Wheeler special to golf community

Location, location, location.

It’s a word commonly associated with the world of real estate.

But it also can apply to the world of golf — specifically Pottawatomie Golf Course in St. Charles.

Last year, Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed Pottawatomie was recognized as the 15th best 9-hole golf course in America by Golf World magazine.

“It’s a special golf course,” said Pottawatomie course manager/PGA golf professional Jim Wheeler.

“It’s in a wonderful location. You’re isolated out here. There are no roads going through the course, no highways nearby, no traffic. You can play golf and have an opportunity to see deer, coyotes, foxes, and several species of birds.”

Here’s another reason why Pottawatomie Golf Course is special — Jim Wheeler.

Wheeler, who came to Pottawatomie in 1980, is in his final two weeks at the position he has held for 31 years.

The personable 65-year-old recently announced his retirement, effective February 28.

“As the season went on last year, I got tired,” admitted Wheeler, who routinely put in 14- and 15-hour days, seven days a week during the summer months. “It was a different feeling. People say you’ll know when it’s enough. It got to the point that it was.”

Wheeler, who learned how to play golf just before becoming a young teen while his parents attended a golf camp in Lake Geneva, still loves the game.

“I love the business and I love the golf industry,” said Wheeler. “I just didn’t want the 7-day, all-day work commitment anymore.”

Who can blame him?

For Wheeler, who grew up in Peoria and played baseball at Peoria Central before attending Western Illinois University, athletics have always been a way of life.

“Baseball was my sport in high school but I also played some junior golf tournaments during the summer,” Wheeler recalled. “For me, golf was easy to pick up. It was just another sport to play.”

Upon graduation from WIU with a degree in education, Wheeler planned on becoming a high school teacher/coach.

“I was hoping to stay in Peoria and get back into the educational system there,” said Wheeler. “But there were no teaching positions available. You have to remember that back then teachers were exempt from the (military) draft.”

After being drafted and serving one year in Vietnam with the Army, Wheeler spent three years as a fifth-grade physical education teacher in Peoria.

It was during those summer months where Wheeler gained knowledge of the golf business.

“I worked for all five Peoria Park District golf courses at one time or another,” said Wheeler, who also spent two years working at Peoria Country Club.

At that point, he began shifting his thought process.

“I could always go back to teaching but I wanted to try this profession so I became an assistant pro at Newman Golf Course (in Peoria),” he said.

Once he got a taste of working at a golf course on a full-time basis, Wheeler was hooked.

After leaving Peoria and working a year at Inverness Golf Club in Palatine, Wheeler was hired by the St. Charles Park District to take over the course manager’s duties at Pottawatomie.

His original intention wasn’t to stay too long.

“I expected to come here, work 3 to 5 years then move on to an 18-hole facility with a driving range and the ability to make more money,” said Wheeler.

But he fell in love with his new position at Pottawatomie and with St. Charles in general.

“Pretty soon, those 3 to 5 years turned into 10, then 15, 20, 25,” said Wheeler. “I felt very comfortable in St. Charles raising a family with my wife, Patti (and daughters Amy and Kim).

“I had the ability to run a golf facility. The Park District gave me a chance to do what I thought was best.”

Working for four different directors and various park board members, Wheeler has formed “wonderful relationships” throughout the years.

“They’ve allowed me to do my job,” he said. “In the business world, what more can you ask?”

Pottawatomie has undergone several course improvement projects during Wheeler’s tenure, including the installment of a new irrigation system and other aesthetic changes.

“The course became wall-to-wall green,” Wheeler said of the new irrigation system. “Denise (Gillett-Parchert) has done a wonderful job as course superintendent the past 12 years.

“Everything has been done in trying to get it (the course) back to its original intent.”

Wheeler, who regularly attends St. Charles East and St. Charles North athletic events, is the ultimate people’s person in a people’s business.

Just ask others.

“Jim cares about the community, the Park District and Pottawatomie Golf Course,” said Denise Gillett-Parchert. “I’ve always had the full support of Jim. He has stood behind me and the grounds crew.”

“The whole St. Charles community has been very blessed to have him be a part of it,” said STC East boys basketball and sophomore golf coach Brian Clodi. “He has been a huge supporter of high school athletics. He is a class act and a great sportsman. His replacement will have huge shoes to fill.”

“Jim was extremely helpful when I took over at North, especially as I tried to find my way being a head coach,” said STC North girls golf coach Chris Patrick. “He ordered new bags for us, and helped schedule our tryouts and matches. He will do anything to support the junior golfer. The golf community and city of St. Charles will miss him dearly. He has been the face of Pottawatomie for as long as I can remember.”

“Jim has been supportive of all the programs in town — East and North,” said STC East girls golf coach Rod Osborne, who had a junior pass at Pottawatomie in the mid-1960s and has known Wheeler since his start in St. Charles. “He has been very accommodating and always there to help us.”

“I’ve known Jim on a personal level for 31 years,” said STC East boys golf coach John Stock. “He has been very good for all of golf and for the high schools in town. He has always taken a personal interest in kids. I’m sad to see him go.”

“Jim has been a friend of mine for all 31 years,” said STC North boys golf coach Rob Prentiss. “He put me in a regular Saturday morning group when I was looking for a place to play in 1980. I can’t say enough about him on a personal level. He was the perfect guy for that job. There’s nothing fancy about him — he’s a good, solid person who teaches values. He’s one of those community treasures. I’m happy to be part of his life.”

Myself included.