Careers in professional golf: tournament player, club course golf pro

CAREERS IN

PROFESSIONAL GOLF

Institute Research Number 46 ISBN 1-58511-046-9 DOT Number 153.341-010 O*Net SOC Code 27-2021.00

CAREERS IN

PROFESSIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT PLAYER CLUB/COURSE GOLF PRO AT THIS STAGE IN YOUR LIFE YOU MAY FIND THAT THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF

people around who will gladly give you advice on finding your way in the world of work. Some of them will have cautionary tales to tell and will give you tips on how to avoid making the mistakes they made. Others will have worthy connections you can use. A surprising number will just want to hear themselves talk. Listen to all of them. Many adults don’t know as much as they

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think they do, but they probably know more than you. Keep that in mind when you’re sitting through your umpteenth long-winded lecture on how to get a job. Some people get lucky when it comes to choosing a career. They have a talent that can’t be ignored, that they’ve turned into a skill that they know they’ll use forever. Artists and athletes tend to fall into this category. They spend their childhood developing their talent and try to earn a living at it as young adults. Athletes are especially prone to this career path because their talents may peak when they are relatively young, forcing them to retire and seek out second careers by their 30s rather than pursuing one career until their 60s. Some professional athletes make millions of dollars in their youth, but that money may have to last for the rest of their lives. Golf is one sport which is an exception to the rule. Professional golfers routinely play in big-time tournaments until well into their 70s. Golf is a game that enhances physical fitness, but does not require the kind of hyper-fitness of, for example, football, a sport in which great strength is an obvious asset. If you set your sights on a career in golf now, you could have many decades of enjoyment ahead of you. If golf sounds like a pretty good way to make a living, then there’s no time to waste. About 37 million Americans play golf or visit a driving range at least once a year. Together, they spend $25 billion on golf equipment, instruction and green fees at the nation’s 16,000 golf courses and driving ranges, known together as golf facilities. That’s a very large business, and one that needs a constant flow of golf professionals not just to play in tournaments, but to manage golf facilities, teach golf lessons, design golf courses and sell golf equipment. Demand for golf professionals, generally known simply as golf pros, typically outstrips supply, making employment prospects very good for enthusiastic careerists like you. The business is very competitive, however. If this is the path you choose to take, be prepared for some very tough days. But never forget that you’ll be getting paid to do something that many people would gladly do for free. If you like what you read in this report, keep going. Check out publications and professional associations; they’ll be happy to lend a hand to an up-and-coming golfer who wants to enter their ranks. You are setting your sights on a very competitive career. You can never know too much. 3

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW IF YOU DIDN’T ALREADY PLAY GOLF, YOU PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE PICKED UP

this report. Keep playing! If you want to be a pro, you better be good. Play on as many different courses as you can and stay on top of the golf industry by reading the many magazines and newsletters that cover it. The most important thing you can be doing right now to enhance your career prospects as a golf pro is to play golf. Serious professionals play five or six days a week, especially in their youth when they’re perfecting their game and trying to become good enough to get paid to do it, rather than pay somebody else for the privilege. This can be an expensive and time-consuming proposition, but it stands to reason that if you want to be a golf pro, the first thing you should do is become a better golfer than most other people. Less than one percent of all golfers routinely shoot in the 70s, and you’ll have to be one of them to get ahead in the golf business. You can cut your costs by playing at a public course. Many public courses have membership programs that allow members to play unlimited rounds for a set fee and even to store their clubs in the clubhouse. Even though playing at one course regularly is the best way to keep your costs down, take advantage of the opportunity to play at different courses as often as you can. If you play five days a week, play four rounds at your usual course and the fifth at a different one. Be prepared to drive an hour or two to get to the most interesting courses. By playing different courses you’ll be confronted with different situations – different kinds of turf, water and sand hazards and fairways with different widths and doglegs. The experience will better prepare you to play, and play well, anywhere your career may take you. You’ll also appreciate the change of scenery. Go to a good bookstore and buy a stack of golf magazines. There’s no shortage of them: Golf, Golf Digest, Golf Tips, Golfer and Golfweek are all readily available, as are many others. Subscribe to a few and read them religiously. Reading trade periodicals is the easiest, fastest way to gain an understanding of any profession.

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HISTORY OF THE CAREER GOLF HAS A LONG AND ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY AND MAY HAVE BEEN INSPIRED, AT least in part, by various stick-and-ball games played by the

Romans thousands of years ago in the farthest reaches of their empire. Some of these games more closely resembled hockey than golf, and were about using sticks to pass a ball through a large goal. What makes golf unique among ball sports is its use of the small hole, or cup, as the target. When you think about it, hockey, soccer, football and golf all aim to put a ball, or puck, into a specific place, but golf’s target is by far the smallest. Golf is also the only one of these ball games that is generally played as an individual sport. Golf as we know it first appeared in Scotland in the 15th century. Known variously as “gowf” or “goff,” the game required players to use sticks to hit balls into faraway holes. The first balls were made of leather and were stuffed with feathers. The earliest clubs were sometimes carved from a single piece of wood, and most players used the same club for every shot in the game. Creating clubs of different lengths with faces of different angles was an idea that came on slowly and has continued to evolve right up to the present day. Your clubs look very different from those produced only a few decades ago, and the clubs made hundreds of years ago are almost unrecognizable today. Golf became so popular in Scotland that in 1457 King James II banned it, along with soccer, because it distracted men from archery practice, which was not only a sport, but a military necessity. Although it was widely ignored, the ban stayed in effect until 1502 when King James IV took up the game himself. He was not the first person of great rank and privilege to take a liking to golf. The game has always been associated with wealth. This may be because it requires so much open land. Historically speaking, only aristocrats were allowed to own land, at least large tracts of it, and, like most people, they tended to do things they could do on their property with their friends. The same is true of fox hunting and horse racing, both of which require great spaces. This is also why private golf clubs still make up about a quarter of all golf facilities.

