Celebrating the Centennial Open: Russ Helwig, Mentor and Champion

Photo: NJSGA Open Champions: Russ Helwig (c), Steve Sieg (l) and Brian Gaffney (r)

Over 39 years as the head PGA professional at Essex Fells Country Club in Essex Fells, Russell Helwig fostered a culture of excellence in every respect. The Bloomfield native established a reputation as a talented player (with two NJSGA Open titles to his credit, among others) and dedicated mentor who molded dozens of young professionals into top teachers, merchandisers, and players.

Helwig learned the game at the defunct Broadacres, a nine-hole course in Bloomfield. He worked for owner Phil Axt, a PGA member, and would shag for Bob Shields, a NJPGA section champion who was good enough to make the cut at high-level area events like the Westchester Classic, the Thunderbird Classic and the Dow Jones Open.

The graduate of the University of Miami, Helwig’s first assistant’s job was at Green Brook Country Club in North Caldwell under Emery Thomas, a two-time NJSGA Open Champion and five-time runner-up.

“Emery is documented as one of New Jersey’s best players of all time. He taught me the business of golf and let me play late afternoons,” Helwig said.

Next, Helwig became assistant under Dick Pearce at Echo Lake, a NJPGA champion.

“Dick groomed his assistants to become good players, and taught them to serve members through teaching, tournament play and merchandising. In the metropolitan area, most of us owned our own golf shops in those days. When you create good will, the members will support your operation. That’s not an alternative mode, just a good business model,” he noted.

After four years at Echo Lake, Helwig, at age 28, became a head PGA professional at Essex Fells in 1975 when Stan Mosel left to go to Arizona.

Now, it was his turn to interview people to work under him.

“As a head pro interviewing people, you have to make a gut judgement. Do you see this person as a head pro in three or four years?  You want to have them blossom under you and hopefully get their own head pro job.”

Six years into his head pro job, Helwig won the 1980 NJSGA Open at Montclair Golf Club with a four-round total of 281, two strokes better than runner-up Mike Preston of Echo Lake. Two years later, he repeated as Open champion on his home course, Essex Fells, holding off the great amateur, Jeff Thomas, by one stroke, finishing at 278. His 60-yard chip shot set up a tap-in par on the final hole. He became the first pro to win the Open at his own course in 42 years.

“When I won at Essex Fells, I felt I had such a big advantage playing in the Open at my home course. I knew every bounce and where to hit the ball. It’s puzzling to me why so few pros win at their home courses.”

After winning the two NJSGA Open Championships himself, Helwig was proud to see former assistants Steve Sieg and Brian Gaffney go on to become Open champions themselves.

Sieg had taken a similar path before coming to Essex Fells for his fourth assistant’s job. He also tried the mini-tour route in Florida, but hurt his back in 1984. The following spring, Sieg joined Helwig and stayed four seasons before being hired as the head professional at Navesink in 1989.

“I made a decision to get into the golf business. I knew of Russ’s reputation of being a great mentor to golf pros. Russ said if I put mind to it, he could help me satisfy my goals of becoming a good playing pro. He changed the direction of my career,” said Sieg, who won the NJSGA Open in 1989 and was runner-up in 1986 and 1983.

“Russ was a great mentor right away. I just learned everything I could from Russ. He provided the atmosphere to become a well-rounded golf professional. I absolutely took Russ’s model and used it in my operation at Navesink with the goal of training my assistants as teachers, players, merchandisers, and tournament players. I wanted them to be well prepared for their next job.”

Sieg counts 10 assistants now in the head professional ranks.

“Russ' personality is that he is fair to the staff, and fair with the members. He doesn’t lose his cool. He’s easy to be with and has a good sense of humor. He was well respected by the members. The respect factor was there.”

For Gaffney, winner of the 2010 NJSGA Open and a two-time runner-up (2018 and 1998), things have come full circle, as he is now in his third year as the head golf professional at Essex Fells. Earlier, he worked as an assistant at Echo Lake and Manasquan River followed by a four-year sojourn as a mini-tour player in Florida before returning to his home state. He joined Helwig as an assistant in 2002.

“I knew that If you wanted to end up as a head professional in New Jersey, Russ Helwig was the guy to groom you. Russ had a lot of assistant professionals filter through his system before I arrived. My goal was to become a head golf professional and this was a fortunate opportunity.

“He was more than teaching and showing you how to run a business. Russ was also about truth, a pillar of integrity.

“Russ shared this simple truth, never lie. Always be up front, and if you made a mistake, admit it and say you will do your best not to do that in the future” Gaffney said. “That is how we worked under his leadership.”

“That’s what made Russ so brilliant. He wanted us to succeed. Once the assistant got the interview it was up to them to get the job. He helped me, ultimately, in turn, I’ll do anything for him. Most importantly I am proud to call him a friend.”

Gaffney later became head professional himself at White Beeches, Rumson and New York’s Quaker Ridge. He has seen nine of his assistants attain head professional positions. 

“Essex Fells has been, and is a big part in my life. This will be my last job. I will stay here until the end of my career as it is perfect for me and my family. I enjoy following the legacy of Russell Helwig. They are huge shoes to fill but I don’t pretend to be what he was. He was here so long, respected by some many and for all the right reasons.”

Other former Helwig proteges like Bill Burgess (1986), Brent Studer (1999) and Chris Mazzuchetti (2000) were NJSGA Open runners-up, as well as standouts in local PGA events. Other outstanding PGA professionals, such as Mickie Gallagher of Trump National-Bedminster, also learned under Helwig.

Helwig, who has been the pro-emeritus at Essex Fells since his retirement in 2015, explained his approach to hiring his assistants.

“I always felt very strongly that to be a very successful golf professional, you should be a good player of the game and have high standards. I always tried to hire guys who had good interpersonal skills, were good players and really wanted to be a head golf professional. So that means you have to be able to teach the game, merchandise the game and play the game,” said Helwig.

Words that aptly describe the NJPGA Hall of Famer’s distinguished career, his profound impact on the people he mentored, and the game he served for decades.