I want to get a job in the field of golf whether it be teaching or sales. im in MN and dont want to move south

Question

im looking for a golf school around the area or was wondering what kind of a degree i will need. Maybe i could get the basics around here but im just not sure how to go about this

Answer 1

hope you like being unemployed 8 months of the year!

Answer 2

It's a very difficult industry to make any money unless you are a sales rep for a reputable company/companies, a head professional, driving range pro/owner at a 12-month heated/sheltered facility, GM, or facility owner.  Your best bet would be to go to www.pga.com, www.golfsurfin.com, www.agmgolf.org, etc.  If you want to go to a school to learn how to teach golf, chances are you won't have any luck looking in MN.  There's the San Diego Golf Academy (www.sdga.edu), www.usgtf.com, www.pgtaa.com, or you could also check out which colleges/universities offer golf course management or turf management in your area.  If you want to be a PGA Professional, be prepared to swim over h**l and high water, and you still most likely won't find a good gig.  There are 17,000-20,000 courses in the US and 28,000 PGA pros, not to mention the thousands of apprentices in the PGA program who are struggling at the poverty level just to make ends meet.  Truth be told, it's a h**l of a hike to make it in that part of the biz, and most head pros make 3 to 5x as much as their assistants while the assistants work most of the hours.  

To become a PGA certified pro you need to pass the Players Ability Test (36 holes and shoot within 15 strokes of the course rating - if the course rating is 70.0, you need to shoot under 155, or 70+70+15 to pass.  Then you need to pay dues which are sometimes covered by the course you work for.  That could cost anywhere from $350 - $750 approximately.  

Once you pass the PAT, you need to order your Level I Kit, which costs $500-600.  It's a stack of a dozen or so 3-ring binders that are anywhere from two inches to 8 inches thick.  You have 2 yrs from the date you receive the books, to finish the work experience activity and submit it to PGA HQ in Port St. Lucie, FL.  After that, you wait for their approval of your bookwork, then you can register online (pgalinks.com) for the Level I Exams - 10 exams in one day and you must pass all ten, and you have to fly down to Port St. Lucie to take the exams.  

If you don't pass them all the first day, you can retake the ones you failed once more in that same visit, but only if you passed at least 6 out of ten exams the first day.  Did I mention that the fee for this exam is over 2 grand (including room and board)?  So let's say you don't pass them all on the second day.  Guess what, they send you packing and you have to re-register, repay the 2 grand, and re-take all the tests at a later date.  

If I haven't convinced you to sign up just yet, don't worry, because it gets much better.  Let's say you pass.  Congratulations!  You get to stay down there for the rest of the week, attend a bunch of Level 2 Seminars and play a little golf with the other apprentices, so you can show everyone how incredibly good your game is after being too busy studying to do anything for the past couple months.  So after the seminars, they send you home, and....    .... you get to start all over again by ordering the Level 2 Kit.  There are 3 total levels, followed by a final interview and presentation you have to give before they can "elect" you in as a PGA Professional.  Can you imagine if you went thru all of this, and then they didn't elect you in?

In other words, it's not easy.  And you do not, I repeat, do not get compensated well for it at all.  That is, unless you get hired in as a head pro at a decent facility.  PGA Magazine had an article a year or so ago that stated that the average PGA apprentice made the equivalent of a borderline poverty level income.  Sounds enticing, doesn't it?  Now, there are benefits to going thru this, and if you are lucky enough to major in golf course mgmt at a college that houses this major, you can graduate with a bachelor's degree, and already be in Level 3.  If you don't, however, you are in a much worse situation.  Let's say you get a bachelor's degree in whatever, and then you want to enter the PGA program.  You have to start from scratch, just like you were starting college after you graduated from high school.  And remember from above, you have two years to complete each level.  It will take you anywhere from 2-8 years to complete the entire program + 5 yrs of college to get a bachelor's on average these days.  That's 7 to 13 years just to get certified as a PGA pro, and that doesn't guarantee that you'll land that dream job.  It's a very tough line of work to succeed in, so become a sales rep for Titleist/Cobra, FJ, Taylor Made, Ping, Callaway, etc. and you can make six figs for a helluva lot less work. Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi,

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Answer 4

I agree:  MN is a great state!  

How about a superintendant?   That requires a college degree.    

Otherwise, a lot of sporting good stores need knowledgeable sales people; landing a PT job shouldnt be too hard, and it would give you experience to move up.

Teaching would be tough; most teachers are PGA pros.   You could freelance but I doubt you could make a living at it.