Beyond the Merchandising Threshold – A Trio that Helped Shape the Nebraska PGA
Nebraska PGA Members of Impact
Written by Bob Denney | Historian Emeritus – PGA of America
PGA Professionals are trained to be versatile, taking their job descriptions to new heights. That commitment is part of the membership pledge. You’re not only selling yourself—you’re representing the values of the game and the profession.
It’s a rite of passage that Marc Cruse, Dawn Neujahr, and Nick Muller—merchandising standouts and leaders—have embodied throughout their careers.
Marc Cruse: A Green-Grass Visionary
Born in Geneva, Nebraska, Marc Cruse first played golf on a nine-hole sand-green layout his father, George—a rural mail carrier—built out of farmland. Those humble beginnings led to a career that included serving as Nebraska PGA president and becoming the “GOAT” of Section merchandising. Today, he oversees accounts in four states.
A 1974 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University and captain of its golf team, Cruse tried accounting after college but quickly realized it wasn’t for him.
“I put on a suit and tie and felt like I had a rope around my neck,” he recalls. He approached Bob Schuchart at Holmes Park Golf Course in Lincoln, asking for a chance in golf. Fifteen minutes later, he was hired—and his life changed forever.
That was also where Cruse met his wife, Lynne, Schuchart’s daughter. A bizarre first day cemented their bond: a golfer suffered a fatal heart attack on the sixth green, and players continued to putt around him. “We looked at each other and said, ‘What is wrong with these people?’”
Cruse became PGA Director of Golf at Mahoney Golf Course in 1977, operating out of a single-wide trailer. He borrowed $10,000 in merchandise from Schuchart and Dave Oliphant of Pioneers Golf Course—only to have it stolen, uninsured, one morning.
“I fell to my knees,” he remembers. “But I got back up. Life knocks you down; you get better by getting back up.”
He did more than recover. Cruse served as Section president (1988–89), was 1989 Section Golf Professional of the Year, captured an unprecedented 17 Section Merchandiser of the Year awards, and twice received the Section Professional Golf Development Award. He became the first to win two national PGA Merchandiser of the Year honors (1989, 2000). His golf shops generated more than $1 million annually.
After eight years at Crooked Creek Golf Club, Cruse shifted gears in 2008 to become a national sales rep for Laser Link Golf and now promotes nearly 15 products through 15 companies, with 650 active accounts across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.
“You have to have passion and motivation,” he says. “I won’t sell anything that doesn’t meet a client’s needs. Relationships are everything.”
Dawn Neujahr: Building a Legacy
Dawn Neujahr (pronounced “New Year”) has been breaking barriers since before she became a PGA Professional in 1996.
Her father, Roger Owen, owner of American Sports Company, died of melanoma when she was 19. Dawn left the University of Nebraska, where she’d been studying fashion merchandising and sports medicine, to care for him. She later tried nursing at Nebraska Methodist College but ultimately found her calling in golf—combining her love for service with retail expertise.
Dawn grew up playing at Oak Hills Country Club in Omaha, learning from five-time Teacher of the Year Mike Cornell. After her father’s death, she walked into the club and offered to work. Head PGA Professional Bob Vermeer hired her for $12,000 a year and soon encouraged her to turn professional.
She spent eight years at Oak Hills, where she met her future husband, Greg Neujahr. The couple married in 1996 and have been at Champions Run in Omaha since 2001—Greg as PGA Director of Golf, Dawn as Assistant Professional. They’re affectionately called “the First Family” of the Nebraska PGA.
Greg is a two-time Section Golf Professional of the Year (2012, 2023), and Dawn received the honor in 2022. Dawn also became the Section’s first female President in 2022 and completed her term in 2024. She’s won eight Section Merchandiser of the Year awards (private facilities division) since 2018.
Her merchandising philosophy was shaped at Oak Hills, where she shadowed Laura Vermeer, Bob’s wife and the club merchandiser.
“I love to dress people—and be honest if something doesn’t suit them,” she says. “You build trust, and members know you care.”
Dawn treats every shop as if she owns it, even though she never has. Her shop now serves 435 golf members. Both she and Greg have earned the Bill Strausbaugh Award for mentoring fellow PGA Professionals.
“We wanted to give others every opportunity we had,” she says. “Mentorship and giving back are big deals for us.”
When Suzy Whaley became the first female PGA president in 2018, Dawn was in the room.
“I thought, if she can do that nationally, I can do this for our Section,” she recalls.
Nick Muller: Creative Branding in Action
Nick Muller picked up a golf club at age seven but didn’t fully discover the game until his teens, spending days at Schuyler Golf Club. Initially interested in architecture, he shifted course and graduated from the University of Nebraska’s Professional Golf Management program in 2007, becoming a PGA member in 2008.
He worked at Dakota Dunes, Wichita Country Club (where he earned 2010 South Central PGA Assistant of the Year), and Kansas City Country Club before becoming PGA Director of Golf at the Country Club of Lincoln in 2013.
Cary Cozby, his former mentor, says, “Nick insists every part of his operation be best in class. Blend that with curiosity, preparation, and attention to detail, and you have one of the best golf experiences in the country.”
Muller won the 2018 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award for Private Facilities and the 2015 Section Merchandiser of the Year. His innovative branding includes “Corn Guy,” a trademarked mascot that bypasses University of Nebraska licensing fees and sells out quickly—150 items disappeared within 24 hours of launch.
Since joining the Country Club of Lincoln, Muller has driven double-digit shop sales growth nearly every year. Junior golf clinic revenue is up 300 percent. Women’s apparel sales rose 73 percent, and tournament revenue jumped 110 percent, bolstered by private shopping experiences and creative marketing such as newsletters, branded posters, and a club app used by 80 percent of members.
Muller also mentors students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s PGA Golf Management and Hospitality programs. He and his wife, Niki, vice president and COO of 1847Financial, have two daughters, Alyvia and Brooklyn.
Last month, Muller and partner Al Peterson of The Field Club of Omaha raised $36,306 during the third annual Birdie Bonanza, benefiting PGA REACH Nebraska and local fire and rescue departments. The event has raised more than $477,000 in three years.
“Winning a Section Championship isn’t in my cards,” Muller says, “but if I can help this way, I take a lot of pride.”
Somewhere, Corn Guy is smiling.
Cruse, Neujahr, and Muller have elevated merchandising in the Nebraska PGA Section, setting national standards among its 340 members. Their stories are testaments to resilience, creativity, and service—the core values of PGA Professionals.
About the Nebraska Section PGA
The Nebraska Section PGA is a non-for-profit organization comprised of over 340 PGA Members and PGA Associates who strive to promote the enjoyment and growth of the game of golf. The Nebraska Section PGA encompasses the entire State of Nebraska, western fifth of Iowa and a small portion of South Dakota including Dakota Dunes and Yankton. The Section office is located in Lincoln, NE and acts as a resource for local and national golf information for the golf professional and amateur player alike. Our members are often referred to as “Club Professionals”, not to be mistaken as PGA Tour Professionals.
Each Nebraska Section PGA Professional serves as an expert in the ever-changing business of golf. They are the leading expert players and teachers, skilled business managers, community leaders, and superior merchandisers who have dedicated their careers to the local delivery of these services.