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My story originally appears on PGA.com on 5/17/22
When asked about when he first picked up a golf club, PGA Professional Michael Block said, “I was so young that I can’t even recall not playing, and absolutely loving the game like I do today.”
Fast forward to this week, and that love for the game has led him to his 4th appearance in a PGA Championship. Michael punched his ticket to Southern Hills through the PGA Professional Championship last month.
Despite having a passion for the game at a very young age, Michael did not compete very often as a junior golfer.
“I competed very little, pretty much just club tournaments.”
Until the age of 12, Block grew up in Iowa where the golf season was extremely short. As a teenager he moved to Missouri and lived only 1 mile from the famed Bellerive Country Club.
Unlike many of the talented club professionals that had solid, tournament tested games as junior golfers, Michael said his game didn’t reach an elite level until much later in his golf journey.
“Something happened to my game around the time I turned 21…suddenly, my game went to another level, and I honestly have no idea why. Just like that, I won the St. Louis Amateur out of nowhere and I really gained a lot of confidence in my game, which we all know is huge in golf!”
Michael gained PGA Membership in 2013. His first job was at The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert, California.
“PGA Director of Golf Mike Clifford really groomed me from a rookie pro to who I am today. I spent 6 years at The Lakes under him.”
After his time at The Lakes, Block took a position at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, where he has been for the past 18 years.
Block credits the support of his team and the members at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club for his playing success throughout his professional career. “If I didn’t have their support, I wouldn’t be here, plain, and simple. If you want to be a player, you must be at a club that loves golf!”
Michael says he truly has been blessed. He set a lot of goals throughout his career and has been fortunate to have checked off nearly all of them. There is one goal, however, yet to be accomplished… and it’s what keeps him motivated and inspired as he continues through his PGA journey.
“I only have one more to check off, and that is to be the low club professional in the PGA Championship!”
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