“The game came naturally to me,” remembers Mason, “and I had a lot of early success playing it. I couldn’t get enough of it – I used to beat balls until my hands hurt!” Mason was an avid athlete as a youth, playing soccer, football, tennis and baseball. He also swam and frequently bowled. Once he hit his teens, however, he dedicated himself mostly to golf. “I loved the aspect of it being an individual sport,” notes Mason, who played for Coach Fred Funk at the University of Maryland for a year before transferring to Ball State. “I didn’t want to rely on others to get the job done.”

Mason carries the same enthusiasm into his teaching, working with players of all abilities to help them improve. “Every golfer needs sound fundamentals and and a good foundation,” says Mason. “I believe the swing is built from the ground up.” Improvement at any level, according to Mason, requires as much practice as time allows with twice as much time spent on short game. He also recommends golfers actually get out and play competitively, for instance in a Father-Son event, a round with buddies at the club or even a U.S. Open Qualifier. Whatever the venue, experience playing the game.

A Golf Magazine Junior All-American in 1982 and 1983, Mason knows what it’s like to compete. He once won the prestigious North & South Junior at Pinehurst, North Carolina, the Southern Junior at Dothan, Alabama and the World Series of Golf at Grenelefe as a junior golfer. In 1989, Mason took the Evansville Men’s City Championship. He also claimed the 1985 Tri-State Open as an amateur. A participant on the Tommy Armour Tour/Hooter’s Tour from 1991 to 1992 in Florida, Mason later won the 1995 and 1996 Indiana PGA Pro-Assistant Championships with Assistant Jeff Sanders.

As a seasoned competitor and 13-year PGA teaching professional, Mason brings vast knowledge of the game to each lesson. While most students seek him out to cure that slice and help them hit over 300 yards, Mason goes well beyond that to help his pupils get better. “I use a lot of feel and analogies with other sports to get my message across,” says Mason. “I like to keep things simple, giving them something to work on in practice and a couple of drills to simulate the feel they need to accomplish.” Mason also takes the time to explain how the club face works with their grip and body type.

“Not unlike any kind of teacher, I love to see people’s eyes light up when they find themselves learning and improving,” smiles Mason. “I truly love sharing my knowledge of the game with others.” A patient, passionate teacher, Mason is appreciated among his students for his ability to communicate clearly. And his energy for the game is infectious. Mason recalls playing 11 rounds in 10 days at St. Andrews with 5:09 A.M. tee times. Next to the births of his children and his marriage, Mason calls it the greatest experience of his life. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” raves Mason. “Wanna go?”

It might be worth the trip just to witness one of Mason’s favorite shots to make, a low spinning sand wedge shot that stops on a dime. The short game has always been Mason’s forte, with a hard fading driver being more of a challenge. “Being a right to left player, a hard fade with a driver tends to get away from me sometimes,” admits Mason. When he practices, Mason starts with a few stretches and then hits a few short pitches, working his way through the bag up to “the big stick.” He doubles up on chipping and putting to keep his feel for it and put himself in a position to save more shots during a round.

Not surprisingly, Mason doesn’t beat himself up too badly when things aren’t going well out on the course. “I’ve always been able to pump myself back up when the chips are down,” says Mason. “I grind it out as much as possible and have learned how to get back to the clubhouse with a respectable number.” Motivated by his own passion for the game and principles instilled in him by his parents, Mason is also at times inspired by the play of others, including Bill Glasson, Brad Fabel and Fred Funk.

Mason used to be rather particular about the state of his equipment, which ball markers and divot tools he carried and so forth. As a junior an amateur, he remembers cleaning and lining up his clubs every night, which he believes helped him focus. Nowadays, his only superstitions about the game involve not wearing a hat, but that’s really more of a practicality. “I think my head is lop-sided and none of them fit me right,” confesses Mason. His focus has shifted to his students.

Mason has helped a young girl with no experience make her high school team. He’s had many novice golfers develop into single-digit handicappers; several of his amateurs have moved into the professional ranks. “All of my students became successful through dedication, determination and hard work,” says Mason. He enjoys working with students who really want to succeed; desire is half the battle.