peaceful.”
While Maher has many responsibilities at the club, his biggest passion, he said, is helping people improve their games.
“The biggest thing I teach my students is to focus on the fundamentals,” he said.”Fundamentals in golf are paramount to creating longevity because you can always go back to them.”
Maher’s wife, Heart, is a native of Thailand and is also a yoga instructor. She is currently back in her home country working at a yoga retreat. She is planning to move to Greenville soon, and when she gets here she plans on instructing yoga at the country club.
“She is looking forward to getting here and meeting everyone,” Maher siad.