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Golf is first mentioned in the history of St. Andrews, Scotland in 1552 in reference to a course operated by a local religious order. Public players were allowed onto the course in 1553. The first golf club as we know it today was founded in Leith, Scotland in 1744. Known as the Gentlemen Golfers of Leith, the club is remembered today for devising the first comprehensive set of rules of golf, written by member Duncan Forbes. The rules are simple and easily recognizable as the foundation of today’s game. They are also widely published on the Internet. Look them up someday and take a glimpse into the past. St. Andrews took its permanent place in the history of golf in 1754. Founded to compete with the club in Leith, the St. Andrews Society of Golfers built the first 18-hole course in 1764, codified and published the rules of golf and was rewarded with the royal patronage of King William, who bestowed the title “Royal and Ancient” upon the club in 1834. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews has been golf’s governing body ever since. That means St. Andrews makes the rules, approves changes in rules and sanctions tournaments. Even the United States Golf Association (USGA), the governing body for golf in the US, takes it cues from St. Andrews. Tee times at St. Andrews have to made years in advance and a once-in-a-lifetime trip to play golf “at the Royal and Ancient” is a holy pilgrimage for many golfers. If you succeed in becoming a golf pro, you’ll have to go – just once. Golf spread very quickly throughout the British Empire, which grew rapidly in the 19th century. The first golf clubs founded outside Britain were all in India, starting in 1820, which was then a British possession. Depending upon the source, some historians believe that a golf club was founded at Charleston, South Carolina in 1768. The establishment of St. Andrew’s of New York in 1888 is better-documented, however. The first golf tournaments were held in Prestwick, Scotland in 1851 and spread south into England shortly thereafter. The USGA was founded in 1894 to regulate the game in the US, and by 1900 there were about 1,000 golf courses in the country. Golf pros made money by winning tournaments, offering lessons and managing courses, just as they do today. Rubber-cored balls similar to those used today were introduced in 1900, and dimples were added in 1905. Irons received their first grooved faces in 1902, and clubs with steel 6

shafts were introduced in 1910. The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) was formed in 1916 to coordinate American tournaments. Golf had become very popular on both sides of the Atlantic, with the US and Britain hosting the most courses, tournaments and professional players. The two countries split in 1921 when St. Andrews imposed a size and weight limit on golf balls. Disagreeing with the rule, the USGA wrote its own rules, ignoring the rules of the Royal and Ancient until 1951, when a common set of rules was agreed upon. Today, the USGA and St. Andrews jointly govern the game of golf, holding a summit meeting every four years to go over the rules and alter them as needed. Today, golf is one of the most popular sports in the world. Men, women and children play the game by the millions, and golf is especially popular among elderly people who would find it very difficult to play most other sports. Avid golfers go on vacations specifically to play famous – or just interesting or scenically beautiful – courses around the world. Proximity to a golf course boosts the value of real estate. High schools and colleges sponsor golf teams. Purses for professional tournaments have never been bigger. Advances in materials technology have given players “irons” clubs with shafts of graphite, and “woods” clubs with heads of metallic alloys that didn’t even exist a few years ago. The inflation-adjusted cost of an 18-hole game has never been lower than it is today. There has never been a better time to get into a career in professional golf.

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WHERE PROS WORK NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE STATES WITH THE MOST GOLF COURSES ARE FLORIDA AND California, with about 1,000 each. The combination of warm

weather, large populations and constant influx of tourists makes them natural locations for thriving local golf industries. But the state with the third-largest number of golf courses is Michigan, which has a large population, but long winters and relatively little tourism. Golf may lend itself to mild climates long on pleasure-seekers, but its addictive, frustrating, glorious nature means that there are golf courses wherever there are people. What does this mean for you? For starters, it means that you can begin your career pretty much anywhere you want to. If you’re playing frequently, as you should be, your first golf job will probably come from one of the courses where you are a familiar face. When you, as a young person presumably short of money, come into the same clubhouse five days a week to play a round, don’t be surprised when the pro or the head greenskeeper asks you if you’d be interested in a part-time job. In fact, you should ask them first. Golf courses need many people to do grunt labor, like mowing lawns and maintaining greens, but those jobs require some skill and an understanding of the importance of attention to detail. Anybody can mow a lawn, but correctly mowing a golf course is something that has to be learned. And full-time greenskeeping, a job you won’t be qualified to do for many years, is as fine a craft as there is. The point is, golf courses employ low-cost laborers, but they have to know that the people they hire care about the game and will take care of the course. Many golf pros move around from course to course within the same metropolitan area. That way, they can move up the ladder of the profession without actually moving their home if they don’t want to. Some golf work is also seasonal, so the great job you have with one course for the six warm months of the year may have to be supplemented with a not-so-great job for the other six months of the year.

