A Quick Round with Greg Stephens

Brought to you by:

Welcome to A Quick Round. A weekly Q&A series that deconstructs the journey that golfers and entrepreneurs alike take on their road to success. Their achievements – as well as their trials and tribulations – serve to inspire us, and our goal is to pass that inspiration along to our readers.

Last week, we introduced you to G&E contributor, Kenny Pallas. This week’s Quick Round features the inspiring story of Greg Stephens. Greg balances professional golf and a successful real estate career all while being there for his family at every turn.

Hey Greg – let’s get this started! Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

Thanks for having me, Matt. I was born in New York City but moved to Florida as a child which is where I was introduced to the game. I currently live in Park City, Utah with my wife, Randi and three-year-old daughter, Sunny.

Awesome – so before we get into your real estate background, tell us about your professional experience in golf.

I’ve worked in the golf industry for 23 years now, and it is very much who I am. I have been very fortunate to work for some pretty high-end private clubs. A couple personal highlights would have to be the years I spent as a golf professional at Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Florida. My time there is what ultimately led us to move to Park City as my friend Mark O’Meara helped me get a job at a course he designed out here. The other highlight is my affiliation with Nike Golf. I have been a Nike Golf staff pro for the last 14 years. Being an ambassador for the brand has been and is still something I am very proud of.

Wow! That is a unique background for sure. So tell us some more about Greg Stephens, the golfer.

I am a good player, and I love to play the game. Like most golf pros, I had the pipe dream early on of playing golf for a living. Working at Isleworth and playing countless rounds of golf with Tiger and other touring professionals showed me pretty quickly that I was way out of my league!

Fall Golf Is Here

At least for most of us. More on that in a minute… but if you have been following along with the publication and podcast the past few months, then you know how much we love Linksoul. Not just for their sleek apparel, but for their entrepreneurial story and what they stand for.

John Ashworth and Geoff Cunningham started Linksoul as more of a philosophy than a brand. Their goal is to reconnect people to the soul of the game. They saved their local muni making golf accessible and fun for their community. Launched a line of persimmon woods. Partnered with the Warrior Canine Connection to help veterans with PTSD. We can keep going but think you get the point. They are doing a lot of great things for golf beyond just creating stylish apparel for the lifestyle golfer.

Now back to fall golf. Linksoul just launched their Fall ’18 collection full of gear to get you ready for the new season and the temperature shift. And our readers get 20% off by using the code GE20 at checkout. SHOP HERE

I guess you learn one way or the other! Incredible experiences though, I’m sure. Let’s get into your life as it relates to real estate. How did that come to be?

Working for private clubs, the transition into real estate was pretty natural. The demands of your time as a golf pro was something I didn’t feel like I could continue once I had my daughter. I want to be as present as possible for her, and real estate has given me that option. I work more now, and the hours can be odd at times, but I get to pick them. If Sunny has a soccer game, I can go. When she has school, I can take her. Things like that just wouldn’t be possible running a golf operation.

It isn’t talked about much, but the pros miss a lot of what goes on with their family since your time to work is when others are off. Weekends and holidays, for example. I now sell real estate for Summit Sotheby’s International Realty in Park City, Utah. It’s one of the best career decisions I have ever made. Real estate isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

That’s admirable. And I’m sure Sunny loves it! So how do you manage to stay connected to the game even though you’ve taken a step back?

I could never give up being a golf professional completely, so I still teach the game. That has always been my favorite part of being a golf pro. It’s a great way for me to stay connected with members from my old clubs. I will always keep my membership with the PGA of America. It’s something that is very important to me.

We love to hear that. Do you have any advice for aspiring professional golfers that would like to use real estate to fund their pursuit?

Oh, that’s a tough one. In order for real estate to work out, you have to be pretty committed. The same goes for professional golf. I’m sure it’s doable, but the two things demand so much of your time.

Definitely a challenge. Speaking of, what is the greatest challenge you have faced thus far in your career?

Club owners and developers can be tough to work for as they don’t always know what is best for a club. But since they are the ones making the ultimate decision, what they say typically goes. Right or wrong. But with that said, Tavistock, who owns Isleworth has always seemed to get it right.

I could imagine. And what has been your most rewarding moment?

My time spent at Isleworth. The memories I have from working and spending time there are memories I will never forget.

What’s your vision for Greg Stephens moving forward?

Continue growing my real estate business. Continue growing the game of golf. Continue spending quality time with my wife and daughter. That’s it, in a nutshell.

Awesome! Let’s wrap this up with a few fun, rapid fire questions. If you could play 18 with anyone, who would it be?