Golf Pro

[SasQuatch<3]

I dont got much longer until i have to start applying to colleges...
I was actually thinking about becoming a Golf Pro, just settle down somewhere later in life and work at a golf course as there Pro! (If i can find a job!)
What are some good colleges i should think about if i want to persue a carreer in the sport! I awsume you have to start by regestering and becoming a PGA member! and then from there i have no idea, i dont know if you even go to college! Help Please!
-Thankssss!

[Quinn07]

I would recommend starting to play in competitive tournaments. You will need to get your handicapp down as I believe even if you apply to a Professional Golf Management school you must have a low, single handicapp in order to apply.

If you plan on just playing college golf and then trying to become a tour pro, you would have to apply to a college, and play in professional tournaments as an amateur until you have proven that you can make out on tour as a pro.

This is clearly all just my guess as I have never done. There are others on this forum that are obviously better people to provide you with information.

[Ben]

Take a look at pgalinks.com

Here's a direct link to schools that offer the PGA/PGM program in their ciriculum http://pgajobfinder.pgalinks.com/hel...iversities.cfm

If you're just looking to make a living as a playing professional don't delay, like Quinn007 mentioned, start playing in as many tournaments as you can. Start with your local mini-tours, build experience and work your way up. I used to have a link that listed all the major mini-tours in N.America, can't find it...?

[johnnyyooper]

Maybe things have changed since i was young and thinking of being a golf pro myself but here is my take:

You do not need to be a great player. I've known many golf pro's who struggled to break 80.They dress the part and talk the talk and can hit a lot of good shots on the range but get em out on the course......its another story. i always referred to them as driving range pro's.

Being a golf pro may not be as "glamorous" as it sounds. I worked as an assistant pro for a year or so back in the day. I thought what could be better than hanging around the golf course all day and all that free golf. But, it turned out i was little more than a cash register clerk, selling golf shoes, shirts, balls and ringing up an endless line of greenfees all day. I had no more time for golf than working any other (and better paying) job.

Talk to your local pro and ask him about the proper procedure for becoming a PGA pro. Take note of what he actually does all day. My local pro, who has been there 25 years, spends most everyday ringing up the cash register and managing the first tee. Also contact the PGA and get the info from them.

[RocketSauce]

  SasQuatch<3 said:

I dont got much longer until i have to start applying to colleges...

the first thing i would recommend is to take an english course

[ChiChiIsMe]

  RocketSauce said:

the first thing i would recommend is to take an english course

"do not got" isn't proper? ;)

[imtomtomim]

  RocketSauce said:

the first thing i would recommend is to take an english course

walked right into that one

[TheWarHound]

Everyone knows it should have been "I ain't got . . ."

[SubPar]

I hang around a number of teaching pros at the range(s) and I have to say it looks pretty dull to me. I'm not sure I'd have the patience and "people skills" to repeat the same thing over and over all day and still keep it fresh.

Working with students with a solid work ethic and some athletic ability would not be bad, but the "bread and butter" of most golf instructors are the repeat customers who want to do most of the talking and never get much better.

I think I'd rather be a greens keeper than a teaching pro.


SubPar

[goblue107501]

I don't know much about the golf side, but if you go to college and want to be a club pro, take the business classes. Sure you have to be able to play and teach golf, but many of the club pros are also general managers of the golf course. You have to keep track of the income and expenses, buying and selling, hiring and firing. The club pros I have known, especially at the smaller courses, they run the business first and golf is second. You could be a great player and teacher, but if you can't keep track of inventory, get the deposit to the bank, and make money for the course, you will have a hard time keeping a job.

[mirv]

what i've been told is that there are three different tests in the club pro testing routine - the "skill" portion, where you have to prove your handicap is 10 or better, the "written" exam, where you prove you know what you're talking about, and then a "verbal" exam where you show you can communicate the ideas and knowledge to help someone improve their game.

i've put some serious thought into pursuing this career path, myself, and would like to find out more about it. i'm approaching 30 now and only have about 2 years of college under my belt, but i figure, hey. better late than never, eh?

[st0wgolf08]

  johnnyyooper said:

Maybe things have changed since i was young and thinking of being a golf pro myself but here is my take:

I doubt there a lot of "driving range pros." I'm going to give my money to someone who can help me, not someone who I think I can beat.

[johnnyyooper]

  st0wgolf08 said:

I doubt there a lot of "driving range pros." I'm going to give my money to someone who can help me, not someone who I think I can beat.

