The Pratali Family - The EGS Founders and Owners

Eric,  Margaret,  Preston (15),  Leah (13),  Evan (11), 

1036 Summit Hills Lane in Naperville IL
Pets: We have a Wheaton Terrier named Bunker, and a hamster named Maximus.

 

Profession(s): I am the PGA Head Golf Professional at Cress Creek Country. 

Margaret is the owner and instructor for Elementary Golf School, a program that brings golf to elementary schools and introduces the game to children.  

Activities/Hobbies: We are definitely a golfing family and enjoying getting out for a few holes when we can, mostly in the early evening time. We also enjoy going for hikes as a family, going to the movies, and spending time with our Families.  

Restaurants: The kids like to go to chili’s, Olive Garden, Bakers Square, and Cane’s. My wife and I enjoy going out once in a while for sushi (Nabuki in Hinsdale), or to Sullivans or Rosebuds.
 

Vacation destination: We definitely are a Disney family, but we try to mix things up so that the kids can see different parts of the Country. We’ve had some great vacations over the past several years, including Grand Canyon, Alaska, South Dakota, Poland. We love to go hiking and being outdoors. 

Sports teams: We enjoy going to Blackhawks games when we can, and maybe a baseball game once a year.  We went to Augusta National to watch the Masters Tournament last year… It was a dream come true. 

TV show/Movie:  Just about any Disney movie. We enjoy several shows on Netflix, etc. 

Music: We are a big music family, especially our daughter, and we listen from anything to 80’s rock to current pop hits. Preston is in Show Choir at NNHS, along with Chorus. Leah participates in Kidz Kabaret for acting and singing. 

Family dinner:  Some of our favorites family dinners are Spaghetti and Meatballs, Meatloaf, crispy Chicken. Trying to find something that everyone likes is sometimes difficult, but Margaret does a great job of accommodating everyone.
 

Where are you originally from? I am from the Chicagoland area originally. I grew up in Cicero & Westmont for a good part of my life. 

My wife was born in Poland and came to the United States when she was 16. She lived around the midway airport neighborhood.
 

What college/university did you attend? I went to College of DuPage, and then continued my education with the PGA of America, earning my class A status. I continued my education with the PGA achieving a specialty certification.  
 

Do you have any family traditions?  We have the usual family traditions with the holidays. Christmas Eve is an important tradition for my wife’s family. When I am not working on Sundays, we enjoy going to church followed by breakfast.  
 

How long have you lived in this neighborhood?  We have lived in Cress Creek for just over 5 years.  We absolutely love it!!

Are you Club and/or Commons members? I worked at Cress Creek Country Club in 2005-2006, and I recently became the Head Golf Professional there. They have wonderful amenities for the entire family, and we look forward to spending time there.  

What do you like to do to relax? Family is very important to us, and we enjoy having family over at our house, or frequently visiting them. We also have a summer home in Wisconsin, and it is very relaxing. It is a great opportunity to “unplug” and be out in nature.
 

What activities are you involved with? We are involved with our kids school and extracurricular activities. Our oldest goes to NNHS and is on show choir and chorus. Leah goes to Jefferson Middle School and is on cross country, as well as acting at Kidz cabaret, and Evan is big into scootering. He goes to the Naperville skate park a few times a week. Between work and kids activities, we stay busy.
 

What is your favorite part about living in your neighborhood? We wanted to find a community with a great school district, and family oriented. Our street has quite a few kids on it, and our kids have become good friends with them. We love the fact that downtown Naperville is so close and has soo much to offer. The restaurants are great, along with the library, entertainment and festivals, etc. It’s such a great place to live.