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A GOLF PRO’S WORK YOU WILL PROBABLY DO MANY DIFFERENT JOBS DURING YOUR CAREER AS A GOLF pro – sometimes several at the same time. This kind of

multitasking appeals to some people, but not to others. If you think you’re going to spend your entire career just playing golf or just running a pro shop, think again. If the thought of doing many different things simultaneously doesn’t appeal to you, you should probably look into another line of work. This list of brief job descriptions also includes a few jobs that you may have on your way to becoming a pro, even if they aren’t your ultimate goal.

Head Golf Professional Known simply as “the pro” in every clubhouse in the world, the head golf professional is the go-to-person for all matters concerning golf. The pro typically manages the pro shop, teaching programs and all employees participating in golf business, such as caddies. The pro may or may not oversee the greenskeeping aspects of running the course, as those functions may be in the hands of a golf course superintendent. Pros report either to the club’s general manager or directly to the board of directors. The exact placement of the pro in the club or course hierarchy will vary from one operation to the next based mostly on size and budget. All golf pros are expected to be able to participate in long-term business planning for golf operations. This includes analyzing financial data to determine green fees, cart rentals and pricing in the pro shop, setting fees for lessons and establishing rules for operating hours. Pros always manage the pro shop, and need to have a good grasp of how to run a retail operation, from merchandising and basic accounting, to personnel management and customer service. Pros represent their club or course in local, state and national organizations and to the media whenever the course is the site of a notable event, such as a tournament. Pros are also usually the prime movers behind special programs, such as teaching underprivileged kids to golf. Head golf pros are also expected to be able to render sound decisions on anything else that may come up that involves golf. Where to put the viewing stands for a tournament, how to settle a scoring or rules dispute among club members, and how to deal with strong winds are among the many questions a head golf pro will be asked. There are many challenges in this top executive position. 9

Assistant Golf Pro An assistant golf pro, sometimes known as a deputy, is responsible for helping the head pro carry out all of the functions of that office. Large clubs and busy courses may employ several assistant pros, and the pro may parcel out specialist duties to each of them: one assistant may take charge of the teaching program, for example, while another runs the pro shop. Most pros start out as assistant pros and spend several years proving their abilities before they can compete for the top jobs. Being an assistant-anything requires thorough knowledge not only of the job duties, but also of the person to whom you report. You may have your own ideas on how to run the pro shop, but your job, whether you like it or not, is to run the shop the way the head pro wants it to be run. If you have a good boss, your opinions will be heard and appreciated. They won’t always be used. Bosses get to be bosses because they know more than the people who work for them.

Course Superintendent Golf course superintendents often rank alongside head golf pros in the club or course hierarchy, also reporting to the general manager or board of directors. Where pros are responsible for duties associated with playing the game, superintendents are responsible for the course it’s played upon. This is a big job. Superintendents are responsible for supervising the construction and maintenance of the course, purchasing and maintaining the capital equipment needed for maintenance, keeping the fleet of golf carts up and running, and maintaining all landscaping on the grounds, from the carefully manicured greens to the flowers in front of the clubhouse. Superintendents need advanced knowledge of agronomy and turf management, a perfect grasp of local, state and federal environmental legislation, a thorough understanding of golf and how it is played and very good managerial skills. If being a golf course superintendent can be broken down into two functional areas, they are agronomy (soil and plant management) and personnel management. Superintendents need much of the knowledge typically associated with farmers or gardeners, and they often employ large staffs of full- and part-time employees to carry out the work necessary to keep their course pristine. Superintendents who do their job well are hardly noticed because 10

everything looks great and there’s nothing to complain about. Those who do their jobs poorly or who cut too many corners will find themselves in trouble quickly because everybody will notice the poor results.

Golf Instructor One of the many duties you will perform during your career as a golf pro will be to teach other people how to play the game of golf. You may not do much teaching after you’ve become a head club pro, but you will probably have to manage instructors, clinics, schools, and associated programs. Before you get to that point, you should do some teaching yourself. There are many jokes about the thankless, hopeless project of teaching other people how to play golf. Remember, most golfers never shoot better than 90, no matter how much training they get. Golf is easy to play adequately, but very, very difficult to play well. Instructors have to guide new and experienced players through the mechanics of swinging a club, how to choose different clubs for different shots and how to address specific shots, like putting or getting out of a sand trap. They also have to explain the rules and etiquette of golf, which can be confusing for first-timers. It seems straightforward, but there’s more to it than just going through the motions. Good teachers figure out how to keep themselves and their students enthusiastic, even if things aren’t going particularly well. People in most professions could benefit by spending some time teaching their job to others. Golf is one profession in which spending time teaching is part of the normal career path. Even if you find out that you aren’t very good at teaching, you’ll learn a lot about yourself, golf and people in general. If you don’t have the knack, move on and remember the lessons learned when the time comes to manage other instructors. But if you do have a flair for teaching you may be able to do it for the rest of your career.

Greenskeeper You may not have your heart set on a long-term career as a greenskeeper. That’s okay, but maintaining the course is the kind of job you’re likely to get during summer vacations while you’re still a student. Take advantage of the opportunity. The basic knowledge of turf management you’ll gain from a job in greenskeeping will serve you well for the rest of your career.

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Greenskeeping is equal parts art and science. Knowing what kind of fertilizer to use depending upon the condition of the turf is scientific knowledge. But there is undeniable creative opportunity in maintaining a golf course. Even properly trimming the special grass used for greens, known as bent grass because it doesn’t stand up straight, offers occasion for artistic flair, as marks left by the lawnmower glint in the sunlight. It can be very pretty if done properly. Trimming hedges and trees, planting and watering flowers, and dealing with rodents and other pests are all part of the greenskeeping regimen. If you plan to make your career in the golf business you should probably spend some time working on the greenskeeping team – preferably when you’re young and better-suited to the heavy lifting and long days in the sun. Like teaching, this is another opportunity you shouldn’t avoid.

