Working in golf industry seems like such a dead end .

Superstriker

Superstriker

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Spending so much of my time thru the years on so many courses observing the industry.Really notice a trend of how high the turn around is in this industry.I always feel so bad for all the gals and guys that admit to make a mark for themselves in this career choice.Except for a very select few ; most if not all never make it.Low pay/long hours and rarely any benefits such as pension - health insurance - 401 k.Imho , why does a course really need a pro or assistant pro? You can get the same attention from hiring non golf minded shop managers and college shop students.Why not have a roving teacher - club fitter who has a course territory of several clubs ?

what a dead end job. Agree - disagree ?
 
Superstriker said:
Spending so much of my time thru the years on so many courses observing the industry.Really notice a trend of how high the turn around is in this industry.I always feel so bad for all the gals and guys that admit to make a mark for themselves in this career choice.Except for a very select few ; most if not all never make it.Low pay/long hours and rarely any benefits such as pension - health insurance - 401 k.Imho , why does a course really need a pro or assistant pro? You can get the same attention from hiring non golf minded shop managers and college shop students.Why not have a roving teacher - club fitter who has a course territory of several clubs ?

what a dead end job. Agree - disagree ?
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that might be the way forward in years to come.. falling numbers in golf.. why have a pro a course just have 1 for 3 courses etc

save a bit of money for the course

but isnt the pro basically the management layer that stops the owner having to do much? his trusty second in command running the course for him
 
Its a strange industry. Not sure about your direct questions but I do know it is hard to find a coach who still has any interest in the game of golf.
 
Alex1975 said:
Its a strange industry. Not sure about your direct questions but I do know it is hard to find a coach who still has any interest in the game of golf.
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second that.. I know a few coaches who really hate golf with a passion now


I find the teaching pros are much better.. their souls havent been destroyed by dealing with members moaning about societies coming in and clogging up the course whilst trying to make £5 on a grip change
 
pauljames87 said:
second that.. I know a few coaches who really hate golf with a passion now


I find the teaching pros are much better.. their souls havent been destroyed by dealing with members moaning about societies coming in and clogging up the course whilst trying to make £5 on a grip change
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I duno, I think their souls have been crushed by teaching the same lesson 20 times a week.
 
Definitely tough and potentially soul destroying. My club has an assistant pro in the shop, utterly miserably bloke who really should not be in retail but has found himself there whilst he waits for his big chance, and a teaching pro who is fairly freelance. I think your idea of a pro giving lessons at 2-3 clubs makes sense for many places unless you are a really bustling place. Equally, have a proper retail person in the shop, book the pro to fit clubs when needed.

I suspect many places have a pro shop and a pro because that is how it has always been. If you were starting again from scratch you may not include them in your business model. For bigger clubs only methinks.
 
Honestly :/ it doesn't take a lot to run a golf tourney at the club.And I'm sure vendors will be more than happy to setup displays in pro shops.No need for a pro at all in the club industry.The teacher / club fitter / cart repair can all be on contract to service a few courses. No need for all of this excess over head
 
most of it is more or less retail so it must be soul destroying to spend ages training and leaning how to play or give lessons only to end up a glorified shop assistant.

The pro we had at Nairn was a superb player and still is. Had a glittering Amateur Career , played on the European tour, played a few open championships as well.

he hardly plays and has little or no interest playing at all now
 
patricks148 said:
most of it is more or less retail so it must be soul destroying to spend ages training and leaning how to play or give lessons only to end up a glorified shop assistant.

The pro we had at Nairn was a superb player and still is. Had a glittering Amateur Career , played on the European tour, played a few open championships as well.

he hardly plays and has little or no interest playing at all now
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This is true. I've seen a few who start off as an assistant and actually end up playing less and end up becoming shop assistants. They also work crazy hours for very little.

The head office of AG is also close by and I know a few people who work in the shops in the area too. Mostly young lads who didn't last very long because they have to work weekends and unsociable hours.

Weird scenario really......working in golf sounds like such a great gig, but in the instances I'm aware of, you play less golf and only a select few really enjoy it.
 
A 30 years experienced pro put this on my LinkedIn the other day- he feels it's far too easy to the course and become a pro so there are far too many pros and too little jobs.... but the reason a lot get into it is because they are still dreaming of making it and thinking of it as a fall back- our assistant left a year ago to become a gas engineer as he woke up that it would be a tough gig as a career move.

Maybe he has a point- maybe they should lower the scoring criteria to scratch? Less pros = less saturation = higher wages.... Someone else commented on the test that over 2 rounds it only needs to be 15 over or less? Surely not?!?
 
I'm sure I read somewhere that greenkeeping was the way to go for a golf career that had some chance of progression.

