Luke Smith, PGA
Director of Golf
Luke grew up on the South coast of England and has been playing the game of golf since he was 8 years old. At the age of 12 he began working behind the counter on the weekend at a local course near his house. By the age of 17, he was enrolled in the PGA program and after 3 years became a Class A professional and worked as an Assistant Professional in England. In 2001 he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and worked at Stonebridge Golf Club, a semi-private facility bordering South Carolina. He eventually transitioned to the Head Professional role at Pine Lake Country Club and worked there for 13 years. In 2016, Luke was invited to play in the Folds of Honor Pro-Am at Milburn Country Club. Shortly after the tournament, the Director of Golf position became available and Luke was hired. Luke maintains his PGA Professional status in both the United States and United Kingdom and in 2021 was awarded the Midwest Section PGA Merchandiser of the Year!
Sean Chalk, PGA
Head Golf Professional
Sean was born in Fort Worth, Texas but his family moved to Kansas when he was 12. In middle school his friends invited him out to play golf for the first time. Utilizing his grandpa's old set of Clubs that were stored in the basement, he shot a 124 with one bogey on a par 3. Although his score was high, he became obsessed with the game and started practicing every single day. At the age of 15, he applied for a job at Overland Park Golf Club for his first job. He worked at OP for 16 consecutive years and spent his last 8 years there as the Head Golf Professional after he obtained his PGA Class A certification when he was 24 years old. Sean and Luke had played together in the Midwest Section Championship and when the opportunity for the Head Golf Professional position became available at Milburn in 2020, Sean jumped at the opportunity. Sean has a passion for customer service, tournament operations, and weather forecasting!
Zack Proffitt, PGA
First Assistant Golf Professional
Zack was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, but was raised in a town just south of Denver, called Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Golf first entered his life at 12 years old when he starting caddying for Columbine Country Club. Zack started playing golf his freshman year of high school, where he qualified for state three times and received a scholarship to play for Dodge City Community College. After two years, he attended the PGA Program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs where he obtained his PGA Class A certification. Zack enjoys teaching juniors, conversing with members, and learning about the golf swing.
Nestor Porter, PGA
Assistant Golf Professional
Nestor was born in the city of El Paso, Texas and grew up in nearby Anthony, New Mexico where his influential Mexican heritage led to Nestor growing up bilingual. In high school, Nestor tried out golf and he was immediately hooked and fell in love with the game of golf. During his senior year of high school, Nestor knew that he wanted to make golf his career and he was accepted into the PGM Program at New Mexico State, where he worked internships at The Valley Club in Sun Valley, Idaho, Martis Camp in Truckee, California (near Lake Tahoe) and Vail Golf Club in Vail, Colorado. After graduating from college, Nestor was able to obtain his PGA Class A Membership in January of 2021 and obtained a job at The Powder Horn in Sheridan, Wyoming where he spent nearly 2 years learning about many aspects of golf course operations. Nestor then decided to pursue other opportunities and accepted the Assistant Professional role at Milburn Country Club in 2023. Nestor’s biggest passions in the golf industry are tournament operations and club fitting.
Dakota Soukup
Assistant Golf Professional
Dakota grew up and lived in Nebraska and Kansas. He was fortunate enough to play collegiate golf at Barton County Community College and Park University. After graduating college, Dakota worked hard to gain as much experience as he could in the golf industry and became the Lead Assistant Golf Professional at St. Andrew’s Golf Course in Overland Park, KS. In that role he ran many aspects of the day-to-day operations. He is currently in level 2 of the PGA Program. Dakota joined Milburn in the summer of 2024 and his biggest passions are teaching and merchandising.