I got into this business, first and foremost, because of my passion for the game of golf. Golf has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember. I have great memories from the summer after 5th grade, when my parents would drop me at Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin, TX every day and I would play the course for $1.75. It would be an understatement to say that I have been hooked on the game ever since.

As a competitive golfer I have had success both at the college level, where I was a 4 -year captain of the Trinity University Golf Team, and at the amateur level, as a USGA qualifier and Austin Men’s City Champion.

Perhaps my fondest golfing memories, though, are from my travels. A father-son trip to Bandon Dunes while in high school ignited a fire inside of me to seek out the best of the world’s golfing destinations, and that fire burns to this day as my journey continues.

I left my job in the actuarial world in 2015 to chase my dreams in the golf travel industry and I hope to never look back. Those who know me best say I am finally where I am supposed to be doing what I love. I hope that the passion for what I am doing is evident in the hard work I put into treating every Cloud 9 trip as if it were my own to ensure the best possible experience for our clients.

When I first picked up a golf club at 8 years old, I never could have imagined the role this crazy game would play in my life. My father inspired me to pick up the game as my playing companion on our summer vacations, and that quickly grew into frequent visits to our local 9-hole course. $5 for the junior greens fee and $5 for lunch kept me happy while my parents were hard at work. By high school I was hooked, and I spent four years grinding on my golf game while also getting a taste for the business side of the sport with a job at a local club. By the time I decided to attend the University of Miami, I knew golf was what I wanted to do with my life. 

While at Miami, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Business Management and Marketing. More importantly, though, I met the love of my life, Erica. We have been happily married since 2009 and share a wonderful life together in northern New Jersey with our three amazing children Peyton, Charlie and Addison. Besides playing golf and spending time with my family, I enjoy platform tennis and rooting for my NY Yankees, NY Giants, NY Rangers and especially my alma mater, the Miami Hurricanes.

My journey as a proud PGA Professional started when I took and passed the PGA’s player ability as an 18 year old college freshman. After subsequent stints as an assistant golf professional at several clubs, I attained my goal of becoming a PGA Professional at the age of 25. Besides spending time with my wife and children, the golf course is truly my happy place and I love to play and compete. I’ve teed it up in the National PGA Assistant Professional Championship, qualified for US Open sectionals, and had success in local PGA events.  I’ve been so fortunate to have my “office” be my happy place.

After 22 seasons as a club professional, including 9 as a head professional, I decided it was time for a change. I was actually first inspired by my own experience as a client of Cloud 9, having worked with our Managing Director Jonathan Alden to arrange several trips to the British Isles with my  members. The high level of service that I experienced working with Jonathan, coupled with my own enjoyment throughout the trip planning and travel, lead me to believe that this was something that I would enjoy doing for other PGA professionals and their members. My aim is to build similar experiences to those I had that our clients will remember for a lifetime.

I’m pretty sure that I was offered this job because of my background in corporate finance, but I ultimately took the job because it aligns so well with my personal experiences as a world traveler. And maybe even my…I’m hesitant to admit to those who know me well… growing interest in golf.

After spending my childhood in Austin, TX where I received my BBA from the University of Texas, I decided it was time to pack my bags and travel the world. This led to many train rides around Europe visiting some amazing cities and eventually my relocation to Germany. I spent a few years in the charming city of Würzburg, where I got my masters degree in Business Management and worked as a financial analyst, before becoming a small-town girl in the village where I currently live.

I actually grew up with two golf-loving older brothers who were in charge of our television remote, so I fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the Golf Channel on many Sundays afternoons. However, despite the surrounding passion for the game and all of the golf clubs and golf balls lying around our house, I never had much desire to play when I was young. It wasn’t until my husband and I inherited a set of clubs and enrolled in something called a “Platzreife” course (essentially a drivers ed for golfers in Germany) that I became interested in playing myself. It didn’t take long before I was hooked, and I’m so thankful for my new hobby because it has made the perks of the job much more fun!