Since he was in the single digits he was a regular fixture on the course, tagging along with his grandfather’s Sunday league. It was his grandpa, Moe, who first introduced Andrew to the game and Thompson recalls affectionately “He taught me how to play the game, how to respect the course, etiquette. Everything.” When he was 10 years old, he got his first full set of clubs and hopped on the fast track to becoming addicted to the sport.

Like any other skill, it takes hard work to get good, and to get recognized, but that’s exactly what he did. His senior year of high school was marked with an award for Most Improved Player and a team victory at the Jeremy Pinnow & Associates Championship. With credentials like that, it is no surprise that Andrew was named student with the Most Positive Attitude in his graduating class at PGCC.

Andrew got his professional start in 2005 literally working his way from the ground up. He began by working with outside operations and grounds maintenance and eventually transitioned into tournament coordination. A lateral move where Andrew recalls that he “gained a vast amount of knowledge of the game and the business” but he knew there was “so much more to learn.” At that time, only one mystery remained. Where would he go to learn all of the ins and outs of the game he wasn’t yet familiar with?

After selecting the Professional Golfers Career College as the place to pursue his golf education Andrew notes that his world just opened up, “There wasn’t anyone at the school who couldn’t answer a question.” Reflecting on what courses mattered to him the most he cites Teaching I-IV as his main inspirations. Thompson recalls thoughtfully that Mike Berning, a PGCC faculty member who had a particularly strong impact on him, once told him to “write down every piece of information about teaching that you can.” And he did. That advice, and his love of golf, led him to Metro West Golf Club, in Orlando, where he is now an Assistant Golf Professional.

Andrew currently co-hosts weekly golf clinics with 4 dedicated students and another Assistant Pro at Metro West. Everyday Andrew chips away at his goal of becoming a Head Golf Pro at a high end resort or, eventually, opening a teaching academy in his home state of Wisconsin, specializing in junior advancement. As with all things in life that travel full circle, the student has indeed become the teacher.