AUBURN, Ala. – Anne and Dan Moon were destined to fall in love. After all, it was written on the cards. The golf scorecards, that is.
Foreshadowing their future partnership – both personally and professionally – they met on a golf course.
While students at Auburn University two decades ago, Anne's group was playing the par-5 third hole at the Auburn Links golf course when she invited the men's group behind hers to join them.
Tasked with selecting playing partners for their newly formed alliances, Anne did not select Dan on that July day.
She may not have chosen Dan, but he chose her, asking Anne on a date that evening.
"And here we are 21 years later," she said.
A Birmingham native, Anne needed little convincing when it was time to select a college golf program.
"I've been an Auburn fan my entire life," she said. "I always knew deep down inside I wanted to have the opportunity to play at Auburn. I knew my teammates, along with Coach [Kim] Evans, would push me to become a better player."
After redshirting as a freshman, she welcomed teammates Danielle Downey and Celeste Troche.
"From that point on, when Auburn showed up to a golf tournament, people stopped and stared because we were one of the top teams in the country," said Anne, winner of the 2002 Southern Amateur.
Anne's experiences as an Auburn student-athlete contributed to her business success.
"That experience single-handedly, as a woman in the golf business, has given me a lot of credibility," she said. "Being able to say I played Division I college golf at Auburn gave me an advantage as I navigated my way throughout this industry."
Dan, a fellow Birmingham native, followed his older brother to the Plains, where he earned his degree in management information systems.
Anne, who competed at Auburn under her maiden name of Hutto, briefly attempted a professional playing career before transitioning.
After Dan graduated, he started working in golf retail in Birmingham, thanks to an assist from Anne, who reached out to a friend who managed the store.
A year after they married in 2005, the Moons moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where Dan got his first opportunity to manage an Edwin Watts Golf Shop.
When a representative of Callaway Golf Company told Dan he was looking for someone to help him with product demonstrations, Dan recommended Anne.
"I got his foot in the door in the golf business," Anne said. "And then he got my foot in the door."
They relocated to Melbourne, Florida, where Anne represented Callaway for seven years.
"I worked for him at one point," she said. "He worked for me at one point. About five years ago, we decided we're going to work with each other and not for each other."
Thus was born Moon Golf, a rebranded Golf USA franchise the Moons bought from one of Anne's customers.
Business has boomed, with Anne and Dan now owning three Florida Moon Golf locations in Melbourne, Vero Beach and Palm Gardens.
"We genuinely love what we do," said Anne, who along with Dan are raising their 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, and 6-year-old son, Matthew.
Team Moon: Anne and Dan with Caroline and Matthew
Like many small business owners, the Moons fretted when they closed their stores for six weeks in the spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus, testing their creativity to generate capital to pay their employees during the shutdown.
"When we opened our doors back up, it was unlike anything we've ever seen," she said. "Because you can be socially distant playing golf, there was a lot of pent-up demand. We have not stopped. We are on pace to have one of our best years ever."
The Moons believe that personal service keeps their customers coming back into their stores, helping Moon Golf thrive in an era when consumers can order equipment on their phones.
Thankful for their success and motivated to provide future generations with the opportunities Anne received as an Auburn student-athlete, the Moons are members of Tigers Unlimited's Shug Jordan Society, supporting Auburn's golf facilities with their philanthropic gifts.
"Auburn gave me an opportunity that I've been able to parlay into a great career in the golf business," she said. "I truly believe we wouldn't be where we are today had I not been given that opportunity from Coach Evans."
During her Auburn days, Anne traveled to tournaments in Japan, Puerto Rico and Washington, enriching her collegiate experience.
"It was one of the best times of my life," she said. "It's something I hope more and more young women want to experience.
"As a die-hard Auburn Tiger and former golf team member, I want to make sure these men and women have the best they can have as they navigate their college careers. Dan and I are excited to be a part of their growth and want to be able to help out as long as we can."
"We both have a near and dear spot for Auburn in our hearts," Dan said. "It's a special place for us. It feels really good to be able to give back something to a place that gave us so much."
Each spring, Anne and Dan sponsor the Moon Golf Invitational, a D-I women's golf tournament in Melbourne, Florida, with Auburn scheduled to participate in 2021.
"The field this year is arguably one of the best for the spring season," she said. "It's something we're proud to be a part of. It's important for me as a female to continue to help the women's side of golf grow."
Knowing that not every collegiate golfer ends up playing professionally, Anne seeks to be a role model to others.
"If they still love the game and still want to be involved in it, we want to show young women that they can have a successful career in the golf business," she said.
The Auburn Links golf course where Anne and Dan met closed a few years ago, but the Moons' love story – for each other, for golf and for Auburn – shines on.
Anne Hutto (Moon) won the 2002 Southern Amateur
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