Caddy Caddying was once the entree to golf for every youth who wanted to swing a club. When golf was confined largely to private clubs, interested young people had to beg, cajole and pray their way into clubs to be considered for a position as a caddy. At many clubs, caddying was an unpaid privilege. Players were expected to tip caddies, but they received no regular salaries. Caddying was considered part of a program to bring up the next generation of golfers. Caddies were allowed to play for free very early in the morning and very late in the evening, just before dark. Sometimes they were provided with free food. For up-and-coming professional golfers, a few years as a caddy was considered mandatory. Caddies are fairly rare today and are used mostly at private clubs and tournaments. Caddies still get to play for free and still get tips, but they are usually paid something, although it may not be much. More than just carrying the clubs, caddies are expected to help golfers choose the right club for each situation and are often rewarded handsomely when they choose especially well. Caddying can still be a lucrative job and a great way to learn about the game of golf, but caddy jobs are hard to find because carts are cheaper and more reliable. If you can find a caddying opportunity in your area, try it out. But don’t be too disappointed if you can’t find one – there just aren’t very many.

Driving Range Manager Driving ranges are an important part of the golf business. Many 12

golfers spend more time on the range than they do on the course. Ranges are where golfers can go to hit as many balls as they wish without needing to play an actual game or chase down the balls after they hit them. Many golfers start the season with a few weekends at the range before they play their first game. Dedicated golfers may hit 100 balls at the range before each game, to warm up. Operating a range is like being a golf pro, only somewhat simpler. You don’t have a course to maintain, but you may still have a pro shop and staff of instructors to manage. In fact, driving ranges are almost always home to instruction programs of some sort. Ranges are often located at courses or clubs, but many are stand-alone businesses. In Japan there are more ranges than courses because there is so little flat land. Avid Japanese golfers may go to a range several times a week but only get to play on an actual course two or three times a year!

GOLF PROS TELL THEIR OWN STORIES I Am a Head Golf Professional “I have played golf since I was tall enough to swing a sawed-off club. My parents encouraged me, paid for lessons and green fees, and sent me on my way. I’ve never seriously considered doing anything else. I won my first few trophies in local amateur tournaments and went on to become the captain of my high school and college golf teams, where I acquired a shelfful of trophies. In college, I did the smart thing and majored in business administration. Being a golf pro usually involves running a pro shop, so I figured I needed some basic business knowledge. I’ve also found that I get to meet business executives in this career, and it’s nice that we can speak the same professional language. I feel like I am an executive, too. During my college years I held every kind of job related to golf. I worked in pro shops, I taught lessons, I worked on greenskeeping teams and I had an internship with a major club manufacturer. I played an average of five rounds per 13

week, sometimes more, and got up at 5 a.m. if that’s what it took to squeeze in nine holes before class or work. Some semesters I played 18 holes a day by playing the front nine in the early morning and the back nine in the early evening. That’s the kind of dedication it takes if you want to become a pro. I spent the first few years after college playing professionally. I drove around the country, playing in tournaments and winning enough of them to make a profit. I actually managed to feed myself and put gas in the car during those years! Sometimes I had to sleep in the car, but that was just a minor annoyance. I didn’t break into the big time, but I did better than most and established myself as a PGA professional. That’s what matters. Since then, I’ve worked as assistant pro or head pro at public clubs, private clubs and publicly owned clubs. The publicly owed clubs, usually located in park districts, are the busiest and cater to the widest variety of people. They also tend to have the smallest budgets and the players are happy just to have a place to play that they can afford – they’re not too picky. Clubs that are open to the public but are privately owned range from simple operations not too different from park-district courses to opulent country clubs that anybody can belong to for one day at a time. Private clubs tend to have the highest standards of customer service and course maintenance, but also tend to be home to the craziest club politics. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. I am now head pro for a top-of-the-line public club. I manage a large pro shop staff, a staff of instructors and a busy tournament schedule. I work with the course superintendent to make sure that we meet each other’s needs, and we both report to the club’s general manager. I am well-paid, and get many perks in the form of green fees, free equipment and all the free balls I can lose. I am no longer expected to be the best golfer in the club, but I am absolutely expected to know more than anybody else and be able to share my knowledge with anybody who asks for it. And I’d better be one of the best golfers around, no matter what.” 14

I Manage a Golf Learning Center “I’ve been a head golf pro at a conventional course, but jumped ship a few years ago to start up my own golf learning center. It’s a little different from the conventional golf pro job, and I get the satisfaction of running my own business. I loved everything about being a golf pro except the politics that so often come with the job. As a head pro, you generally report to a general manager or straight to a board of directors. Their goals and yours aren’t always on the same page, and since there’s no shortage of people willing to take your place, pros are often fired for what I consider to be petty reasons. I moved around a lot more than I wanted to, and got tired of it. So a few years ago I opened my own business to concentrate on teaching golf. Being an instructor was always what I liked best, and I built up significant teaching programs at every course where I worked. Now, I have everything at my fingertips except an actual course. My center has a driving range with two levels, four putting greens and the latest in computerized swing-assessment technology. I am equipped to teach golf to anybody from children who’ve never swung a club to elderly golfers who need a refresher course. I also have a fully-stocked pro shop. Anybody who wants to learn how to play golf can come to my learning center for lessons, putting and driving practice, and all the equipment they’ll need. When they get the hang of it they can play their first real game at one of the many courses in the area, some of which recommend my center to their customers. For me, this is the best possible outcome of a lifetime spent playing golf. I make more money than I did as a course or club pro, I get to concentrate on the aspects of golf that I enjoy most and I’m my own boss, which has a lot to recommend it. It took many years of saving money and building my reputation to make opening this learning center a possibility, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. If you love golf and have the necessary entrepreneurial drive, this may be the career for you.” 15

