This week, the U.S. Open returns to The Country Club in Brookline, MA. TCC is one of the five founding golf clubs that assembled in 1894 to create the United States Golf Association (USGA). Some indelible moments in golf history have taken place on these grounds, from Francis Ouimet's U.S Open victory as an amateur in 1913 to the improbable Sunday comeback by the U.S. team in the 1999 Ryder Cup Matches.

At the helm of this esteemed golf institution is Titleist staff member Brendan Walsh, who has served as the Director of Golf since 1998. The club and its pro are a perfect match, as Brendan is revered every bit as highly as the club that he calls home. Brendan embodies the finest qualities and values of a PGA golf professional and we're extremely proud to count him as a friend and ambassador for the Titleist brand.

We recently had a chance to sit in with Brendan as he gave a short game lesson to a student in Florida. We hope you enjoy the video above and the glimpse it provides into one of golf's truly great professionals working hard on his craft so that we can enjoy the game to the fullest.

This week, as you enjoy the U.S Open, please join us in raising a glass to Brendan Walsh and the entire staff at The Country Club. Thank you for exemplifying the very best that golf can be.

Postscript

In preparing for this post, we reached out to several PGA professionals who have worked alongside Brendan, asking for their insights into the kind of person and professional that he is. The response was instantaneous, unanimous and overwhelming. Frankly, there isn't sufficient space here to share all the amazing feedback we received, but we've included some excerpts below to share a sense of what Brendan means to our game and to the people whose lives he has touched.

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"Brendan is the absolute best - as a mentor, a boss, a friend. He hired me in 2003 as the Teaching Professional at Brookline and the staff and I have been incredibly fortunate to benefit from his unerring leadership, his stellar example, his best-in-industry training, his rock-solid value system, and his unbelievable consistency. His dedication to his family, The Country Club, his staff, and everyone inside and outside of golf is unreal. No one does more, and because he genuinely cares about each person and doing what's right he inspires everyone lucky enough to know him. As the son, brother, and nephew of PGA Professionals, I know that I've had the greatest luck in getting to work for Brendan."

Kevin Rhoads, Director of Instruction
The Country Club, Brookline, MA

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Brendan’s professional career represents the absolute highest standard in our industry. His dedication to the TCC membership and long-term professional development of his team are second to none. He is the ideal ambassador for the game of golf. Personally speaking, Brendan’s interest in his team is truly intimate. He cares so much about his people. I haven’t worked under him in over a decade and we still touch base frequently….we are an extended family.

Andy Fisher, PGA Master Professional
The Kansas City Country Club

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I am very lucky to have been a Titleist Professional for the last six years and I am very thankful you are celebrating someone I know to be a truly wonderful human being. Throughout my eight years at TCC Brendan Walsh is the most kind and generous person I have come to know. His caring attitude is evident from your first interaction – a strong handshake and warm smile makes you feel instantly comfortable. He is genuinely interested in learning more about the person when he meets someone new and constantly tries to learn from everyone he spends time with.

He pushes all of us to be the best version of ourselves and motivates us to reach higher every single day. It is easy for people to get dragged down in negative thoughts especially after long, tough days but Brendan always manages to see things from a different perspective and talk about how lucky he is and views it from 1,0000 feet. He loves his family, he cares for his team, and he loves TCC.

Being able to work alongside Brendan from the age of 19 to now 28 there is a lot of growing that happens. Brendan has been there every step of the way to help me grow as a professional but, more importantly, to become an even better person. I would, as some others might, consider him a father figure. A line he loves to use is, "You are a combination of the 5 people you spend the most time with". If I am able to be 1/5th of Brendan Walsh, I would consider myself very lucky.

Connor Mulcahy, PGA
The Country Club, Brookline, MA

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To say Brendan is a special person would be an understatement. He has dedicated his professional life to the membership at The Country Club and to those of us who have been fortunate enough to learn from him. His impact on all our lives is immeasurable.

Jason Mills, PGA Head Professional
Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, MD

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I worked under Brendan for six years as an assistant professional and left at the end of last year to accept a position as the teaching professional at Biderman Golf Club in Wilmington, DE.

With Brendan Walsh, it’s way more than just golf. He takes such a deep interest in every person he meets, which is why Brendan is such a special person to so many people. Brendan truly cares and because of this, every person he touches becomes a better person. He’s the greatest role model, leader, and communicator I’ve ever been around.

Brenden Mitchell, Teaching Professional
Biderman Golf Club, Wilmington, DE

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Brendan Walsh is the consummate professional. He is everything the PGA wanted in a model professional.
Brendan is a fine teacher/coach, a good player, merchandiser, tournament coordinator and manager.

