Building Swings and Securing Legacies: What It Takes to Be a Golf Pro in the Met Area

*In Partnership With Titleist*

Spend a day with Kevin Sprecher, Mike Ballo Jr., and Carl Alexander—three Titleist-affiliated pros at prestigious clubs in the tristate area—and you’ll quickly realize the modern golf pro wears more hats than a tour truck on Sunday. Teacher, mentor, manager, player, counselor—and that’s before lunch.

RELATED: Inside the Physics of Shot Shape and Ball Flight With Titleist Golf Ball R&D

The Leading Edge

As the Director of Instruction at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Kevin Sprecher begins his day around 7:30 AM with his dog and a quiet walk across the range to reset before the first student arrives. He’ll make sure his tripods are on steady ground, launch monitors are tuned up and each Trackman has a full charge.

Sprecher has spent over two decades shaping swings and shifting mindsets in the tristate area by staying at the forefront of golf’s technological advances. He began working with Titleist in 2006 when he was looking for a new equipment company to elevate his instruction.

“Being associated with a company like Titleist…has significantly enhanced my brand recognition within the golf industry,” Sprecher said. “I hold myself to high standards and only want to be associated with companies that do the same.”

He’s participated in countless educational programs with Titleist and is now on the Titleist Leadership advisory staff.

Previously a Master Lead Instructor at the Jim McLean Golf School in Miami, Sprecher’s students over the years have ranged from elite juniors and college standouts to complete beginners. He’s helped players land spots at Florida State, UVA, Williams, and more—all while building a network that includes top minds and the leading edge of technological advancements in the game.

With McLean as his mentor, he remembers the day when they used to use calligraphy pens to draw on a television screen to diagnose a swing. Today, iPad in hand and 3D force plates at his feet, Sprecher has married his experience in both instruction and clubfitting with his tech to leave no stone unturned when working with a student.

“I’ve always liked taking things apart and putting them back together,” Sprecher said, “I don’t know where it came from but that’s kinda how I like the golf swing.”

Sprecher is an advanced fitter for Titleist with Sleepy Hollow being one of four Titleist regional fitting centers in the country. These fitting centers service Titleist staff players, playing professionals and top amateurs.

RELATED: Observations From an Expert Wedge Fitting at TPI

Leading By Example

About 30 minutes to the east over at Tamarack Country Club, Mike Ballo Jr. is no stranger to what it takes to compete at the elite level in golf. Mike Jr. played professionally for seven years before landing assistant pro jobs at the acclaimed Winged Foot Golf Club and Westchester Country Club before earning the Head Golf Professional position at Tamarack in 2024.

The Ballo name carries weight in Met section golf. His father, Mike Sr., spent nearly 50 years as the pro at Woodway Country Club. His mother, Page, was one of the first ten female PGA members and a junior golf pioneer. His younger brother, Peter, is also a professional and frequent competitor in Met Section events.

That legacy came full circle in 2023 when Ballo Jr. faced his brother in the finals of the Westchester PGA Championship. The tournament was hosted at Woodway Country Club with the first round beginning a year to the day of Mike Ballo Sr.’s passing.

“I ended up playing my brother in the finals at the course we grew up at, at the course my dad spent his whole life at, started as a caddie and retired as the director of golf when he was 66,” Ballo Jr. recalls. “Take it a step further, the match ended on the hole where we buried my father…it was a very special thing for me and my family.”

Needless to say, golf is more than just a sport to Ballo Jr. and he’s made it his mission to extend the Ballo family legacy in the game as far as he can take it. His early entry into a head pro job was no easy feat but he’s equipping his staff with the tools to follow in his footsteps, similar to how his father mentored nine of his assistant professionals to earn head pro jobs after their time at Woodway.

“I have a very young staff, but when it is their turn to start interviewing for head pro jobs, I don’t want them to be confused about anything. I want them to have experienced the whole operation,” Ballo Jr. said. “Helping my assistants grow and learn, and eventually getting these guys their own head pro jobs, that’s the legacy I’m trying to leave behind.”

Early in his career as a club pro, he remembers his boss making it clear that if he wanted to be successful, he’d have to partner with the right brands to support his journey. In 2017, that same boss helped make the connection for him to partner with Titleist—though it didn’t take much convincing when it came to brand association as his father was also a Titleist guy late in his career.

His relationship with Titleist has been a stabilizing force throughout his journey. “Being hired as a young guy in this industry, having the support of Titleist helped me with my reputation and my brand in the area,” Ballo, now a Titleist Staff Head Golf Professional and official Brand Ambassador, said. “Now, the goal is to pay it forward.”

The Portrait of a Leader

Just ten minutes down the road, Carl Alexander starts his morning at The Golf Club of Purchase the same way he has for years: by checking in with staff, adjusting lesson plans, and making sure his operation runs with the precision of a TOUR yardage book.

Just off a full-course renovation, Alexander checks in with superintendent Aaron Crouse to make sure every blade of grass is in place. The two worked together to widen the golf course and tinkered for months to make it more playable and fun for the members.

His new trainee, Ben, was also brought on to encourage a more enjoyable environment for the staff and members.The four-legged employee pads behind Alexander inspecting the course. Ben, like many of the other dogs that roam the course at this pet-friendly club, will learn where to stand when golfers swing the club and how to resist the impulse to chase that little white ball as it finds the fairway.

“One of the things that makes this place so special is that we let our members bring their dogs to the course…it’s really changed the culture here,” Alexander says as Ben uses his forearm as a chew toy. “Dogs are good for the soul. Even if you don’t play well, if your dog has fun with you, it’s just a great round.”

Alexander’s connection to the Met golf scene began at an early age. His father Jules Alexander, who started his career as a fashion photographer, shot his first golf tournament in 1959 on a whim during a trip to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Billy Casper would win the first of his three majors but it was the photos Jules captured of Ben Hogan that would propel his career shift to golf photography.

Carl and his brother Paul grew up lugging camera equipment to various PGA TOUR events alongside their father, a shutter click away from the greatest golfers of our time. Their childhood home backed up to the driving range at Westchester Country Club—that’s where Carl found the game and currently holds the course-record 62.

Alexander spent some time teaching in Florida and Long Island, but has spent the bulk of his career in his hometown. He joined The Golf Club of Purchase in 2005 as the Director of Golf and has been passionate about growing the game in the area ever since—which includes his mentorship of dozens of young professionals into the next step of their golf careers.

Six of his assistants went on to secure Head Professional jobs after working under him and Alexander has stayed especially close to one former assistant, Rob Labritz, coaching him on the PGA Champions Tour.

“The camaraderie within the Met section is strong,” Alexander said. “Many of us are part of the Titleist Advisory Staff and we’ve got such a good network of professionals, I know I can lean on any one of them.”

Despite the accolades, Met PGA Championships and impressive swings, being a golf professional isn’t just about being the best player in the shop. It’s about creating a culture, investing in people, and shaping a legacy. For Sprecher, Ballo, and Alexander, the job has never been just about the swing—it’s about the story behind every golfer who steps on their tee.