Mandakas joined the Saint Xavier University staff in February 2012 with over 10 years of experience as a Golf Professional around the Chicagoland area having previously worked at Olympia Fields and Medinah Country Clubs.  He currently owns and manages The Players Club of Chicago, a golf learning center in Justice, Ill.  Mandakas is a Class A Member of the Professional Golfers Association of America.

Mandakas graduated from William Woods University (Mo.) in 2001 with a degree in business management and marketing.  He was a scholar-athlete and two-year letter winner in both golf and soccer.  As a Golf Professional, Mandakas won the 2009 Taylor Made Pro-Am Invitational in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico, in addition to the 2010 and 2007 Las Vegas Pro-Am Invitationals.  He also spent nearly two years at the Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he assisted legendary golf teacher Jim Flick with golf clinics and lessons.