Pga Golf Business Essay, Research Paper

The Illinois PGA Golf Section Is Not A Dream Job

Here is the report that was assigned to see if the Illinois PGA golf section is a potential employer.

There were few positives that I found on working for the Illinois PGA Section. First of all, the main thing would be that you would love your job but you would earn little money so you basically have to make your decision on what you want.

The main reason why I wouldn t recommend working for the Illinois PGA Section is there are far too many negatives to the job. You have to go to another three years of schooling and the hours you work tend to be very long. You have to work on weekends and even holidays. You also have to find another employer in the winter because all of the golf courses are closed. I tend to argue that there are different jobs in this field to purse.

The information for this report came from online and print sources, and two interviews with head golf professionals. I appreciate the guidance and help that came from my two interviews.

Thank you for the opportunity to conduct this research. I appreciate the chance I had on researching the Illinois PGA Section in order to see if they were a potential employer. If you have any questions about the material in this report, don t hesitate to call me.

Sincerely,

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Purpose 4

Scope 4

Assumptions 5

Background on the Illinois PGA section 5

Work Experience 5

The PAT Test 5

The GPTP Program 6

The First Level 6

The Second Level 7

The Third Level 8

Skills and Personality Traits 9

Advancement in the Workplace and the Annual Salaries 9

Conclusions & Recommendations 9

Works Cited 10

List of Illustrations

Figure-1 GPTP Completion Analysis Report for Level 1 …7

Figure-2 GPTP Completion Analysis Report for Level 2 …8

Figure-3 GPTP Completion Analysis Report for Level 3 …8

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Introduction

The PGA of America is an organization of over 22,000 golf professionals who have come together to form a great impact on the game of golf. The PGA provides its professionals with education, personal development, employment services, competitive tournaments, and certification. To provide all of these services, the PGA is divided into 41 sections. The Illinois PGA section has been around for many years. Although the section is relatively small, it has one of the largest sectional memberships due to the many golf facilities in and around the Chicagoland area.

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to research the steps to take in order of becoming a PGA golf professional for the Illinois PGA section.

Scope

In this report, I will focus on the steps to take in becoming a PGA golf professional for the Illinois PGA section. I will give a little background on the Illinois PGA section and list many different types of training for it. I will research the many different seminars you have to take. I will also see if there are any types of advancements in the workplace and show the ranging of their annual salaries. After all of my research I tend to let you know if the Illinois PGA Section is a potential employer.

In this report I will not focus on the specific jobs that a PGA golf professional has to do. Instead I will show the steps to take in fulfilling your dream.

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Assumptions

My recommendations are based on these assumptions:

- The game of golf has grown in popularity in the

past few years. There are many different types

of jobs opening up for a PGA golf pro. With such

a high interest on others, it is very important

to keep it striving.

- Based on high interests of the game of golf, the

Illinois PGA section is on the rise and I

believe this company will probably be one that

you would want to work for after graduation.

Background on the Illinois PGA section

The Illinois PGA golf section is located in Lemont

Illinois just outside of Chicago. It is a rather small section but has a great future ahead of them. They consist of about 135 golf professionals to this date. They have one Executive Director who runs the business of the Section and hires the necessary staff to carry out the needs of the Section. The Illinois PGA golf section is rather small but has one of the largest Sectional memberships around. With golf being such a popular sport these days, the IPGA has been booming in business (Illinois).

Work Experience

The first step to becoming a golf professional is that you have to work for a PGA professional for one year. It is very important to have some understanding about club repair, analyzing and correcting golf swings, participating in running tournaments, and to have an overall idea of what the job requires (PGALinks) Much of this experience will help you in the long run.

The PAT Test

The second step to becoming a golf professional is to successfully complete the Playing Ability Test (PAT). The

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PAT is offered approximately 600 times a year throughout the country. In order to pass the PAT test, you must

achieve a 36-hole score within 15 shots of the course rating. This test is completed in one day. So if the course rating were 71 then you would have to shoot a total of 157 strokes (PGALINKS). Even though it sounds pretty

easy of a test there are many people that are still trying to pass it today.

The GPTP Program

In July of 1994, the PGA of America launched the PGA Golf Professional Training Program (GPTP) as a new path to attain membership status (PGALinks). This program is designed to prepare individuals for the challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities they will face as PGA golf professionals. The overall program is divided among three different sections and approximately takes three years to complete.

