AUBURN #- There is more than a fresh coat of paint in the pro shop at Highland Golf and Country Club this spring.

Joining Highland are new pro Mike Curran and assistant Kevin Muir.

For both, the opportunity to become a part of Highland came at just the right time.

“They were deciding to go a different route here,” said Curran, who had been working as head pro at Onondaga Country Club for the past four years. “It was in mid February that I got a call and they asked if I'd like to be the new head pro. I was very appreciative; opportunities like this are few and far between. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do and I was planning on going back to Onondaga when this opportunity came up and I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Curran and Muir had never crossed paths in the past but knew of each other. Then Curran placed a call to Muir, who had been assistant at Turning Stone for 6.5 years.

“We'd heard of each other,” Muir said. “We knew some of the same people when he called me up. Turning Stone had got new management and they let a lot of the staff go and I was thinking about if I was going to go back there or not, when he called and it just worked out right.”

Both said they had an almost instant connection, sharing a lot the same ideas.

“We didn't know each other before this,” Curran said. “But it worked out well. We have a lot of the same ideas about customer service and other concepts - just how we approach things and I think it has worked out really well.”

Muir, a Moravia native, grew up playing golf from the junior leagues, through high school, before he went to New Mexico where he became nationally ranked.

After a year in New Mexico he moved back to New York where he attended Tompkins County Community College and was All-Conference and All-American, before moving to California to attend Professional Golf Career College, where he received his degree in golf management.

“I've always loved the game,” Muir said. “And I've always liked instructing and helping people out with their game and giving lessons and clinics and things like that. So for me being from Moravia, this is like coming home for me to be able to work here.”

Curran said that while he played a bit growing up, it wasn't until later in life that he really began to pursue his interest in the game.

“I really got into it around the time I was graduating from college in California,” Curran said. “From there I started playing more and I started working at the course and I worked with a couple of guys that were pros that gave me a real good foundation. When I started working at Onondaga I got my PGA membership. I've always done a little bit of both playing in tournaments and things like that, but mostly I've always been involved in all the stuff you take care of from this side of things.”

From merchandise to lessons to creating a good relationship with members, there is a lot for Curran and Muir to take on and both agreed that so far it has been an easy transition to make.

“The people here are great,” Muir said. “I really like that, you get to know everybody. I go and play with members on Saturdays and Mike goes out on Sundays and that is one of the really nice things about being here. We get to know the membership and it is more relaxed and social and we enjoy that.”

In the coming months, Muir and Curran have big plans for junior golf, which Curran said he would like to help grow, women's golf, as well as various tournaments and clinics Highland regularly hosts.

But whether it is lessons or a tournament, both said the focus is on making everyone's time on the links of Highland as enjoyable as possible.

“That is what it is all about,” Curran said. “Everything we do is focused on making things the best we can so that anyone who comes here can have a good time and we can do all we can to make it a fun time and boost the sense of camaraderie between everyone here.”