When Andrew Adamsick saw the posting in Sioux Falls this winter, he perked up. This job, he thought, is perfect for Nathan Vaughn.
Adamsick is the head golf professional at Chicago's distinguished Conway Farms Golf Club, host of three recent FedEx Cup playoff events. Vaughn is his right-hand man, a rising star in his industry.
Vaughn's passion, organization, communication skills and magnetic personality made him indispensable at Conway Farms. But the 28-year-old Nebraskan wanted to get closer to home. And he deserved a promotion from assistant golf pro.
Mapletøn Golf Club looked like the optimal spot.
"If I was picking someone to start a new club," Adamsick said, "Nate's skill set is the ideal skill set that I would be looking for."
Mapletøn's leadership agreed and recently named Vaughn its first head golf professional. He'll bring to Sioux Falls his wife (Noraa), baby boy (Hudson), chocolate lab (Bo), a heart for the outdoors (hunting especially) and big dreams for Mapletøn.
"When you get in on the ground level of a project like this," Vaughn said, "there is a personal ownership of the place that you don't necessarily have when you inherit success … You really get to help set the standard."
Vaughn visited the property in late-January and was struck by Mapletøn's attention to detail, both on the golf course and at the clubhouse. Everyone's committed to a spectacular experience, from the minute that members enter the gate to the minute they leave.
"They're doing this the right way," Vaughn said.
Vaughn would know. He's worked at three prestigious clubs: Conway Farms, Spring Hill (Minnesota) and McArthur Golf Club (Florida). He earned a reputation for work ethic, good ideas and — above all — his care for people.
"The key to our industry," Adamsick said, is building relationships with members while also providing service to them. "You know their families, their life story, their job, their kids. But you're also in charge of making the day great for them while they're here."
Vaughn excelled. He loves golf clubs, he said, where members share a common purpose — love for the game. "That's a cool vibe," Vaughn said. "Everybody's on the same page. It creates an immediate bond and fosters relationships."
Where else in today's hectic world can you spend 3-4 hours with a person just talking and enjoying the day, he said.
"You can learn a heckuva lot about somebody playing a round of golf with them," Vaughn said.
If that sounds like something a 50-year-old might say, no wonder. Vaughn's friends consider him an "old soul." A compliment. Of course, they also tease him about his idiosyncrasies, like neatness. "He never leaves work, even on the busiest, longest day, with a messy desk," Adamsick said.
Then there's his obsession with Nebraska football. "The dictionary of Husker sports," Adamsick said. "He knows where these kids went to high school, what church they go to."
Vaughn grew up in Hooper, Nebraska, two hours south of Sioux Falls. His first home course was the local 9-holer. He and his younger brother played summer mornings before baseball practice. Vaughn loved the outdoors, especially his grandparents' 500-acre farm — "That was my playground."
At 11, his family moved to Colorado. That's where his golf game flourished. As a high school freshman, he strived to break 100. By graduation, he was breaking par. He enrolled in the University of Nebraska's PGA Golf Management program.
When Adamsick first interviewed Vaughn as a college kid in 2017, the Conway Farms pro noticed "a bright-eyed and blond-haired kid who had more energy and excitement than I knew was possible."
Now, 10 years later, Vaughn is returning to the Great Plains. His parents occupy the same homestead his grandparents owned. His sister lives in Nebraska, too. He looks forward to attending a few more Husker sporting events. And being part of a smaller community — Sioux Falls is cozier than Chicago.
There is one more thing he anticipates: pheasants.
"I'll be honest," Vaughn said, "when I get out in the field and start walking around and see birds flying everywhere, that'll be a happy day for me."