History and Bio

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PGS was officially founded by Mike Pickett in 2021, however its roots began much earlier than that. Originally from Northeast Ohio and currently residing in Painesville, Ohio, Mike has two beautiful children, a daughter, Ella Brynn and a son, Griffin Alexander. One good thing that came out of 2020 was that Mike also married his longtime partner, Elizabeth. 

Mike's career in golf began before college when he knew throughout high school that he wanted to get into the golf business. He graduated from Kent State University in 2002 with a degree in Sports Management and quickly following that up with successful completion of schooling within the PGA of America in 2004. In addition to becoming a PGA Member in 2004, he also continued his education by earning "Certified" status within the PGA in both Golf Operations and Instruction. 

Mike spent the next 12 years in the golf business leading golf operations for public and private clubs throughout Ohio including a Director of Operations title overseeing three golf courses throughout the state. During that tenure, Mike not only competed in professional golf tournaments, but also was responsible for organizing and executing thousands of golf events at varying levels. 

Unfortunately in 2014, Mike's Mother, who was a very significant influence on his life,  passed away after a long battle with various health conditions. Mike led the successful push to honor his Mother's legacy by organizing multiple charity golf tournaments and fundraisers which collectively raised over $100,000 in charitable contribution towards PKD research. 

In 2016, Mike stepped away from golf in a full-time capacity to join a long-time friend's business in executive recruitment with Hire Horizons. Similar to the golf industry, Mike had tons of success in that industry as he led the sales performance for his company for 6 years in a row achieving certification as a CPC (Certified Personnel Consultant) and passing the Counselor Salesperson Training given by Wilson Learning. He did this while still maintaining his ties to the golf world through many of the services currently offered by PGS. 

In January 2022, Mike came back to the golf world full-time as the PGA Director of Player Development at Quail Hollow Country Club in Concord, Ohio, as well as the Head Varsity Golf Coach for Riverside High School. In March 2023, he began the most impactful role of his career by assuming the Director of Instruction/Player Development role at the prestigious Kirtland Country Club (Current Lead Role).  To further grow his golf coaching portfolio, Mike went through advanced golf psychology training 2024 and became a Master Mental Coach through FlowCode Academy.  

He also leads the Rules Officiating for the Northern Ohio PGA in addition to other PGS services.