St. Charles East grad Rae has found best of both worlds

Nicole Rae needed to find an elective course at the University of Iowa as an underclassman to fulfill an undergrad general requirement.

"My sophomore year I took a journalism class," Rae said. "I just figured I would follow in my dad's footsteps and go into marketing and sales. I took some TV classes and fell in love with it."

The 2011 St. Charles East graduate was an accomplished golfer her entire high school and collegiate career.

A three-time state qualifier for the Saints' historically powerful program, Rae played in the Big Ten all four years as well.

Rae added journalism as a second major as a result of her initial academic experiences to the discipline in Iowa City.

She covered the Hawkeyes' athletic teams for the college TV station. But her big break came the summer between her junior and senior years of college in 2014.

"I had an internship for the Big Ten Network," Rae said. "I got to see what it was like in a TV broadcasting environment."

After completing her dual majors in marketing and journalism the following spring, Rae returned to an old job at Mill Creek Golf Course in Geneva while contemplating a career choice.

Rae applied for a position at the Golf Channel.

"It was actually quite lucky," Rae said of landing a job on Morning Drive as a researcher. "It was the best of both worlds. It mixes journalism with my No. 1 passion, golf."

The Orlando-based network, owned by the NBC parent company, cable giant Comcast, was co-founded by golfing icon Arnold Palmer more than two decades ago.

"Unfortunately, I never got to meet him," Rae said of Palmer. "His health had started to deteriorate when I started (in early December 2015) at the Golf Channel. But I am very excited to be associated with a company he founded."

Palmer passed away on the eve of the Ryder Cup last September.

But Rae has a connection with the eight-time major champion.

"I actually have his office when he worked at Golf Channel," Rae said.

Rod Osborne has directed the Saints' girls programs for more than a quarter-century.

"I'm glad (Rae) continued on to purse golf (as a career)," Osborne said. "She was always a class act out on the golf course. She was focused at practice and always had a calm demeanor."

Hayley Learnard, nee Guyton, was one of the most unusual female golfers during her career at Kaneland.

The Knights did not have a girls squad, dictating Learnard to play on the boys team.

The Class AA girls state runner-up in 2009 was the No. 1 player, regardless of gender, her final two seasons at Kaneland.

"We both practiced a lot at Mill Creek," Learnard said of her association with Rae. "That's where our friendship had started. It was always nice to see her (at the same college tournaments) since we are both from the area."

Rae spends the bulk of her professional time researching the tournament histories of the events the network broadcasts.

"There are a lot of different opportunities," Rae said. "On-air (positions) are tough, though. They kind of want people who have more experience."

But the job has its perks for a golf junkie.

"We get a lot of discounts (on greens fees) at the Golf Channel," Rae said with a laugh.