I'm just saying that the vast majority of golf pros do not play golf for a living. and many do not even come close to being scratch players as would be the common belief. they manage/work in the pro shop, do office work, and maybe occasionally give lessons, etc. a golf pro does not have to be better than you to be able to help you improve your game. think butch harmon and david leadbetter how they work with the touring pros.

with your 5 handicap, you're already good enough at playing golf to be a golf professional (forgetting all the other aspects of being a golf pro for now). there are many golf pros, who if they actually recorded every round they played, would have a handicap quite a bit higher than yours for a variety of reasons. maybe they were never a real good player to begin with, or maybe working 40 hours a week or more doesnt allow them to keep their game honed, or they have family obligations so they dont get to play much, or maybe theyve been beset with some physical ailments. but that doesnt mean they cant teach, or even help players better than themselves.

[picrig]

I would disagree with the assertion made by johnnyyooper that many golf pros would struggle to break 80. Well, let me refine that. Class 'A' PGA professionals all at one time or the other could easily break 80, especially on courses of average difficulty.

To become a Class 'A' member, you have to pass a Playing Ability Test (PAT). To pass the PAT, potential pros must shoot less than 12 over the course rating for 36 holes (an average of 6 over the course rating for each round). Most PATs are played at courses where course ratings are between 70 and 72 w/slopes in the 130s. If a potential pro just barely squeaked by the PAT shooting 6 over the course rating on a course with a 71 one rating, it means they would've shot a 77 on a course w/a slope of say 132. This works out to a handicap (if he shot the same for the next 19 rounds) of 4.9. Do most playing pros squeak by? Probably not. Sure, a few do, but most are shooting in the low to mid 70s when they pass their PAT.

Do they always get to play a lot of golf and keep those skills at peak level? No, of course not. They're not touring pros. They have other responsibilities. But I would argue that all Class 'A' teaching pros are very excellent golfers and given the time to practice could all be <2 handicaps. That said, I won't make any claims for pros who aren't Class 'A' certified.

[johnnyyooper]

  picrig said:

I would disagree with the assertion made by johnnyyooper that many golf pros would struggle to break 80. Well, let me refine that. Class 'A' PGA professionals all at one time or the other could easily break 80, especially on courses of average difficulty.

I'm not sure what a "Class A" pro is. I'm probably thinking of the young buck assistant pro's who pound balls on the range and manage the first tee and sell greens fees. I shot 76 today and one of our assistant pros was in the group in front of us. He didnt come within a mile of breaking 80. By the middle of the back nine, he was onehanding his 4 footers. the best golfers around here are not the pros. its the guys in their 20's and 30's who manage to play golf 4 or 5 times a week.

And another thing was how slow they played. By the end of the front nine, there was 2 open holes in front of them. and still 2 holes by the middle of the back nine. I'm a very fast player so today was particularly excruciating to be behind them.

[picrig]

Class 'A' is just the designation that the PGA of America uses to indicate that a pro has full membership in the PGA. I'm sure that a lot of people that call themselves pros but aren't Class 'A' members can't break 80. Heck, there's nothing stopping me from going out and deeming myself a "golf pro" right now w/my 17 handicap. Can I break 80 or get close to it? Sure, I've done it. Am I going to look like a "golf pro?" No way. But nobody can stop me from saying that I am

So, I guess it just comes down to who you include in your definition of a golf pro. Nothing against guys who aren't Class 'A' certified, but if I were looking for a pro, I'd start out by looking for one who is so that I know that he has had to meet a certain set of requirements (playing and otherwise).

[johnnyyooper]

So, I guess it just comes down to who you include in your definition of a golf pro. Nothing against guys who aren't Class 'A' certified, but if I were looking for a pro, I'd start out by looking for one who is so that I know that he has had to meet a certain set of requirements (playing and otherwise).[/QUOTE]

I've spent my golfing life entirely on public courses and seen a lot of real "characters" that called themselves golf pros come and go. I never checked their credentials, just took their word for it. Maybe the criteria wasnt as stringent 30 or 40 yrs ago.

[bogeyhitter25]

Instead of becoming a golf pro, I'd rather go to college and get a 6-figure career (engineer, lawyer, surgeon, etc.), make a lot more money, and buy a membership to a really nice course. I'm not a "Career Guru" but those are my 2 cents.