Jesse Mueller is the PGA of America General Manager at the Grand Canyon University Golf Course in the Southwest PGA Section. Mueller, a seasoned professional with over two dozen tournament wins and multiple appearances on the PGA Tour, including several majors, also serves as the Men’s Assistant Golf Coach at Grand Canyon University, a role he has held for 11 years.
Mueller played his college golf at nearby Arizona State University, earning academic All-American honors and graduating in 2005 with a Business Marketing degree while also completing the PGA’s PGM program. He also had a successful junior golf career.
Fresh from participating in the PGA of America’s defeat of Great Britain & Ireland in last year’s PGA Cup, Mueller utilizes the experiences from his life in golf to present a great public golf experience for his customers and staff.
We’re happy to highlight Jesse Mueller, PGA, in this month’s PGA General Managers Professional Profile feature.
Mueller: Grand Canyon University Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf course. We serve many members of the GCU community and are the home of the GCU men’s and women’s golf teams. We host about 56,000 rounds of golf per year, including public play, tournament rounds and outings.
As the PGA of America General Manager, I oversee the general operations of the facility. This includes daily operations and many special events like golf tournaments throughout the year and many non-golf-related events in our restaurant space.
We have about 70 employees, half of them being GCU students. In these students, we look for positive attitudes and a good work ethic. With staffing being a concern since the pandemic, GMs must be mindful to foster a welcoming, growth-oriented culture that helps retain team members. I expect everyone to work hard and take pride in their work, but I understand that family is important. I want them to have time to spend with their families. I give all team members two days off in a row each week, with one of those days being a weekend day. They’re fresher when they come to work and happier when they’re on the job. I don’t want to see anyone working more than 50 hours per week.
To ensure our employees feel valued and appreciated, I follow the university’s employee performance review procedures to keep our staff members abreast of their current performance evaluations and areas of improvement.
Mueller: After college at Arizona State University, I played professional golf from 2005 to 2013. After some decent success on the course, I started working in the golf industry in 2013.
My biggest mentors and influences in golf have been John Jackson, the PGA of America Head Golf Professional at Palo Verde Golf Course here in Phoenix, and Steve Dallas, the owner of Mountain Brook Golf Club in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
John is a long-time PGA Member with high-level playing experience and several PGA Section awards to his credit. He was a 2005 inductee in the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame.
Steve is a big supporter of junior golf and the Junior Golf Association of Arizona.
Mueller: I believe it is effective to establish goals and develop a mission statement. Once established and communicated, we do our best every day to reach these goals and live up to our mission statement. In addition, as an extension of the university, our vision must match up with that of the institution.
Mueller: As many PGA of America Golf Professionals will attest, we have welcomed many new golfers to the game since the pandemic in 2020. This has not only been great for the golf industry in the present day, but will ideally create a bright and prosperous future across the game for many years to come. As a junior golf proponent and college golf coach, I can appreciate the need to look forward and prepare for the future.
Mueller: I believe it’s important for me as the GM to inspire my team. We strive to provide a quality guest experience with every interaction. Also, as I mentioned earlier, we must establish a good work/life balance for all employees. We will get the best out of them, and they will be happier as a result. When on the job, I think it’s important to create a hierarchy where each department has a strong leader and everyone knows what their defined role is and who to report to. Again, this goes to employee satisfaction.
Mueller: It is important to literally do your best every day. Managers, members, customers and co-workers will notice. In addition, I treat everyone at our course like I want to be treated.
Jesse Mueller is the PGA of America General Manager at Grand Canyon University Golf Course in Phoenix, Arizona.