Assistant pro's

[shivas irons]

They can play the game but lets face it most of them have no sales skills.Begs the question why are these guys employed to sell when their only skill is being able to play the game well.When I had a short spell at AG I had the highest handicap (and boy did they remind me of this) but out the 5 people employed there I was the third highest seller.Even thou I play off 14 I like to think I have a high knowledge of gear and golf past and present and am expected to listen to local assistants that basically know nothing about the game.If I ran a golf club I would employ somebody who knows the game and not some bratty kid who plays off 5 with no people/sales skills!

 

[Foxholer]

The hope is that, with training, they can actually acquire the required skills.

Or simply use them as cheap labour as selling Mars bars isn't the toughest job in the world.

All part of the PGA Pro 'apprenticeship'!

 

[Hobbit]

They have to be off 4 before they can start down the road of being qualified. And bearing in mind they are pretty much just out of school, the skills you speak of have still to be learned. A decent pro should be mentoring them, but have they got the mgt skills needed or...?

There is a difference between a kid going through the process and a qualified assistant.

 

[Birchy]

They can play the game but lets face it most of them have no sales skills.Begs the question why are these guys employed to sell when their only skill is being able to play the game well.When I had a short spell at AG I had the highest handicap (and boy did they remind me of this) but out the 5 people employed there I was the third highest seller.Even thou I play off 14 I like to think I have a high knowledge of gear and golf past and present and am expected to listen to local assistants that basically know nothing about the game.If I ran a golf club I would employ somebody who knows the game and not some bratty kid who plays off 5 with no people/sales skills!

Im sorry but if somebody plays off 5 they will know the game imo.

 

[bobmac]

Im sorry but if somebody plays off 5 they will know the game imo.

Sorry, dont agree.
When I was 16 I was off 2 and knew nothing about other clubs, balls etc.
I had my own set and that was that.
It's a bit unfair to expect a young kid to know all there is to know about about golf and have the life skills you could expect from a more senior shop staff member.
They are after all there to be trained and not many will get more than the National min wage.
I know, I've done it.

 

[Birchy]

Sorry, dont agree.
When I was 16 I was off 2 and knew nothing about other clubs, balls etc.
I had my own set and that was that.
It's a bit unfair to expect a young kid to know all there is to know about about golf and have the life skills you could expect from a more senior shop staff member.
They are after all there to be trained and not many will get more than the National min wage.
I know, I've done it.

He said local assistants that basically know nothing about the game. If you play off 5 you know how to play golf pretty darn well imo. Id rather have a good golfer to chat to than some experienced guy trying to sell me the latest piece of crap they have on offer.

 

[shivas irons]

Im sorry but if somebody plays off 5 they will know the game imo.

Rubbish! They know how to hit a golf ball but thats about it, most of them have little or no knowledge of the game, seriously there was an assistant pro at a club myself and a mate were visiting who was about 17-18, when my mate suggested Tiger wont beat Jacks major record guy says "tigers already has more majors than anyone" ?.As for it being an age thing many assistant pro's are in there 20's and still havent got a clue.

 

[Stuey01]

3rd out of 5 eh? So who were the 2 who were better than you?

At my club the 2 assistant pros are invaluable, they are relatively knowledgeable, nice guys, very actively involved in the day to day running of the club, decent teachers and very handy players.
I don't know the pro as well, the assistants seem to do all the work...

 

[shivas irons]

He said local assistants that basically know nothing about the game. If you play off 5 you know how to play golf pretty darn well imo. Id rather have a good golfer to chat to than some experienced guy trying to sell me the latest piece of crap they have on offer.

So you would prefer to be impressed by the guys handicap than he's knowledge when it comes to parting with your hard earned cash?

 

[shivas irons]

3rd out of 5 eh? So who were the 2 who were better than you?

At my club the 2 assistant pros are invaluable, they are relatively knowledgeable, nice guys, very actively involved in the day to day running of the club, decent teachers and very handy players.
I don't know the pro as well, the assistants seem to do all the work...

Manager and one of the highest sellers for AG.

 

[Birchy]

Rubbish! They know how to hit a golf ball but thats about it, most of them have little or no knowledge of the game, seriously there was an assistant pro at a club myself and a mate were visiting who was about 17-18, when my mate suggested Tiger wont beat Jacks major record guy says "tigers already has more majors than anyone" ?.As for it being an age thing many assistant pro's are in there 20's and still havent got a clue.

Who goes into american golf to find out who has won most majors? :rofl:

Hitting a golf ball is what its all about! Thats all im interested in when i go in a golf shop. I dont go in for life coaching or a brew and a chat.

You sound like a jealous ex girlfriend :rofl:

 

[Foxholer]

Im sorry but if somebody plays off 5 they will know the game imo.

Another who disagrees with the generalisation.

May be true in some cases though, but 'plays of 5' only means they can play off 5!
1. They may actually have the shots to play of much lower!
2. Being able to play the game to a good standard has no bearing on either their knowledge of the game, nor their ability to teach it and (Shivas's gripe) no bearing on their ability to perform a task with a quite different skill set (selling).

 

[Birchy]

Another who disagrees with the generalisation.

May be true in some cases though, but 'plays of 5' only means they can play off 5!
1. They may actually have the shots to play of much lower!
2. Being able to play the game to a good standard has no bearing on either their knowledge of the game, nor their ability to teach it and (Shivas's gripe) no bearing on their ability to perform a task with a quite different skill set (selling).

So you dont think somebody playing off 5 knows how to play golf pretty well? The thing that i would say 95% of people on here are interested in?

 

[shivas irons]

Who goes into american golf to find out who has won most majors? :rofl:

Hitting a golf ball is what its all about! Thats all im interested in when i go in a golf shop. I dont go in for life coaching or a brew and a chat.

You sound like a jealous ex girlfriend :rofl:

Listen mate nobodys agreeing with the rubbish your sprouting, your a perfect example of the idiots who have taken up the game and have no knowledge of it.Boy dont AG just love your types!!

 

[Stuey01]

LOL. This thread is class.

Did American Golf sack you?

 

[Foxholer]

So you dont think somebody playing off 5 knows how to play golf pretty well? The thing that i would say 95% of people on here are interested in?

Read the second line of the post you quoted!

Consider yourself ridiculed. I wouldn't go quite as far as Shivas, but he certainly has a point!

 

[shivas irons]

LOL. This thread is class.

Did American Golf sack you?

No I left went on to earn more elsewhere.

 

[Birchy]

Listen mate nobodys agreeing with the rubbish your sprouting, your a perfect example of the idiots who have taken up the game and have no knowledge of it.Boy dont AG just love your types!!

I bet they do love my types. The type that dont suckered in by a crappy sales pitch. You sound like these guys you worked with have got under your skin, as you come across as very jealous.

 

[shivas irons]

I bet they do love my types. The type that dont suckered in by a crappy sales pitch. You sound like these guys you worked with have got under your skin, as you come across as very jealous.

I fail to understand your point....I left to earn more elsewhere, take your trolling elswhere mate I'm not responding anymore

 

[gryffindor]

I would dispute the age issue. My 13 year old and his friends live, eat and breathe golf. They will spend hours online and in the pro shop examining every aspect of the latest hybrid or whatever before they commit to buy. (They can also reel off the golf bidder price of almost any club from memory!) Sales is no great mystery - know your product, make the buyer like and respect you and the sale will take care of itself.