Not entirely sure about this, but the only guy I know from when I was a kid who had a golf job started on the mowers. He is now a course super at a nice course in Australia. In fact, it recently held the Aus open.

I might try and blag a visit, but the last time I saw him (30 years ago) I ran him out for nothing while batting with him. Think Joe root this morning...
 
turkish said:
A 30 years experienced pro put this on my LinkedIn the other day- he feels it's far too easy to the course and become a pro so there are far too many pros and too little jobs.... but the reason a lot get into it is because they are still dreaming of making it and thinking of it as a fall back- our assistant left a year ago to become a gas engineer as he woke up that it would be a tough gig as a career move.

Maybe he has a point- maybe they should lower the scoring criteria to scratch? Less pros = less saturation = higher wages.... Someone else commented on the test that over 2 rounds it only needs to be 15 over or less? Surely not?!?
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That or they could start teaching people on the course where we actually play the game rather than standing in a slot next to other slots on a field giving everyone the same lesson regardless of body type or ability.

You should fail the PGA exam unless you can prove you want to make people better at golf and are good at making people better! A teacher! That will get rid of the people who are there for a "back up".

It just seems really lazy and lacking in passion as a profession. (broadly speaking/ In my experience)
 
Alex1975 said:
That or they could start teaching people on the course where we actually play the game rather than standing in a slot next to other slots on a field giving everyone the same lesson regardless of body type or ability.

You should fail the PGA exam unless you can prove you want to make people better at golf and are good at making people better! A teacher! That will get rid of the people who are there for a "back up".

It just seems really lazy and lacking in passion as a profession. (broadly speaking/ In my experience)
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spot on.. my first pro is guilty of this.. nice guy truly but my god what a bad teacher.. 30 mins session.. same advise every time but no explanation as to why it was happening to me.. wasted so much time there.. changed pros put in hard work with him my game improved.. he left the country went to new pro he recommended one lesson with him made the other lessons with the second pro fall into place that little bit more! my grip (which the second pro had spent time on I could never get just right) simple tinker with the new guy and what the 2nd pro had worked on just clicked.. shows what you can do when you get the right teacher!

a friend of mine has a pro thats motto is "I teach the player not a method" they wont come in and try to change everything that person does they try and make that person the best they can be with what they got
 
We are a middle of the table type club, we had a pro for 20 odd years who only ever played in club matches and his retail business was rubbish. He retired was made a honourable Member and now enjoys playing twice a week. We poached a local clubs pro and assistant and they are doing a great job. The shop id doing well and both are well thought of teachers who bring in members purely by being at the club.. The assistant does great work going round the schools trying to involve kids and also has attracted a lot of new lady members by the classes he gives.. When we had the old pro we often thought we could do without him but now the new ones have turned it round and are a real asset to the club.
 
Also perhaps your qualification should be reviewed every X years. How have you got on, how have your students improved over that period. In what way have you got better at your trade... that kind of thing.
 
Anyone that has these big aspirations of being a tour pro needs to be biatch slapped.What a far fetched idea.Any lads that get in the industry for that reason need a reality check.Best Any can do is find a career that allows you to be a member at the club.Not a worker at it
 
Most pros I see or speak all seem to enjoy their life - the head pro at our place is also the golf director so is fully involved in the club and his two assistants are also all part of the team - they are made to feel that way by the members, they cater for all types with their teaching style and cover everyone , I play a number of rounds with one of them. Also play regualry in Pro Am's with an AG regional Pro and also a Pro from a driving range - they enjoy playing in Pro Ams as well as teaching

As with most jobs you got out of it what you put in
 
Superstriker said:
Anyone that has these big aspirations of being a tour pro needs to be biatch slapped.What a far fetched idea.Any lads that get in the industry for that reason need a reality check.Best Any can do is find a career that allows you to be a member at the club.Not a worker at it
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Ian Poulter is just one example of someone going via PGA route to make it onto the Tour , I expect there are a number of them , wasn't Tyrell Hatton also PGA as well
 
Liverpoolphil said:
Most pros I see or speak all seem to enjoy their life - the head pro at our place is also the golf director so is fully involved in the club and his two assistants are also all part of the team - they are made to feel that way by the members, they cater for all types with their teaching style and cover everyone , I play a number of rounds with one of them. Also play regualry in Pro Am's with an AG regional Pro and also a Pro from a driving range - they enjoy playing in Pro Ams as well as teaching

As with most jobs you got out of it what you put in
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Refreshing and for sure you get out what you put in, monetarily and personal worth.
 
Our young and very well thought of assistant pro left this week to pursue a career in IT recruitment. Fed up of the hours in the shop and working weekends, shame as he was a really good teacher .
 
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