I Am an Assistant Golf Pro “Around here, I’m known as the second banana or the VP of golf. That’s fine with me. I’m still fairly young, and there’s a lot left for me to learn before I can seriously think about becoming a head pro. It’s a big job made up of a lot of details that can only be learned on-the-job. I earned a bachelor’s degree in professional golf management from one of the universities that offer a PGA-approved program. Competition to get into these programs is tough, and I was lucky to get a spot. They’re also expensive, and I’ll be paying off college loans for a few years yet to come. But it was worth it, because I learned what I needed to get a good start in my career.

We played every day in college, with very few exceptions. Some of my classmates went on to become pro golfers on the PGA Tour circuit. I always wanted to become a club pro and play competitive golf on the side. It’s less stressful than being a full-time professional player, and the paychecks are more reliable. I do pretty well on the local amateur circuit, and that suits me fine. What I get a kick out of is customer service. I genuinely enjoy running the pro shop and helping people to find the right tools to play their favorite game. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Learning how to properly fit golf clubs to people is a difficult process; it was a required course in college and took a whole semester to learn. Most of my staffers haven’t had that kind of training, so I’ve trained them myself. That’s a kind of customer service, too. I look forward to the day when I’m the head pro, here or somewhere else, but I’m in no hurry. Golf is a game of exquisite detail, and so is the golf business. I learned the broad strokes in college, and even some of the details, but I have a long way to go. The way the head pro deals with situations around here really impresses me; the head pro knows everything. The head pro has been a pro for longer 16

than I’ve been alive, however. Whenever I get impatient because I want to advance faster, I remind myself of that. I’ve got a lot left to learn, and I’m enjoying every minute of the process.”

I Am a Greenskeeper “I want to be a golf pro someday. I’m majoring in parks and recreation in college and playing on the college golf team. Like most college kids, I needed a part-time job to make some money. Some kids flip burgers, some work as teaching assistants, I take care of turf. At first, most people look at me and my colleagues and think we’re a bunch of menial laborers. True, greenskeeping requires a lot of heavy lifting and we tend to get really dirty by the end of the day. But what we do is a real art. Most people could not mow a golf course, trim a green or repair a bunker properly if their lives depended on it. They may think they could, but there’s just no way. Greenskeeping is a very delicate process. One little mistake with a trimmer can destroy a green. Replacing the bent grass and repairing the contour of the green can cost tens of thousands of dollars. This is not a job for amateurs. That’s why I’ll always appreciate what I’ve learned here. I’ll always be able to figure out what’s going on behind the scenes at a course just by casting a knowledgeable eye across the fairways and greens. That has real value to a golf pro, so I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I’ve also found this job to be humbling, but in a good way. Some people look down upon people who do manual labor. I’ve learned that there’s more to manual labor than just sweat and muscle. Everybody should have a job like this, at least for a little while. It really teaches you to appreciate the value of somebody else’s effort.”

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I Am a Ball-Recovery Diver “I have one of the weirdest jobs in golf. I put on scuba gear and recover golf balls lost in water hazards. I’m self-employed. I pay golf courses for the right to salvage balls from their water hazards, and then hope I can recover enough balls to sell to make a profit. Many people think I’m nuts. Maybe I am. Used golf balls in good condition sell for about a quarter a pop. There are hundreds, and sometimes thousands of them on the bottom of water hazards just waiting to be harvested. Most courses don’t want to bother to do it, which is why they let me do it, for a fee. I usually dive very early in the morning. The only golfers on the course at that time tend to be the really good ones, so I don’t bother them. I take a basket and dive to the bottom of water hazards and see what I can find. Mostly they are shallow ponds dug specifically for the course. The biggest hazards are mosquitos and the occasional snake, both of which take up residence in hazards. Natural water hazards, like lakes and streams, can be more difficult to harvest because they tend to be deeper or have fast-flowing water. In some parts of the country they’re also home to dangerous critters, like alligators. This is a pretty strange job, I admit. But it makes me a full-time living and I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing something out of the ordinary. That, and I usually get to play the course for free after I’m done diving for the day. The water hazards never take me by surprise.”

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS LIKE ALL PROFES SIONAL SPORTS, GOLF IS A GLAMOUR PROFESSION. THAT IS, A LOT of people would like to do it for a living, but relatively few will

ever get the chance. To make it as a professional golfer you must be single-minded in your pursuit and comfortable with doing multiple jobs at the same time. It also helps to have talent to begin with.

