Dennis Johnsen says he doesn’t mind being considered “older” by his PGA of America peers or his customers at Pine Meadow Golf Club in Mundelein, Illinois, just outside Chicago. He prefers to look at his 72nd birthday this month – and impending retirement next month – in golf terms: “I’m leaving at even par.”
Johnsen will have spent 50 years as a Head Professional when he steps down from his position as PGA of America General Manager and Head Professional at Pine Meadow on Dec. 20. He became a non-member Head Professional in 1975 ahead of being elected to PGA of America Membership in 1976, when Ping putters sold for $39.95, a dozen Titleist balata balls cost $15 and the most expensive golf shirt in the shop was $20.
“I never thought I’d see things like $70 golf hats or $100 golf shirts,” Johnsen says. “Of course, my first car was a used 1967 Chevy Malibu I bought for $900, and now a driver with an after-market shaft costs more than that.”
Johnsen jokes about how things have changed since he entered the golf business, but one constant has been his continual quest to serve the customer and improve his skills along the way. In addition to becoming a beloved fixture at Pine Meadow, a public course owned by the Jemsek family, Johnsen has also earned a number of national and Illinois PGA Section awards, including 2008 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities, the 2016 PGA of America Youth Player Development Award, 2015 Illinois PGA Golf Professional of the Year and the 2023 Illinois PGA Patriot Award.
“Someone asked me the other day what’s kept me going, and I said ‘Success,’” Johnsen says. “I love being successful, and doing what I can to make Pine Meadow work. Working for the Jemseks has been so great, and I always had a goal to be able to say I was a Head Professional for 50 years.”
Johnsen says he’s seen the golf business transform greatly in the last half century, though he believes the core mission of the PGA of America Golf Professional hasn’t changed at all.
“The golf professional is pulled in more directions today and has more responsibilities, but golfers still want and need you to be their golf professional,” Johnsen says.
“They want you to be that person who loves the game of golf and will talk with them about that and anything else. ‘How was your round? How’s the family doing? I heard one of your kids is doing great on the basketball team.’ They don’t care how good we are with a spreadsheet. They want to know that their golf professional knows about them, and successful golf professionals do exactly that.”
Johnsen has worked at golf courses since he was in high school and says he hasn’t had three days off in a row during the summer since the late 1960s. Now that he’s completed his goal of reaching 50 years as a Head Professional, he’s setting his sights on new activities. He doesn’t rule out spending some time on the lesson tee or volunteering with a college golf team.
“I’m looking forward to taking a walk through the neighborhood with my wife on a Sunday morning and saying hi to all the people I’d normally see, just not at the golf course,” Johnsen says. “I joined a golf club and I told the Head Professional there that I’ll be the guy at the pool with my wife and two grandkids having a drink and smiling while looking at the golf shop, and I’ll be the most supportive member they’ve ever had.”
–Don Jozwiak