How do you become an Assistant Pro at a Golf Course?

[newtogolf]

You've gotten a lot of good advice here even if it's not what you wanted to hear.  A career as an assistant pro and a pro at a golf course likely isn't nearly as glamorous as you might think.   Go talk to a few course Pro's and get an idea of what their jobs are like.  Our course pro deals with a lot of headaches, wealthy people act entitled and even though he's the pro, many view him as the hired help.

I agree money can't buy you happiness but not having enough can surely make you miserable.

[stealthduffer]

Have you considered, as an intermediate step, to giving this a "test drive"?  By this I mean getting involved in something like The First Tee or a similar organization where you could have the satisfaction of teaching and passing along the game of golf without having to quit your day job?  That might give you some insight as to whether you truly have a passion for teaching or not. The other downside of becoming a pro is relinquishing your amateur status - something that would prevent you from competing in any amateur tournaments you might to participate in.

[coachjimsc]

My big question is, where do I even start? What I'm having a hard time finding answers to is what kind of qualifications you need to have to work as an Assistant Pro

To answer your questions, I was in the “Golf Business” from 1990-94. Most of the guys I knew including myself, started out running carts and then moved up to working inside the shop. There are no real qualifications to getting started other than a diploma. Again this was in 1990 in Myrtle Beach so things may have changed.

I was in a very similar situation to yours. I was also in engineering for 6 years making about half of what you are now. Biggest difference was that I was married which made it way more difficult. I might have lasted longer if I wasn't married.

A couple of things I would pass on to you and I know this is beyond your original questions. While I was trying to make my decision to get into golf and leave engineering an older gentlemen told me that since I had already established myself in the industry and that I was still young that I could always get back into engineering if it didn't work out. As it worked out that is exactly what happened. The other thing is the money. I didn't save nearly enough before I left my eng. job. When I got my first check as a cart boy, I almost threw up. And it takes awhile for that to get better and to be honest it never really did. Which is why I got back into engineering.

One last thing. If you do decide to take the jump, be prepared to relocate at some point. If you are aspiring to become a head pro, those positions are hard to come by and all the good ones no one is giving up.

Hope this helps.

[LSXG8GT]

Have you considered, as an intermediate step, to giving this a "test drive"?  By this I mean getting involved in something like The First Tee or a similar organization where you could have the satisfaction of teaching and passing along the game of golf without having to quit your day job?  That might give you some insight as to whether you truly have a passion for teaching or not. The other downside of becoming a pro is relinquishing your amateur status - something that would prevent you from competing in any amateur tournaments you might to participate in.

Solid advice right there. And no I wouldn't just "quit" my job like that without really evaluating that choice, believe me. If Club Pros were averaging 80-100k a year, then I would really think about it, but it sounds like they make lower than that, especially if they aren't working somewhere with year round golf and not a seasonal course.

[cipher]

Have you considered, as an intermediate step, to giving this a "test drive"?  By this I mean getting involved in something like The First Tee or a similar organization where you could have the satisfaction of teaching and passing along the game of golf without having to quit your day job?  That might give you some insight as to whether you truly have a passion for teaching or not. The other downside of becoming a pro is relinquishing your amateur status - something that would prevent you from competing in any amateur tournaments you might to participate in.

Well said.

Solid advice right there. And no I wouldn't just "quit" my job like that without really evaluating that choice, believe me. If Club Pros were averaging 80-100k a year, then I would really think about it, but it sounds like they make lower than that, especially if they aren't working somewhere with year round golf and not a seasonal course.

Often times when you make something you love your job it can take the fun out of it.  Like Stealthduffer said, maybe do it as volunteer via the first tee or with a school or doing some other part time teaching in some aspect apart from your regular job.  I have had fleeting thoughts that it would be nice to become a very good golfer, and then become pro and teach others.  It is just not realistic for me.  I would like to do some volunteer work though myself when I feel I am ready.  Maybe get your game and understanding to a place where you are comfortable and then do some part time instruction.  That will keep the fun in it.

[TourSpoon]

If you are really serious about this, save up your money and then take a 6 month leave of absence and go work at a club. You will find the answer for sure.

[boogielicious]

I went through a similar thought process in the late 80s/early 90s when I was just around 30.  I am a chemical engineer.  I was part of a really good original rock band.  We played out a lot and made some decent recordings that generated some interest.  I even took a course on How to Make it in the Music Business .  But in the end, the industry was a business and there was a great deal of luck involved.  The business side was the ugly side that creative people hate, but you have to be good at it to succeed..  I had a secure job with good benefits and a wife. In the end, it was the correct decision because I still could play and write and have the fun with music all I wanted, which is what I loved in the first place. I have friends that are phenomenal musicians that never caught on.

So as others have said, take your time and think about it and maybe even try it part time to see if it is really for you.

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.
There's also a negative side.” - Hunter S. Thompson

[tmac20]

That's not true. They just never get to play it anymore.

Yes, you're right. And when you don't play enough, you become terrible, and when you become terrible, you hate it. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. :-P

[TourSpoon]

Yes, you're right. And when you don't play enough, you become terrible, and when you become terrible, you hate it.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit.

Is this going to end with, "Don't end up in a roadside ditch"?

[Clambake]

OP, have you considered looking for the best of both worlds where you can use your ME experience and training in the golf industry instead?   Here's an example of a current open Callaway position:

https://rn22.ultipro.com/cal1002/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*3B3F3BCA48E45860

Starting at the bottom at a golf equipment company is likely a much lesser hit to the finances and could be a very rewarding and enjoyable career option compared to slugging it out against the thousands of people trying to be a club pro somewhere.   Most of them probably have a better jump on those jobs than you will since the they've been playing high level golf their whole life and have probably been interning or working at a golf course since they were 12.   But you have something most of them will never have - a good education in a professional field that offers far more options (and nearly all of them would be far more lucrative).

[mdl]

I don't know the mech eng business, but I'm a different kind of engineer, so I'd guess there's some similarity in terms of career options.  So I'll throw one option out there as it's my long term goal.  If you think your job is interesting or enjoyable at least some of the time, for some projects or some typical stages of most projects or whatever, there's a medium between jumping ship or joining the soul-crushing path of working as many hours as possible to make as much money as possible at a job you don't have such a deep passion for that you actually want to spend all your time doing it and being stressed about it.

If your dream is really to be a golf teacher, then sure, do the research and go for it if you think the end result is something you'll love and there's a solid chance you could get there, then go for it.  But if you just absolutely love playing golf, and there are aspects of your current field you enjoy, then you can also dedicate all your research and effort and make your life and career choices to create the life and lifestyle you want within the field you've trained for and are good at already.

One example.  I had an acquaintance who worked as a research programmer.  Already not a super high-stress job, but definitely full time with crunch time stretches where he was spending way more hours than he really wanted to at work and whatnot.  Eventually he left the regular job, became a genomics research programmer consultant, worked his way up to making $75/hr, and moved to Italy where he could live super cheap, work 10-20 hrs/week, and devote almost all his time to his dream of becoming a sculptor.