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quick inspection of PGA of America Life Member Mark Bradley’s genealogy certifies his long love for golf. His sister, Pat Bradley, was enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1991. His son, Keegan, has amassed nearly 60 top-10 finishes and seven victories, including the 2011 PGA Championship and 2024 BMW Championship. In July, Keegan was named the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain.
That’s a profound pedigree for Mark Bradley, especially when you consider the longtime Head Professional and Director of Instruction at Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Golf & Tennis Club was elected to PGA of America Membership nearly 30 years ago and has given thousands of lessons and played hundreds of competitive rounds himself.
But a closer examination of Bradley’s sports heritage may surprise you, since golf was not always the family’s primary pastime. That distinction belongs to skiing.
“This is my 66th year on skis and skiing still gives me a rush,” assures the 70-year-old Bradley (pictured left). “Our parents owned a ski shop when I was growing up and we were all into ski racing.”
Indeed, the Bradley family’s ski shop in Westford, Massachusetts, made skiing a prerequisite for Mark, Pat and brothers Chris, Tom and John. But Mark’s father had caddied as a youth and loved golf, so he introduced the family to the game.
“He wanted to give us something to do when the snow had melted,” recalls Bradley. “While I love golf, I’ve never stopped skiing.”
Mark discovered Jackson Hole, Wyo ming, for the first time when he hitchhiked to the Grand Tetons in 1970 to ski while on a school vacation. Little did he know that his future would be in Jackson Hole – as a PGA of America Professional and as a ski instructor.
During Bradley’s first stretch in Jackson Hole (1973–83), he met Kaye Hansen from Maine and the two immediately hit it off. After they married, she encouraged Mark to move back to New England to raise a family and they relocated to Vermont, where children Keegan and Madison were born. Not surprisingly, the two Bradley siblings immediately became excellent, competitive skiers.
Once back in New England, Mark’s love for golf was rekindled at Woodstock Inn Golf Club. He pursued his Class A membership while working as an assistant professional.
“We skied in the winter and played golf in the summer. Keegan came to work with me every day at the golf course for years,” says Bradley.
Mark was admittedly a bit disappointed the day 13-year-old Keegan announced he was finished with skiing. Yet, he was encouraged by the way his son poured his heart and soul into golf.
In 2005, with Keegan enrolled at St. John’s as a freshman, Mark Bradley once again felt the allure of Jackson Hole. A longtime friend there innocently mentioned to Mark that the PGA of America Head Professional at Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club was leaving. Bradley made some phone calls himself, landed the job and returned to Jackson Hole for Chapter 2 of his career.
“I think it was God’s will that I go back to Jackson Hole,” says Bradley, who is now 19 years into his second stint at the base of the Grand Tetons. “I’ve always loved it here – I love the mountains, the people, the skiing, the springs, the summers, the winters – everything.”
On June 26, Mark traveled from Wyoming to Massachusetts for a family get-together at Keegan’s home in Newburyport, a seaport town 35 miles northeast of Boston. Keegan had some significant news to share with his family circle. He had been asked to serve as Captain of the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team. Mark Bradley admits he nearly fell out of his chair when Keegan shared the news. “Are you kidding me?” he asked incredulously.
“I was just as surprised as anyone,” admits Keegan (pictured with his father).
A prideful Mark Bradley attended the news conference in New York on July 10 introducing Keegan as the new U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain. Keegan noted that his deep love for the Ryder Cup took root at age 13 when his father took him to the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where Justin Leonard’s 45-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole against José María Olazábal punctuated a legendary comeback and a U.S. Team victory.
Perhaps a sign of things to come for the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain and his proud dad.
—Roger Graves