Staff

 

Ross Uglem

Ross was raised in Northwood, North Dakota, before moving to Fargo during high school. He won a state championship with Fargo Oak Grove and played collegiately for Concordia College after a year at North Dakota State. He would go on to use his passion for golf as a youth golf instructor and a high school coach, each for more than a decade. 

Ross graduated from Concordia in 2011, pursuing passions in sports media and small business ownership in the FM area before developing the idea for GolfNXT in the fall of 2023. 

Ross created GolfNXT to grow the game and give people who love it a place to improve and practice their passion year round. He oversees all aspects of the facility and the business with an eye on the future.

 

Ben Edwards

Ben was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, and moved to the states for college where he played at Minot State University. Ben has worked in the golf world since 2006 with experience in several different parts of the industry. After learning the fundamentals of club fitting and the proper techniques associated with it, he found that to be his passion and what he wanted to pursue.

Since his move to the Fargo area in 2017, Ben has grown to be one of the most respected and trusted club fitters in the surrounding area. With over 4,000 fittings done in his career, it is clear to see the passion he has for fitting and the credibility he has gained from golfers.

As Ben begins the next chapter of his career here at GolfNXT, he looks forward to continuing to provide all golfers with the best possible setup of clubs to foster improvement, confidence and joyfulness with their golf game.

 

Alan Spriggs

Alan is a Fargo native and was a three sport athlete in Golf, Hockey, and Football in high school. His passion for athletics and sport drove him to explore studying how to develop and improve physical performance. He earned a degree in Kinesiology from Arizona State University and made his way back to the Fargo/Moorhead area after graduation. He became a personal trainer and worked with athletes ranging from youth, high school, college, and an Olympian. 

As time went by, his love for the game of golf never wavered and wanted to get more involved in the game at a professional level. Combining his knowledge of the golf swing, body mechanics, and power development, he started to shift his attention to golf fitness. Helping golfers improve mobility, reduce injury potential, increase club head speed, and just feel better after a round of golf became his main focus. 

Now the Director of Performance at GolfNXT, he oversees the daily operations of the fitness area including staffing, group and individual programming, and developing new ways to improve overall golf performance for its members.

 

Tom Porten

Tom grew up in Northeast Ohio, where he transitioned from baseball to golf as a teenager. Following a successful college career at Cleveland State University, including four individual titles in his senior year, he became a golf coach and PGA Assistant Professional. In 2000, he focused his skills on full-time coaching. With over 25 years of experience as a Division I coach, he has worked at Cleveland State, Akron, Kent State, and Northern Illinois.

Tom is very passionate about player improvement and development, and finds great joy in helping students of all ages improve their game.

As the Director of Instruction, Tom is excited to utilize our entire space for player development. From juniors to adults, our programs will be unique and fun for golfers of all skill levels. Being able to help golfers build better physical, technical and mental skills all under one roof is what sets us apart, at GolfNXT.

 

Aaron Melby

Aaron grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, playing basketball, football, and baseball. He did not start playing golf in a competitive fashion until his Freshman year of high school. Since then, golf has been at the forefront of his life, working at his local course for 7 years, creating a golf social media channel, and continually trying to improve his knowledge and skill of the game. 

As someone who, in the year 2020, found the gym to be a way to not only help his performance on the course, but also the escape from the weak framed body that he had always had, there is no denying his passion for making others better athletes and healthier individuals.

Here at GolfNXT, Aaron is involved on the performance side working with individuals on improving athletic abilities to enhance their golf game. As a certified fitness instructor, he looks to use his knowledge and personal experience to educate others on how to become more athletic, healthy, and functional with their bodies.