by Mike McGrath
“The family’s ties to the game of golf are a fun story. I often tell people the game is literally in my blood. “
My uncle Bob became the GM at San Jose Municipal GC in the mid ’80s after working various golf-related jobs as a young man. My first memories of the golf course are actually of him as a bartender spraying whipped cream in my mouth as a child. My father followed shortly after and became the GM for Santa Teresa Golf Club, just across town in San Jose under the same ownership group. My uncle John worked briefly at San Jose Municipal when he was young before starting Smarter Lessons in the early 2000s. All three are skilled players. Bob even competed at the highest level in a PGA Championship and a Senior PGA Championship during the time I was at Muni. My father has been a very active and influential member of the Northern California PGA, serving many different roles over the previous 3 decades.
Both of their parents were avid recreational golfers.
I started at 15 working summers at Santa Teresa on the range. In 1999 I began working directly under my father managing the daily operations at a large practice facility that Bob and my father had purchased in San Jose.
Years later in 2006, I moved over to work directly under Bob at San Jose Muni. After 5+ years there and a short stint as a golf professional at Mililani Golf Club in Hawaii, I left the golf industry to try something new.
Fast forward 7 years later and I walked into Mike Woods golf shop at Haggin Oaks hoping for a reason to be around the game that I missed. He hired me as a part-time cashier in the golf shop in the spring of 2018 and then in February of the next year, the Morton Golf gave me an opportunity as the GM at Bing Maloney.
I should also add that John’s son Kyle McGrath joined Morton Golf just prior to me transferring to Bing. He is a sales associate and Club fitter. Seems to be in his blood too so maybe someday I’ll be teaching him everything they taught me. Never know…
Mike McGrath began his role as the General Manager of the Bing Maloney Golf Complex in February 2019. Growing up in Gilroy Ca, he was introduced to the game in his teens by his father Jim, who was the long-time General Manager at Santa Teresa Golf Club in San Jose. Mike spent his high school summers working on the driving range and with the maintenance team there, and eventually moved on to managing the Coyote Valley Golf Center. In 2006 he became the First Assistant Golf Professional at San Jose Municipal Golf Course. In 2018, Mike joined Morton Golf as a Tournament Director at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. – Morton Golf
