Name – Charlie Brown
UW-Stout graduation year – 1990
Major – Business Administration
Sport Played – Golf
Years Played – 4
Hometown (High School) – Racine, WI (Horlick High School)
Currently Reside – Sturtevant, WI
Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family?
I have been in the golf business all my life. I attained my Class A PGA Professional status in 1998. I have two sons ages 16 and 19 with my oldest attending UW Eau Claire playing on the golf team.
How are you using your Stout education in your occupation? In your daily life? What are your duties? Instruction? Management?
I do all of the above. Being a PGA Professional means wearing many hats daily in the job.
Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout?
Coach Sten Pierce got me to go to UW-Stout. He played college football with my high school golf coach and was very accommodating in getting me into Stout as I was not committed to any school and took me at the last minute.
What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics?
Playing with my teammates and getting to play some of the greatest courses in Wisconsin and beyond. The van rides to and from the tournaments were a non-stop comedy festival.
What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete?
Coach Pierce taught me that golf is not a game of perfect. Also taught me that your temper will get you nowhere in this game.
Which former Blue Devil student-athletes are you still in contact with? (If so, who?)
I still talk with and see my house mate Jim Maguire. He resides in Wisconsin and is also a PGA Professional.
The teams you played on were pretty darn good. What was the camaraderie like? What made that era of teams so special?
We lived together, ate together, practiced together. It was always about the team, not individual accomplishments. Always rooted for one another.
What are some of your career highlights?
I was a three-time Wisconsin PGA Player of the Year (2003, 2004, 2006) leading me to be named Wisconsin PGA Player of the Decade 2000-2009. Have won a WPGA Championship and two WPGA Match Play titles along with numerous WPGA events and Pro/Ams. Have recorded 20 career hole in ones.
You recently played in the Wisconsin Open? Which other regional/national/state-wide meets have you played in? Do you play more for fun, to meet up with guys you have had contact with over the years, or are you in it to win it?
As I age I am still very competitive. It can be hard to keep up with the young guns but I still have a little gas left in the tank. I have played in numerous PGA Professional National events and am going to compete in the Sr PGA Professional Championship in October.
We would be remiss if we didn't ask about how you have gone through life with the iconic name of Charlie Brown? What type of comments or reactions do you get when you say "Hi, I'm Charlie Brown."
It is an easy name to remember me by. When I was in junior high school I played a lot of baseball. Our starting infield consisted of Ronald McDonald at third base, Charlie Brown at shortstop, and Dean Martin at second base. Fun story. I have heard all the cartoon references but it has been a great ride and journey I continue on with.
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Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight Questionnaire