The First Level

The first level of the GPTP program consists of many different materials. It indicates that the first level takes approximately 16-18 months to complete. Such topics that are included in this level are the PGA s organizational structure; rights, responsibilities, and classifications of membership; requirements for professional development; and procedures for dealing with membership issues, such as violations of the PGA Code of Ethics (PGALinks). Other topics that are included in the first level include the following:

Rules of Golf

-Gives you appreciation of the history,

development and importance of the rules

-Shows videotaped situations on the course

involving the rules

-Demonstrates on how to use the official USGA

rules of golf handbook to make rules decisions

Tournament Operations

-Demonstrates on how to successfully run a golf

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tournament

-Learn how to plan, organize, and promote your

event

-Introduction of software that can make your

tasks easier

Introduction to Teaching

-Covers the basic fundamentals of the golf swing

and teaching techniques

-Learn the basic principles and preferences of

the golf swing(PGALinks).

Figure-1 GPTP Completion Analysis Report for Level 1

0-6 mos. 7-12 mos. 13-18 mos. 19-24 mos. Other Total

Level 1 123 963 723 1,302 100 3,211

The Second Level

The second level of the GPTP program consists of many different topics. This level takes approximately 12 months to complete. It consists mainly of Business Communications and how to write effectively. Other topics that are considered are writing requests and how to promote your facility effectively. Other topics that are included in the second level include the following:

Turfgrass Management

-Learn different types of grasses

-Learn the major responsibilities of a golf

course superintendent

-Improvement of your ability to explain your

maintenance to your customers

Analysis of the Swing

-Better understanding and communication with your

students

-Learn how to analyze a students swing

-Observation of how a top teacher conducts their

lessons

Customer Relations

-Strategies to improve your interaction with

customers

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-How to effectively use your interpersonal

skills(PGALinks).

Figure-2 GPTP Completion Analysis Report for Level 2

0-6 mos. 7-12 mos. 13-18 mos. 19-24 mos. Other Total

Level 2 460 1,046 364 245 18 2,133

The Third Level

In the third and final level you learn many other important tasks in becoming a golf professional. This

level is approximately completed in 6-12 months. This level practices your management skills and problem-solving techniques. Other topics that are included in the third level are as follows:

Food and Beverage Control

-Develop skills and knowledge to contribute to a

successful food and beverage operation

-Learn the major types of food and beverage

operations

-Learn different elements, such as, inventory,

purchasing and menu planning

Swing Concepts of Teaching

-Develop a teaching philosophy and approach

-Analyzing short game flaws

-How to use video equipment in order to teach

-Learn different types of drills to teach

Merchandising & Inventory Management

-Learn different types of budget planning

-Learn how to manage a shops inventory

-Learn how to price, order, and receive

merchandise(PGALinks).

Figure-3 GPTP Completion Analysis Report for Level 3

0-6 mos. 7-12 mos. 13-18 mos. 19-24 mos. Other Total

Level 3 528 624 198 60 7 1,417

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Skills and Personality Traits

There are many different types of skills that can sum up a great golf professional. It is very important for them to be good teachers. They need to have a lot of patience when they start teaching beginners. They also need to be very personable and friendly. In order for a

golf pro to be successful, they must make other people enjoy the game of golf (Field, 145).

Advancement in the Workplace and the Annual Salaries

Just like in any other job, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. When you become a golf pro, you usually are an assistant for up to ten years before

even getting a head professional job. The salaries range from $25,000 to $150,000 and up depending on the specific individual (Field, 145). In a recent survey, it was said that an average head golf professional makes about $43,000

at small resorts and about $82,000 at larger establishments (Karlin 164). Other ways a golf professional earns money is by teaching. The average hourly rates for professionals range from $30 to $500 plus (Field 145).

Conclusions & Recommendations

I feel that there are many positive and negatives to working for the Illinois PGA section. The number one positive thing you will get is that you will love your job and that you can play anywhere for free. Although those are two great positives, I would recommend that you look for another company. Basically, you have to work very long hours and your pay is not the best. I would find it very difficult to live off of about $20,000 and then finding a potential employer in the winter. I would tend to argue that there are different jobs in this field to pursue.

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Works Cited

Field, Shelly. Career Opportunities in the Sports

Industry. 2nd ed. New York: 1995.

Illinois PGA Golf Section. 2000. 2 Oct. 2000.

http://www.ipga.com

Karlin, Len. The Guide to Career in Sports. New York:

1995.

PGALinks. n.d. 2 Oct. 2000.

http://www.pgalinks.com