NFA grad Ed Hilario changes course ... and finds new home at Wampanoag KNOW YOUR PRO: KEVIN SHEA
E d Hilario is doing what he loves, but not what he intended to do after graduating from York College in Pennsylvania.
A 1995 Norwich Free Academy graduate, Hilario couldn't be happier working as an assistant professional and outside operations manager at Wampanoag Country Club in West Hartford.
His career track started out in the hotel and restaurant business. After graduating from York, he took a job as the bar manager of the local college bar.
When his father became ill, Hilario moved back home in 2005. He worked several jobs in the area, including serving as the food and beverage manager at the Mystic Hilton.
But Hilario eventually quit to become a full-time caregiver to his father, Eduardo, a doctor.
"It was tough," Hilario said. "I put my life on hold but it was worth every day I got to spend with him for the last eight or nine years of his life when he wasn't doing too well."
During that difficult time, Hilario decided to pursue a new career.
Some wise advice from his father ultimately led to Hilario's decision. Eduardo was an avid golfer and loved the game.
"We'd always have those talks about doing what you love," Hilario said. "I love to teach (golf) and I love to just try to grow the game in any way I can."
".... He got me into golf at a really young age — probably 10 or 11 years old. I played it through high school and college and loved it. Then I lost it a little bit when I graduated.
"But spending more time with him and seeing how much he missed the game when he got sick made me want to get into it more and do more in the game. The toughest part was watching him not be able to play golf. So I wanted to be around it and bring him around it."
Hilario, who played golf at NFA and York, took great joy in sharing his golf accomplishments with his father. They celebrated his flight championship victories in the Norwich Invitational.
He fondly recalled the day he won the President's Cup tournament at
Wheeler graduate David Renski of Wheeler Park Golf Club, Bill Hermanson of Black Hall Club; and Nick Harrington, a former Parish Hill and UConn golfer.
A side note: Harrington beat Cameron in last year's Norwich Invitational championship flight match. And he knocked off DeLucia in the semifinals.
Hermanson, Beal, DeLucia and Renski advanced to match play in last year's Connecticut Amateur Championship at Fox Hopyard. Richard Dowling of the Golf Performance Center was crowned champion.
• It's always a good day when you run into John Marion at the golf course. Marion has been involved for years with the Connecticut Golf State Association.
A past president of the organization, he now works as an assistant tournament director.
Marion, a long-time member at Norwich Golf Course, was part of the CSGA staff at the state amateur qualifier at Great Neck on Thursday.
He's happy to see tournament season in full swing after a spring of cancellations due to the coronavirus crisis.
"Being back is really enjoyable," Marion said. "The players all seem to like it. They definitely follow the rules pretty well."
Course:
Upcoming events
• The Elmridge Golf Course senior club championship tournament is underway. The final round will be held on Saturday.
• Entry deadline for the 79th Connecticut Junior Amateur is Wednesday, June 24. Watertown Golf Club is hosting the event from July 6-9.
• The Connecticut Senior Open, a two-day tournament at Shennecossett Golf Course, tees off on Monday July 15.
• A reminder that registration is open for the 94th Norwich Invitational, the oldest running amateur tournament in the state. The tournament starts on Friday, July 17, with qualifying round action. No caddies will be allowed on the first day. For more information, contact the pro shop at 889-6973.
• Please send golf results and items of interest to g.keefe@theday.com
Great Neck Country Club, Waterford
Years as pro there:
Favorite hole:
Best part about your job:
Worst part about your job:
Favorite course:
Holes-in-one:
Best golf advice:
Dream foursome:
Fun fact:
22nd year as head pro on the property, starting out at New London Country Club before it became Great Neck. He's been at Great Neck for nine years.
No. 13, the longest par 4 on the course. "I just like the way it looks and how it sets up. It's a dogleg right, par 4. From the back tees, it's like 455 yards. It's just a nice challenging long par 4."
"It's the relationships that you make over the years. You're just around so many people and you create these wonderful relationships. It's like my second family. It always has been."
"Every holiday, every weekend is your busy time. So sometimes you had to miss out or go late to picnics and things like that."
Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. "I've played there about eight times. That place is gorgeous. I had some good rounds and some bad ones, of course. But I like Balrusrol a lot."
Seven, six at Great Neck. He had one at Stonington CC last year.
"Try to enjoy yourself. Most people are not making a living at this. Of course, we all want to play well and do our best. But if you can just enjoy yourself and the people that you're with, the bad days aren't going to be so bad and the good days are going to be fantastic."
Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson.
Shea has basically lived and worked in Waterford his entire life. He grew up about a half mile from the golf course and graduated from Waterford High School. "I'm a homebody," Shea said. Nobody in his family played the sport, so golf really wasn't on his radar as a kid. He enjoyed playing football, basketball and baseball. Then one day he went to play golf at Cedar Ridge in East Lyme with his best friend up the street. "Somehow, I gravitated to golf," Shea said. "It's you against the golf course. I picked it up right away, enjoyed the challenge and I couldn't get enough of it. I got the golf bug immediately. When I was a junior member here, I'd come up here and be here all day." At around 16 years old, he started out working in the bag room under pro Jim Orsi. He gradually moved up the ladder, serving as an assistant pro for nine years before becoming head pro since 1997. He really loves his job. "I enjoy being here on the property here and I love the people here . ... The members have just been fantastic over the years. And the owners, (Dave and Ann Mortimer), we have, I can't say enough about them. What they've done here has just been amazing. New London Country Club went out of business. In the last year, we were down to like 180 members. They came in and spent all this money to make the place better. Now we've got 350 members. "The atmosphere that's been created is certainly a little more casual, a little more relaxed and a little bit more fun."
— Gavin Keefe