Alum of the month: Former athlete of the year Adam Bruce thriving in professional golf industry
Austin Connelly, For MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Kicking off a new feature at macewangriffins.ca today, we will be interviewing a member of the MacEwan Griffins alumni for an 'alum of the month' story.
Our first subject is former Griffins golf star and 2011-12 MacEwan male athlete of the year Adam Bruce, who's finding success post-graduation as a golf professional at the Glendale Golf and Country Club.
Graduating from MacEwan in 2014 with a diploma in Professional Golf Management, Bruce has transitioned seamlessly into life post-graduation but reflects fondly on his time as a student athlete, which just so happened by accident.
"I was kind of an avid golfer. I think I was a four or five handicap at the time and then I was actually planning on playing on the men's hockey team because I had just finished junior hockey – I was 21 so I couldn't play anymore," explained Bruce.
"I ended up trying out for the golf team after I met Jodi Campbell. He let me try out and I played really well in tryouts. And then two years later, I was athlete of the year."
Along with Male Athlete of the year, Bruce won numerous awards during his three-year career with the Griffins, including:
- The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference male golfer of the year for both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
- Two ACAC silver medals
- One CCAA All-Canadian award
- Two North Regional victories
- Two South Regional third-place finishes
- ACAC gold medal in the 2011-12 season
Adam Bruce, left, chats with Griffins golf head coach Jodi Campbell during a tournament at Red Tail Landing Golf Club. Bruce was named MacEwan's male athlete of the year for the 2011-12 season (Jodi Campbell photo).
It's been a smooth transition into the workforce for Bruce after his time as a student athlete as he remained involved in the sport he loves.
"So, I really I found my passion for tournament golf and now I've kind of found my passion for the golf business," he said.
After an extensive history of winning at the collegiate level, Bruce has found his new passion as the interim head professional at the Glendale G&CC. However, switching roles this year he'll be the associate golf professional at the course during the 2020 season, allowing him a little more time on the links.
"I know I'll teach and I'll do a lot with inventory – that's kind of my main tasks – and hopefully this year I'll get to play a little more than last year because I was sort of in the acting head pro role," explained Bruce. "So, there wasn't much time for golf for me."
When Bruce is swinging the wrenches, he's winning huge tournaments like the PGA of Alberta Championship in 2017 while competing in other big events along the way.
"So, I didn't really chase the dream, if you want to call it that of playing professional golf for a living," explained Bruce. "But I did I did get to play in some really big events like the PGA of Canada Championship – I've played in that five times now."
However, pursuing professional touring golf hasn't been at the top of Bruce's wish list since finding his fit at the Glendale G&CC.
"I went to school to become a golf professional and I enjoy it – I've been in the business for I believe 12 years now and I never feel like I'm going to work," said Bruce. "It's a job I really enjoy and that's kind of been my main goal ever since I signed up to go to MacEwan.
"So, I've never really even been a thought for me to play professional golf. It would be awesome if it would if it would happen in the future, but it's not my main goal, that's for sure."
Former Griffins golfer Adam Bruce, centre, poses with a huge cheque after winning the 2017 PGA of Alberta Championship (Courtesy Adam Bruce).
Bruce still keeps in contact with his close group of teammates during his years as a student athlete.
"When you're traveling with such a small group of people it's actually a really different dynamic. And now I have some lifelong friends from that golf team."
After a solid 2011 golf season in which he finished second at the ACAC Championship and won the North Regional, Bruce was named MacEwan's male athlete of the year.
"It's also something that when it happened, it kind of didn't really hit home," said. "Recently, I've kind of looked back and I'm like, 'holy cow, I was an athlete of the year out of a university.' It didn't really sink in until I was out of university, really."
Getting to those heights at the collegiate level didn't come without help though.
"I learned a lot from both our coaches, Jodi Campbell and Alan Riley. They're very knowledgeable people," said Bruce. "I can't thank them enough for everything that they did for me – like life lessons that Jodi and Alan (taught me) as well and their guidance through the golf program."
As for what's next, Bruce was surprised to find out how much he enjoyed being the interim head professional last season and he's now got his sights set on becoming one in the future.
"I enjoyed teaching and playing golf and being an assistant professional," explained Bruce. "But I kind of developed a passion for it and I enjoyed accomplishing stuff with my team of assistants and getting stuff done by deadlines or getting those big corporate events out.
"And I really developed a passion to be a leader. That's for sure something that I'll that I need to work on in the future if I do want to get back to that head professional job wherever that would be."
