GolfForever member Mark Steitz keeps chasing his dreams … and a better version of himself
Mark Steitz had never swung a golf club when some co-workers invited him to play in a four-man scramble 34 years ago. He borrowed his dad’s clubs and figured – how hard could it be?
“I did awful, of course,” Steitz said.
But something about that failure hooked him. Other sports had always come easily. Golf didn't. So Steitz started going to an empty field with a bucket of balls, hitting every one, then collecting them and hitting them back in the other direction.
The challenge became an obsession.
More than three decades later, Steitz, 53, is still chasing the game – and some lofty goals.
“I haven’t given up on the U.S. Open dream yet,” he said. “I just want to get into a qualifier.”
The road hasn't exactly been direct. Steitz stepped away from golf for years before returning in 2016. He made a hole-in-one in 2017, then had both knees replaced on the same day in 2018. Seven weeks later, he was back on a golf course.
“If I could play, I was going to go play,” he said.
The experience only made him more serious about seeing how far he could take his gamae.
In 2024, Steitz entered the Missouri Senior Amateur, his first tournament. He finished dead last. But again, failure provided motivation.
Steitz realized that if he wanted to become a better competitive golfer, improving his swing wasn't enough. He needed to improve his body, too.
He had previously worked with a personal trainer before the pandemic shut down the facility. Then he discovered GolfForever.
The Swing Trainer initially caught his attention, but what convinced him was that GolfForever's workouts were designed specifically for golfers and could be completed at home.
“That makes it more unique than anything,” Steitz said. “I really love the program.”
The workouts became part of his pursuit. Steitz tries to train in the morning, building the strength, mobility and endurance he believes will help him perform better when it matters most.
“If you’re physically fatigued, you’re going to be mentally fatigued,” he said.
That commitment eventually led Steitz to GolfForever's Forever Summer Challenge, which encouraged participants to consistently complete workouts and share their progress.
Steitz didn't merely participate. He was the Grand Prize winner.
Throughout the challenge, he documented his workouts and encouraged other GolfForever members, at one point offering a simple message: “Why not you? Why not today? Whatever your dreams are, you deserve them. Put in the work. Earn it.”
Winning also provided even more motivation to stay committed to the program.
“They may have an intervention for me someday,” he joked.
Steitz’ U.S. Open goal remains a long shot, and he understands just how difficult competitive golf can be better than he did when he first picked up his father's clubs in 1992. But that's also why he loves it.
Golf was the sport that didn't come easily. More than 30 years later, Steitz is still trying to figure it out, still working on his body, still testing himself and still wondering how far he can go.
“I want to be involved in the program for as long as they’ll let me,” Steitz said.
And his ultimate goal extends well beyond any U.S. Open qualifier.