It is Brendan’s ability to make everyone feel special when they play TCC that impresses me the most. He remembers everyone’s name, pays attention to them whether they are members or guests. His consistency in the day to day operation is unmatched in our business.

Brendan also has the best reputation in New England, if not the entire country, of moving his assistants on to their own Head Professional positions. This amazing ability is a reflection of Brendan’s character, reputation and management skills. He has an uncanny ability to train his staff to be prepared to run their own operations.

Brendan has been a dear friend for over 4 decades now and I value that friendship. I don’t hesitate to reach out in times of need or in expressing joy.

Finally I feel his biggest accolade is that of being a great husband and father to his children. The golf business is extremely time consuming, but nothing stands in the way of Brendan’s family. He always has his priorities in order.

I’m proud to call Brendan Walsh a good friend.

Mark Heartield, Director of Instruction
The Ridge Club, Sandwich, MA

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I have been a TCC employee for 10 years. I started in outside operations and have been the golf administrator and Brendan’s assistant since 2016.

BW is a tremendous leader and culture builder. The most selfless/humble/honest person I’ve ever met. For all the accolades and industry related success he has had in his life, he is an even better human being/mentor/father/husband/friend.

There are simply not enough adjectives to describe him or all that he has done for the game of golf.

Gordy Stanton, Golf Administrator
The Country Club, Brookline, MA

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As alums of TCC and BWU (Brendan Walsh University), we could never thank or repay him enough for the time he invested in us. Brendan taught us how to be the best professional we could be, but even more how to be the best versions of ourselves. Every day we walked into work we knew we had to be at our best because that was what was expected and if we didn’t, we were held accountable for it. Even more, Brendan was the ultimate role model as a person; someone who genuinely cares about people and how to put family first. As I have moved on from The Country Club, I am reminded daily of the things he taught me and am in constant pursuit of the high bar he set for us. He defines someone who talks the talk and walks the walk.

Daniel S. Joseph “DJ”, COO/Director of Golf
Somerset Hills Country Club, Bernardsville, NJ

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I was under Brendan's watchful eye at The Country Club for 7 years - from the 2010 season through the spring of 2017. Brendan is like a second father to me - his professional mentorship is well documented, but the real impact he made on my life was much more about core values than tee sheets and swing planes. His lessons are simple: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Take pride in your work. Don't "leave your smile at home". Treat each day as if it's an interview. Don't forget the other guy. Prepare for the job you want, not the one you have... I could go on. But while all of these lessons made me better at my job, they really made me a better husband, a better friend, and now a better parent to my daughter. I think of these maxims every day.

Tyler Gosselin, Director of Golf
Greensboro Country Club, Greensboro, NC

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Brendan Walsh is the consummate professional. It’s hard to put into words the impact Brendan has had on the countless people he has come across throughout his time at The Country Club. His ability to lead a team and not only create, but sustain, such a successful culture is second to none. The professional lessons we learn from Brendan everyday are incredible but the life lessons he shares with those who are fortunate enough to work with him are invaluable. It goes without saying that any golf professional will benefit from working with Brendan, but how he turns those around him into better people is a skill not often found in this world. I am forever indebted to Brendan for giving me the chance to join the team at The Country Club. Not a day went by that I didn’t learn something from him. I truly appreciated being associated with Brendan Walsh throughout my time at TCC. I’m honored to be a small part of the network and family he has created throughout his career. Thank you Brendan for all you do and for being the leader and mentor you are.

Tyler Santacroce, Head Professional
St. Davids Golf Club, Wayne, PA

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I had the good fortune to be a part of Brendan’s team for 6 years and I can say that the experience definitively changed my life. The time and effort that he commits to helping others become successful is exceptional. No one does more or gives more of themselves to those they mentor. He is truly committed to helping those around him become better professionals, as well better people. The consistent example that Brendan sets every day is contagious and it makes it easy for those around him to give their best. He had a profound impact on my development as a person and a Golf Professional during my time as part of the team at The Country Club and has continued to do so in the years since. I draw on these experiences every single day.”

Jon Buddenhagen, Head Golf Professional
Hole-In-The-Wall Golf Club, Naples, FL

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Brendan Walsh is the most dedicated and prepared golf professional in America. He thinks and acts on the smallest of details to provide the finest member & guest experience possible.

No one is better at his craft than Brendan Walsh. If I were starting my career, I would do everything in my power to earn the opportunity to learn under him. I would know that if I paid attention, followed his lead and worked my butt off – there would be no opportunity in the golf business that I wouldn’t be fully prepared for!

Skip Guss, PGA - Titleist Instruction Staff Member
GolfRite, Southborough, MA