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Golf is a very competitive business; it’s based on a competitive sport. Very few people just stumble into careers as professional golfers. Most pros knew what they wanted to be when they grew up by their early teens, and started working toward their goal immediately. Playing five or six rounds of golf a week is not a lot to ask if you want to be a golf pro. Golf courses schedule tee times as early as 6 a.m. in order to cater to their diehard customers who play almost every day. Get to know the course management and they’ll probably let you tee off as soon as the sun comes up. That way, you can get in a round and still have time later in the day to do a regular job or go to school. You have to be willing to work harder than most people ever will just to get a start in professional golf. But being a golf pro isn’t all about playing golf. Pros working everywhere from small, park district courses to exclusive country clubs also have to manage the staff of the pro shop, the teaching staff, the caddies, and the cart mechanics. Golf course management is different from one course to the next. At some courses a superintendent is in charge of course maintenance, a pro manages the pro shop, caddies and teaching staff, and a general manager is ultimately responsible for everything. At others, the person with the golf pro title is in charge of everything, from landscaping to running the retail shop to keeping an eye on the snack bar. During your career as a golf pro you will probably be required to make decisions regarding all of these areas. Playing golf and helping others to improve their game will probably always be your first priorities, but they’re just the beginning of the job. Don’t ever think that being a golf pro is a slick, elite job. You’ll spend a lot of time doing chores like landscaping, on your knees in the mud. Talent is a hard thing to pin down, but you should have it if you want to pursue a career in golf. The golf swing has been deemed by physiologists to be the most difficult athletic movement to master. Most people spend decades working at it and still end up with pretty ordinary scores. Innate ability is what separates the champions from the rest of us. It takes considerable effort to turn that talent into a marketable skill, but having that nugget of talent to begin with is essential. If you didn’t know you have talent, you probably wouldn’t be thinking about a career as a professional golfer.

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ATTRACTIVE FEATURES IF THERE WEREN’T A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT A CAREER IN GOLF, THERE WOULDN’T BE so many people trying to get into it. Golf is associated with the

finer things in life. It’s something that most golfers would be happy to do for free. And being able to earn a living doing something you love has a lot to recommend it. There is no question that the popular image of golf has a lot to do with beautiful landscapes, luxurious clubhouses and wealthy people. That image is a bit overdone, but it’s not entirely incorrect. What comes to mind when you think of a typical football crowd? Not fashionable outfits in the viewing stands, expensive cars in the parking lot and gourmet food in the clubhouse. These images do come to mind when one is thinking of golf and the people who play it. Not all of the golf business is at the same high level, of course. Most public courses are not so regal, and publicly owned courses certainly aren’t. Still, you’ll find that golf is a game of etiquette, and that etiquette extends into the locker room, the clubhouse and viewing stand. Golf is nothing if not a genteel sport, and at its highest levels the wealthy stereotype really does come true. There’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to associate with people of wealth and privilege. Just remember that the people who are already there have worked very, very hard to get to where they are, and so will you. But how punishing could that be? You love golf, so you won’t mind putting in the countless hours on the course to make it to the top. You’ll start every day with 100 or so practice shots on the driving range, followed by 18 holes, usually by yourself, so you can concentrate. Then you’ll work in the pro shop, selling sleeves of balls to duffers who lose theirs. You’ll give innumerable lessons to people who will never shoot better than 90. You’ll do whatever you have to do to stay on the right side of your club’s board of directors (club politics is always a consideration for a golf pro). You’ll work six or seven days a week, often out in the sun all day. And most of the people you deal with in a typical day would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Not that you would ever consider it. You get paid to be a golfer! You live, eat and breathe golf, but you don’t have to make time to play it. You don’t have to save money to buy new clubs or pay green fees because you get them free. If you become a golf pro, you’ll get paid to be a golfer! Let’s say it again: You’ll get paid to be a golfer! 20

UNATTRACTIVE FEATURES GOLF MAY BE A GLAMOUR PROFESSION, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT’S

actually glamorous. It’s hard work, much of which is grubby, manual labor. It’s fiercely competitive and difficult to break into, even when market demand is great. And the image of wealth and privilege is actually a negative for many people. In your early years as a golf pro you could find yourself doing a lot of things that don’t involve swinging a club. Running a golf course requires activities involving dirt and grass. Maintaining the grounds, known as greenskeeping, typically employs more people than any other part of a golf course operation. You may be able to keep your hands clean later in your career, but in the early days you can expect to spend a lot of time on the course, maintaining the turf. You’ll spend long days in the sun, battling sunburn and mosquitos. You’ll also have to run the pro shop, and at least some of your staffers will be part-timers hired for the summer who may or may not be very good at what they do. You’ll learn why managers say that 10 percent of your people take up 90 percent of your time. Market demand for golf pros is quite good, but competition is unyielding. For every open position there are thousands of people who would be glad to take the position, and a few dozen who may actually be qualified. Because golf is a clubby profession in which politics reign supreme, just being the best-qualified person for the job will never be enough to actually get the job. It will always help to know somebody at the club or course where you want to work. You can work up these relationships by regularly playing at different courses in your area and making as many professional friends as possible. Many golf courses have unofficial reciprocal agreements with nearby courses that allow each other’s employees to play there free. These are usually handshake deals, but they are the best way to get to know other people in the business. Many people revile golf because they think it’s a snooty game that only appeals to snobbish people. You may know that the image of golf as a bastion of wealth and privilege is overblown, but the people on the other side aren’t entirely wrong. There are still some private country clubs which restrict membership to certain groups only. This is controversial today, and is probably illegal. Such clubs were founded when exclusion by religion, race 21

