Golf pro Dan Wendt, Brasada Ranch

The Bulletin continues its regular offseason Tee To Green feature in which we introduce to readers a Central Oregon golf professional or other notable member of the local golf community. This week, meet Dan Wendt, an assistant golf professional at the Club at Brasada Ranch in Powell Butte since 2006.

Wendt is a member of the Wendt family that co-founded Klamath Falls-based Jeld-Wen Inc. But he actually grew up in northern Arizona, in both Flagstaff and Kingman.

And golf has long been part of his life. He picked up the game at 6 years old, learning with his father’s old clubs that his dad had cut down to a junior’s size and duct-taped back together.

“I didn’t have a lot of the nice junior equipment that they come out with now,” Wendt observes.

He became a good player nonetheless, making his high school golf team in Kingman. Wendt did not play college golf, but he did enroll in the professional golf management program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

After a year at UNLV, Wendt decided in 2003 to take a turn as a professional golfer and played on developmental mini-tours in Arizona and California for more than two years.

After experiencing limited success, he decided in 2005 to move north and join the construction team at Brasada.

Wendt joined the PGA of America’s apprenticeship program in 2006 and became an assistant pro at Brasada. Last year he earned his PGA Class A certification.

Q: What led you to become a teaching professional?

A: I always liked the game and I’ve been around the business part of it awhile. My two main interests in it are teaching and playing tournaments. Obviously I got in for the business part of it, but I still wanted to play and compete. And (I like) contributing to people coming up by teaching. Those are main two passions with it.

Q: What brought you to Central Oregon?

A: It was a change of scenery. Central Oregon is beautiful and we were looking for a new opportunity. We lived in Arizona our whole lives, and we were looking for a new place to start, find new friends and just new people to be around.

Q: What is the most common mistake you see recreational golfers make?

A: The biggest mistake is not coming out to have fun at first and putting too much pressure on themselves. For the players who want to really improve, they should start off right — not by taking lessons from their buddies, but actually taking lessons from somebody that knows the game, like a PGA professional. Somebody in the area that can definitely teach them the correct way to build a golf swing.

Q: Do you still hope to make the PGA Tour?

A: I really would like to play. I went down and actually went through Q-School (the PGA Tour’s National Qualifying School) twice and failed to qualify both times. It’s definitely a really expensive endeavor, but if you can afford it, definitely try if you feel like you have the skills.

Right now I wouldn’t say I would be really qualified to try it again. But in the years coming, if my game gets really good, there might be a chance to revisit that.

Q: What is your lowest score ever?

A: Sixty-three. I shot that at my old home course, Cerbat Cliffs (Golf Course) in Kingman, Arizona. My low round at Brasada is a 64. It’s either a 64 or a 75. I go either way.

Bio Box

Name: Dan Wendt

Birth date: Aug. 12, 1983

Residence: Bend

Birthplace: Flagstaff, Ariz.

Family: Wife, Renae; son, Nolan (6); daughter, Tatum (3); daughter, Carly (1)

Education: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Special interests: Mountain biking, running, fishing, spending time with family

Turned pro: 2003