Greg Babinec

Interview With Greg Babinec, Head Golf Professional at Crystal Mountain

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with Head Golf Professional, the Head Golf Professional at Crystal Mountain. The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

Can you provide our readers a brief biography? I've been a member of The PGA of America since 1988. I worked with the Japanese Women's Golf Program at Ferris State University and saw several students return to Japan to compete on the women's tour, along with students who became PGA Professionals and remained in the United States. I spent 11 years at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club and took on roles such as Head Professional and Director of Golf and joined the Crystal Mountain team in 2012.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you to the game?
I was introduced to golf by Mike McGovern (my Brother-in-Law), when I was 10 years old at Oceana Golf Club in Shelby, MI

What is your current home course?
Crystal Mountain

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
Being named PGA Professional of the Year for Northern Michigan in 1992.

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
Being late.

What is your favorite club in your bag and why?
Putter! It will always be the difference between a good score and a great score.

What is your favorite golf destination?
Anywhere I am playing with friends and/or family

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
Augusta National

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
The Old Course at St Andrews.

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
The anchoring rule for putting.

Dream foursome (living)?
Tiger, Jack, Lee Trevino and myself.

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Arnold Palmer, Bobby Jones , Ben Hogan and myself.

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Sinking long putt

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Having round of life

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Either

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Hit a power fade

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Halfway house

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Either

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Hot dog

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
Around the green

9) Walking OR riding?
Walking

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
Neither

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Long par 3

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Shorts

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Nicklaus

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Beatles

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Play for money

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Bump and run

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Gamble

18) 18 holes OR 36?
36

Revised: 02/12/2018 - Article Viewed 23,284 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.