and gender was common and generally accepted, but they are an anachronism today. Club members may defend their position by asserting that, as private clubs, they can exclude whomever they wish. Freedom of association is guaranteed in the Constitution, and that freedom extends to private country clubs. Unfortunately, there’s no denying that such practices make golf look bad in the eyes of a lot of people. If you pursue a career as a golf pro you will have to defend yourself sooner or later, even if you abhor these exclusionary attitudes.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING GOLF AP PEALS TO A VERY WELL-ED U CATED CROWD. IF YOU WANT TO BE THE pro, the per son with all the an swers, ca ter ing to peo ple

who have a lot of an swers them selves, you’d better go to col lege. Some golf pros skip col lege, or put it off for a few years while they chase a ca reer as a pro fes sional player, but if your goal is to be come a pro at a course or club, col lege is a must. So what are your options? There are PGA-approved professional golf management programs offered by universities across the country (go to http://careernet.pgalinks.com/helpwanted/empcenter/pgaandyou.c fm to see an updated list). These programs offer bachelor’s degrees and are very competitive. There are also professional academies that offer certificates or associate degrees in golf management, which make fine additions to, but not substitutes for, a traditional, four-year college education. Classes offered by one such institution, the Professional Golfers Career College in Temecula, California, include golf shop operations, country club management, golf course development and design, turf management, fitness for golf, techniques of golf teaching, organization of golf tournaments and history of golf. Such a program has undeniable value, and is worth looking into. Most golf pros, however, go to conventional universities and major in such fields of study as business administration, parks and recreation, marketing or various specializations within physical education. All of these majors teach skills that will be valuable if you pursue a career as a golf pro. Business administration delves 22

into the basics of running any business, including accounting, economics and personnel management. Parks and recreation programs offer courses in topics like turf management and development, and management of outdoor activities, like golf tournaments. Marketing is all about the science of selling things, which you will be expected to do as a golf pro. And golf is a sport that requires physical fitness and a good understanding of how the human body works. The key to turning any of these majors into a career in golf is to stay involved in the game. Play on the college golf team, and play to win. A few trophies will add a lot of credibility to your stature as a golf pro. You don’t need to set your sights on winning the Masters tournament (www.masters.org/en_US/index.html) but you should make a sincere effort to earn the credentials, the trophies, that will prove to the world that you are an excellent golfer. To become a PGA-certified pro you will have to pass the 36-hole Playing Ability Test. The target score fluctuates based on the course used, but generally requires test-takers to shoot two, back-to-back rounds in the high 70s. Only about 20 percent of the golfers who take the PAT pass it. So even if you have early classes some semesters, you should make time to squeeze in nine holes first thing in the morning. No matter what else you may be doing, never let your game slip. It is the backbone of your chosen profession. While you are in college don’t pass up the opportunity to participate in an internship. An internship is a job that takes the place of your classes for a summer or semester. Jobs are in your career field, are usually paid and generally earn some college credit in return for writing a paper about your experience. You could work in a pro shop at a prestigious country club, caddy for a pro or even make coffee for executives at a company that manufactures golf-related products, like clubs. Talk to the people in your school’s internship office soon after you arrive on campus. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. You can also seek out part-time jobs while you are in college. Golf courses and country clubs hire many people, especially during the summer months. If you’re staying on top of your game and are playing many different courses you probably already have a few contacts. Ask around. Working on the greenskeeping team 23

may seem like a long, hot way to spend a summer, but you’ll never look at a divot the same way again. Make the most of your college years; you’ll be thankful for the rest of your life.

EARNINGS MOST GOLF PROS DO NOT EARN EXTREMELY HIGH INCOMES. FOR EVERY TIGER Woods raking in the millions there are thousands of

professional golfers who just want to earn enough money to give up their non-sports jobs. And for every golf pro at a prestigious country club there are hundreds who are paid average salaries, and hundreds more, especially in the northern states, who have to get second jobs in the winter in order to make ends meet. Head golf pros, the top-ranking golfers in their organizations, earn about $60,000 to $75,000 per year. Generally the head pros don’t have to get second jobs in winter, because they stay on the payroll year-round, but they may have to work seven days a week during the summer. They may manage a staff of two or three assistants, or dozens of assistants, teachers and pro shop employees. Assistant pros only earn about $30,000 per year and may be required to get second jobs during the winter, even if they have an assured contract for the next season. The jobs you may get as you work your way up the ladder will generally pay by the hour, from $10 an hour for greenskeeping staff to $12 to $15 for seasonal help doing something skilled, like giving beginning lessons to children. Caddies, who mostly work at private clubs, may earn minimum wage plus tips. Tips can be substantial, however, and caddying can be a very lucrative summer job. Caddying jobs are very difficult to get, however. You’ll have to apply early and it always helps to know somebody in the club. As you consider these numbers, keep in mind that being a golf pro comes with some very valuable benefits. You’ll probably get to play your course free, whenever you have a little spare time. You’ll also probably be able to play all the other courses in your area through an informal reciprocal agreement with other pros. You’ll never pay for basic supplies like balls, and even the more expensive items like clubs and bags may come free or at a 24

significant discount. You’ll also spend your days associating with a fairly affluent, well-educated and interesting crowd, which can be very pleasant. The golf business comes with a lot of protocol – formal dinners, awards ceremonies and travel are all parts of the job, and you could find yourself eating at a lot of restaurants and staying at a lot of resorts you could never afford on your own. But because you’re a golf pro, you won’t have to. Compensation from these jobs is better assessed in terms of perks more than just salary.

