When Channahon’s Josh Manion was just 4 his dad Bobby Manion started taking him along to play golf.

By age 9, Josh really got into the game which has now led him to an interesting career in professional golf management.

It all started with his dad, Josh told me.

“Some of my best times was just playing with my dad. He’s the one who got me started. He would go to all my tournaments and watch,” he said.

What a great dad!

I’ve known Josh for years; he was a student of mine when I taught Sunday School at Channahon United Methodist Church.

So I thought it was pretty interesting when his grandma, Frieda Manion, mentioned that Josh had graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in business and marketing and a focus on PGA management.

Not a golfer myself [Josh has offered some lessons], I had no idea how one becomes a pro golfer or part of the pro circuit, let alone that you could go to a university and study golf management.

The fact that Channahon has its own award winning golf course – Heritage Bluffs – is a real plus for Josh and other area golfers.

Josh began playing in tournaments in Channahon, as well as at Pontiac Elks and Wolf Creek, both in the Pontiac area. There weren’t too many junior tournaments back then, but that is really changing, he said.

He attended junior golf camps before he reached high school age. And of course dad was there all along the way to support and cheer him on.

As a member of the Minooka Community High School golf team, Josh was rated No. 1 on the JV team and was named all conference during both his freshman and senior years.

While going on the pro circuit is always in the back of Josh’s mind, he has set his sights in realty and is now working at Playin’ Thru Golf indoor golf facility on VonEsch Road in Plainfield owned by his former instructor and former Nettle Creek (Morris) head golf pro Tom Powers.

“He was one of my first instructors way back when, I can’t say enough about him,” Josh said about Powers.

Powers is providing Josh with a great opportunity. He has multiple duties at Playin’ Thru but it gives him the opportunity to meet people and bring in his own clientele to teach.

Josh remembers all his former golf instructors, including John Keegan from Morris Country Club and Mark Fehrenbacher from Heritage Bluff, who taught him along the way.

Now Josh is putting those skills to work and he loves seeing the faces of his students light up when golf really clicks for them.

One of those clients is a 12-year-old girl. She wasn’t bad to start with and after just three lessons she was hitting the ball 90 percent of the time. Now they’ll start working on her distance skills.

During spring break a year and a half ago Josh and his dad took a trip to San Diego to play golf. Josh’s favorite times are still those he spends with his dad.

• Kris Stadalsky writes about people and issues from areas southwest of Joliet. Reach her at writestuff56@comcast.net.