Ridgeway Country Club has a new Head Golf Pro

By: Tripp Vistica

April 16

A view from the outdoor terrace of Ridgeway Country Club’s golf course where golfers make the turn in between holes 9 and 10.

         Head Golf Professional, Keith Penke, is a 21-year veteran of being a country club golf pro. He started in 1998 at Germantown Country Club and remained there for 18 years till the club shut down. Like many former members of Germantown, Penke moved to Ridgeway Country Club when he was offered his same job.

         The saddest part about Germantown shutting down for Penke was all the relationships he built with the members during his many years at the club. He had good relationships with close to 500 members, but only about a fifth of them moved to Ridgeway. 

         “You almost become like family,” Penke said. “It’s not going to be as easy to keep those relationships together as it was when you see them every day.”

A group of golfers help a member of their group search for his ball that was mishit off the tee. He is hoping it did’t go in the water costing him a penalty stroke.

         It is essential for a country club to have a head golf pro that knows what they are doing. They are in charge of making sure the Golf Shop has everything a golfer needs, making sure the course doesn’t need any extra maintenance and making keeping an eye on their staff. However, the most important part of being a head golf pro is knowing how to play and teach golf while being personable and patient while giving lessons. 

Ridgeway Country Club’s driving range where Head Golf Pro, Keith Penke, teaches lessons and helps member’s of the club on their swing and overall golf-game.

         Penke proved his worth over the span of 18 years at Germantown Country Club where all the golfers loved him. So, when Germantown closed and many members moved to Ridgeway, it was an easy decision for Ridgeway Country Club to hire Keith Penke as their new head golf professional. 

The waterfall to the right of hole 10 can be distracting and cause golfers a lot of problems on this hole. Many golf balls have been lost in the water surrounding the waterfall on Ridgeway Country Club’s golf course.
Keith Penke talks about being a Head Golf Professional at a country club, and what it was like moving from Germantown Country Club to Ridgeway Counrty Club.