FINDING OPPORTUNITIES YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE A FAIRLY FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE WHILE YOU ARE IN

college, so take advantage of the opportunity to burnish your skills. Play all you can. Get part-time jobs related to golf. Make it widely known that golf is not just a hobby, but the profession that you intend to enter in a few years. Play, play, play. No matter what you go on to do in your golf career, even if you spend most of it sitting behind a desk, your ability on the course will always be what makes you a professional. Nobody will want your advice on anything related to golf if you haven’t proven that you can swing a club with the best of ‘em. Keep every trophy you ever win. Even the most humble of tin cups will tell everybody who sees it that you know your stuff. Don’t settle into one part-time job for the duration of your college years. Spend one year working in a pro shop, and the next working out on the course. Volunteer to be a course marshal at tournaments, keeping spectators away from fairways and greens. Get a different full-time job every summer, and be sure to complete an internship. You can pack in a lot of good experience in four years, so take advantage of every minute. Make sure that the people you work for and with know that you are not just some college kid looking to make a few bucks on the side. You are a golf professional and intend to make golf your career. Saying this in plain English will make you stand out from your peers in such jobs. You are there for a larger, longer-term reason. You’ll have to stand behind your claim by working very hard at your game, but if you do, you’ll be first on the list when new opportunities open up. 25

GETTING STARTED YOU WILL HAVE MANY OPTIONS AFTER YOU’VE FINISHED COLLEGE. YOU CAN TRY the pro circuit as a player. You can call in your connections to

get your first full-time job. Whatever you do, you need to keep the faith. Many young golfers try to go pro after college. They take their collegiate records and hit the road, playing in every tournament they can find. This can be an expensive endeavor. Most tournaments have an entry fee, and some are very expensive. If you win the tournament, you’ll make a profit, but if you lose you lose your entry fee, travel money and the cost of a hotel room and meals. You’ll need some money in your pocket just to get started on this path. If you play competitively in college you’ll know if you stand a chance in the real world. You can make this decision when the time comes. You can also head right into your first full-time job. Don’t be too choosey about your first job after college. Most people change jobs two or three times before they reach age 30, and you probably will too. Early on, it’s more important to get started and get to know how the business really works before you become concerned with landing the perfect job to last a working lifetime. Remember, it’s easier to get a job if you already have one.

No matter how difficult or frustrating your

first foray into the real world gets, don’t lose faith in your ability to overcome whatever obstacles fate may throw at you. Most people experience some problems in early adulthood, and you will too. You won’t make as much money as you think you should. Your boss will be tough on you. You won’t get promoted quickly enough. But someday, sooner than you may think, you’ll wake up and realize that you get paid to play golf. Nothing could be better than that.

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ASSOCIATIONS, PERIODICALS, WEBSITES O American Golf Corporation

www.americangolf.com O American Society of Golf Course Architects

www.asgca.org O Bad Golfer

www.badgolfer.com O Buggies Unlimited

www.buggiesunlimited.com O Burns Golf Design

www.burnsgolf.com O Business Golf Unlimited

www.bizgolf.com O ClubJobs

www.clubjobs.net O Club Managers Association of America

www.cmaa.org O Fairways and Greens Magazine

www.fairwaysgreens.com O Family Golf Association

www.familygolf.org O Golf.com

www.golf.com O Golf Business News

www.golfbusinessnews.com O Golf Course Management Directory

www.golfcoursemanagement.com O Golf Course Trades

www.golfcoursetrades.com O Golf Digest Magazine

www.golfdigest.com 27

O Golf for Women Magazine

www.golfforwomen.com O Golf Magazine

www.golfonline.com O Golf Marketing Worldwide

www.hole-in-won.com O Golf Pro Help

www.golfprohelp.com O Golf Range Association of America

www.golfrange.org O Golf Search

www.golfsearchinc.com O Golf Tips Magazine

www.golftipsmag.com O Golfweek Magazine

www.golfweek.com O Great Golf Events

www.greatgolfevents.com O Internet Golf Review

www.internetgolfreview.com O Keepers of the Game

www.keepersofthegame.org O Kemper Golf

www.kempergolf.com O Ladies Professional Golf Association

www.lpga.com O Links Magazine

www.linksmagazine.com O National Association of Golf Tournament Directors

www.nagtd.com

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O National Golf Foundation

www.ngf.org O Play Golf America

www.playgolfamerica.com O Premier Golf Services

www.premiergolfservices.com O Professional Clubmakers of America

www.proclubmakers.org O Professional Golfers Association

www.pga.com O Professional Golfers Career College

www.progolfed.com O Professional Golf Teachers and Coaches of America

www.pgtca.com O Professional Golf Teachers Association of America

www.pgtaa.com O Redwing Golf

www.redwinggolf.com O Reliable Golf Course Supplies

www.reliablegolf.com O Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews

www.randa.org O Saturday Series Pro-Am

www.saturdayseries.com O Senior Golfers Association of America

www.seniorgolfersamerica.com O Silver Sands Golf Academy

www.silversandsgolf.com O Single Digit Golfers Association

sdgtour.com

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O Tee Time Magazine

www.teetime-mag.com O Turf Diagnostics and Design

www.turfdiag.com O United States Golf Association

www.usga.org O United States Golf Teachers Federation

www.usgtf.com O World Golf Village

www.wgv.com

COPYRIGHT Institute For Career Research 2010 CAREERS INTERNET DATABASE www.careers-internet.org

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