The Attara Profile
After earning his Class A PGA certification and being elected to the PGA of America Membership in 1990 he worked for a national golf course management company before transitioning into the role of an independent golf course operator.
In 2009, Mike formed Spirit Golf Management. A leading provider of golf management services in the northeast. Spirit’s owned and managed properties in the region have garnered numerous accolades including “Course of the Year” honors, and its executives and golf professionals have earned multiple awards for their excellence in growth-of-the-game initiatives, merchandising, and junior programming.
Attara represented Spirit Golf Management at the 17th National Golf Day in Washington, DC earlier this year, as the industry came together to promote the game and business of golf, highlighting golf’s powerful economic, societal and community contributions across the country. Mike had an opportunity to connect with policymakers while advocating for issues important to the continued growth and accessibility of the golf industry.
Mike, currently serves as President of the New Jersey Golf Foundation, the charitable arm of the New Jersey PGA Section, and is on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Golf Course Owners Association.
The Attara Story
I fell in love with the game of golf when I first picked up a club at the age of 12, and while I enjoyed success playing competitively through the years, I knew immediately, I wanted to be involved on the business side of the golf industry.
During my first year of college in 1984, I landed a job working at Concordia Golf Club doing outside services for the summer. I had a knack for service and attention to detail, and I was quickly pulled into the golf shop after a couple of months to support clubs operations, and ended up finishing the season as a member of the team.
I really enjoyed the experience, and when spring golf season arrived the following year, I was informed about an open assistant golf professional position at Bamm Hollow Country Club in Lincroft, NJ. I met PGA Lifetime Member Lou Katsos, who interviewed me for the position, hired me, and helped launch my career in golf.
I was truly grateful, and the rest was history as I was off and running. I earned my Class A PGA certification and was elected to the PGA of America Membership in 1990.
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You wake up in the morning – what’s the driving passion?
I think the two things that get me up and drive me are my love for people and the game. Golf has allowed me to share both the game with our members and patrons and the business of golf with my team. It’s makes for an exciting day; it never gets old.
You’ve been in the golf industry for a number of years – what’s the most important thing you know now that you were not aware of when you first started?
I guess if I picked just one thing, it would be something I say often to my team… and that is we are looking to find the balance. I would go fast and furious every day when I was young and I have learned that even though the business is demanding, in order to be successful, we also need balance in our business and our personal lives to be truly successful.
The main impediments for golf’s growth are the time it takes to play, the cost of the equipment and the quality of the instruction especially for those just getting started. How are things faring in 2025 now on each front?
Time has changed a lot. Just as I noted above, people have found some balance in their work lives after Covid and are traveling more and spending more money on experiences.
We need to keep creating great experiences and that will allow us to continue to fair well in the business.
Equipment is expensive, but so is everything else these days so it’s almost less daunting than in the past. Instruction and having simulators to extend the season and instruction time is also a positive to keep players engaged.
The USGA and R&A have stated a desire to “roll back” the golf ball starting at the elite level in 2028 and for the general public in 2030. Do you see a need to do this and what are the implications in doing so?
I’m not a fan of rolling the ball back for the public. The USGA just spent all that time trying to get everyone to tee it forward and now they want to shorten the players drives. It makes no sense. I can see doing it for the Tour but not for the public. In the end it’s about having fun.
Given your long involvement in golf is there one person you have not met that you have interest in meeting and if that happened what would be the first question you would ask him or her?
I really enjoy golf architecture, so it has to be Donald Ross. I won’t get the chance now but I would have loved to have walked Pinehurst #2 or Royal Dornoch Golf Club and picked his brain on how he went about his process to design so many great courses.
How do you see the golf professional role evolving in the years ahead and is the PGA of America proactively involved in this area?
I think the PGA of America continues to strive towards improving and delivering more education to the PGA Member and Associates. First with PGM Universities and then rolling out PGA Certifications so Members could focus on a particular path.
I think that is the biggest change, having so many different paths versus what was only the traditional Head Professional and Assistant role.
Give a letter grade for what the key golf organizations are doing in growing the game among a broad range of groups demographically?
B+ and I think the three areas we are doing well in are PGA Jr. League, PGA HOPE for our Veterans and the First Tee.
What more needs to be done on this front?
We need to continue to do more for women who are the fastest growing market and for Millennials who are out in droves since Covid but need help learning the game and its etiquette.
If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally — what would it be and why?
I would make the game 12 holes. I have always been a proponent of shortening the time to a game that takes 2.5 to 3 hours to play like most other sports.
It saves valuable resources, makes every 18 hole golf course three 6 holes (if you can loop it accordingly) and takes care of the time issue that people have with the game.
Best advice you ever received – what was it and who was it from?
Manifestation of your goals- put it out in the world, say it out loud, put it down on paper and give life to it. That came from my wife, Colleen Attara, who teaches this using art designing vision boards.
It’s pretty amazing when you make one and see how the things you envision come to life.
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