Nick Kwaterski at Peninsula State Park golf course
These days you can find recent college graduate and Baileys Harbor resident Nick Kwaterski at Peninsula State Park golf course doing just about anything that is asked of him as an employee…cleaning golf carts, selling buckets of balls on the driving range, or serving up milkshakes in the clubhouse. But on July 11, he is packing up his car and heading west to try his hand at the Dakotas Tour, a men’s professional golf tour geared for grinders looking to test their game against some of the better non-famous golfers in the country.
Kwaterski, a 2003 graduate of Gibraltar High School, transferred from Arizona State to enjoy a solid four-year career as a Leatherneck on the Western Illinois Division I golf team. Since graduation, he has aspired to take his game to higher level, but as most promising golfers have found, it can be very difficult balancing work and practice. The past two years, Kwaterski has spent his summers at the Park and his winters caddying in Florida, putting in long hours just to meet living expenses. “I was watching bad swings all day on the golf course,” said Kwaterski, “and then I had to force myself to go out and work on my own game. It was tough.”
Kwaterski is looking at this trip as more than just a golf agility test, but also as a soul-searching journey of sorts. He is leaving the world of cell phones and computers behind as he embarks on his solo expedition, driving and tent camping along the way. “I have my car, my clubs, my tent, and that’s about it,” smiled Kwaterski. “I really wanted to just immerse myself in golf, and leave all the other distractions behind.”
For over 20 years, the Dakotas Tour has a been a proving ground for budding golfers looking to test their game, graduating the likes of some well known professionals such as Tom Lehman, Woody Austin, Jeff Sluman, Brett Quigley, and Rich Beem. This year, the tour consists of 19 one-day to three-day tournaments, spanning from July to September. The bulk of the tour takes place in North and South Dakota with two tournaments being held in Iowa. “I liked the fact that the tour was centrally located,” stated Kwaterski. “I’d rather spend more time playing and less time traveling.”
Golfers can pick and choose, and pay the entry fee for each tournament within the tour, with very few golfers choosing to play all 19. Entry fees can cost anywhere from $200 for a one-day and up to $700 for the longer three-day tournaments. Kwaterski has his schedule mapped out, and has chosen seven tournaments over a three-week period.
Finding the time and the money to take this trip has not been easy for Kwaterski. A few local sponsors, who met Kwaterski as a Park employee, and who have watched him grow up as a “Park rat” have stepped up to help him financially. Kwaterski is humbled and grateful for their generous support. “They gave me the sponsorship money a couple years ago, and I saved it until now, because I really wanted to put it to good use.” This money will assist in covering the entry fees for his tournaments.
There are decent purses on the Dakotas Tour, although nothing of the likes found on the televised, star-studded PGA Tour. As stated on Dakotas Web site “Golfers don’t come to the Dakota Tours to get rich. They come to learn golf shots and strategies, to both forget and remember.” Tournament winners can haul in as much as $3,000 – $5,000 for the one day tournaments and as much as $18,000 – $20,000 for the three day tournaments.
“If I break even,” said Kwaterski, “I will consider that a success!” Kwaterski’s progress can be tracked on the tour’s regularly updated Web site www.dakotastour.com.
Nick is the son of Jeff and Terri Kwaterski of Baileys Harbor.
