Golf Professionals need to make their skill set an inventory planning priority
As another golf season swings into action, it might be a good time for golf pros to ask themselves a couple of important questions.
“Am I adding value to my club?”
“Am I doing everything necessary to make myself as indispensable as possible?”
Sound like a survival of the fittest plan? Yes, and positioning yourself for success.
In recent years, as goes the golf business, so goes the status — employment and otherwise — of the golf professional. As clubs look at all angles and measures to tighten costs, the golf pro may need to take on added (and sometimes unwanted) responsibilities, relinquish revenue sources such as shop sales, or accept relegation to simply punching the clock at 9 and 5. In a worst-case scenario, the pro ends up looking for work elsewhere.
Which brings us to the gist of this article: Golf pros can’t sit still when it comes to building a reputation and resume that will help to cement their future employment.
Even as far back as 1993, Harry Brotchie, a PGA of Canada Life/Master Professional and then president of the PGA of Canada, prophesized that “we must ensure our members are as qualified as possible . . . to prepare them for the added responsibilities which will exist in running golf facilities in the future.”
And in his 2003 Master Professional thesis, Brotchie reiterated that, saying, “without a new set of skills, today’s golf professional cannot meet the increasing challenges of the job, nor take advantage of the new and diversified opportunities that are currently available and emerging.”
While it’s probably safe to say that those opportunities are no longer as abundant, the fact remains that golf pros can’t afford to leave any stone unturned when it comes to maximizing and diversifying their skill set.
There was a time, of course, when pros didn’t have to worry about beefing up their resume. Many years ago, yours truly was a young assistant pro at a public golf course. Looking back, I can remember the pro wearing many hats, just as they have to today. But those hats were much different, and probably a more comfortable fit, save for, in my pro’s case, having to constantly service a wonky pop machine and routinely resuscitate a couple of electric carts that were forever on their last legs.
The pro in those days was the star of the show. Everyone looked up to the pro, who at most clubs was probably the best player, had the most extensive knowledge of the game, and held, as many of us aspiring professionals saw it, the ideal job. They owned the shop merchandise, got some or all of the cart and club rentals, and were the touchpoint for lessons, fittings (rudimentary as they were) and every club repair imaginable (anyone remember putting new whipping on persimmon woods?).
Some of that hasn’t changed, but the environment sure has. For example, big box stores put a huge dent in green grass sales, some clubs moved toward hiring pros as salaried employees and owning shop merchandise, and the rush to build new courses — combined with fewer rounds played — threw the supply-demand balance out of whack.
Fast forward to the financial crisis of 2008, a watershed moment for the golf industry, and one that continues to have a lingering effect. As many clubs look to survive, if not prosper, cost cutting has become as critical as grass cutting.
Recent PGA of Canada Hall of Fame inductee Sam Young, owner of the Shelburne Golf & Country Club in Shelburne, Ont., says we’re still in recovery mode.
“I always made more money every year until 2008,” says the well-respected Young, now in his 58th year as a professional. “Things have been level the last three or four years.”
As a pro who’s built much of his reputation through his success with junior programs — over 20 of his kids have gone on to U.S. scholarships — he can’t stress enough the importance of teaching as the pro’s most important asset. In that respect, he sees the pro as a foundation block for building and growing the game from the ground up.
“A pro has to know how to teach,” Young says. “How else do we get kids off on the right foot when it comes to playing the game?”
Young says every club, even mom and pop operations, need a pro who teaches. For pros at clubs with boards, he has a suggestion.
“Teach the directors’ kids or grandkids. Go to a board meeting and suggest taking them out at 6 on a Sunday night and show them what their kids can do. It’s also a great way to develop a relationship with board members.”
“It all starts with the kids,” Young stresses. “Get them into the game as early as possible, and it’s also a great way to get the parents started.”
Young’s advice, which has relationship building at its core, means pros can’t be confined to their office. They need to be up and about, whether it’s on the range talking to members, or greeting guests who’ve just finished their round.
Steve Leblanc, head professional at the semi-private Westfield Golf & Country Club in Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, for the last six years, says it’s important for the pro to not cater to cliques or play favourites.
“You have to reach out to all members on a personal level,” Leblanc says. “Remember everyone’s name, get to know them, and make yourself available to them as much as possible. If you do have a chance to play nine holes, don’t play with the same member every time. Touch as many members as you can.”
Justin O’Leary, head professional at the private Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club, Scarborough, Ont., agrees, adding that “it’s important for a pro to do his/her best to interact with each member whenever possible. That may mean having to adjust your schedule accordingly.”
The former Assistant Pro of the Year for Ontario takes it a step further: “Where possible, the number one priority for a golf professional is to ensure that every golfer who sets foot on the property has a positive experience. If people are leaving a course feeling good, that can only help to build the game.”
Golf needs to be fun, and that starts with the pro says Brotchie, a Winnipeg native who is president of Lakeland Golf Management, a company that manages 10 public resort courses in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“The pro needs to have an interest in you having fun,” Brotchie says. “They need to have a presence, mingle as much as possible, and generally do whatever it takes to make the customer experience a memorable one.”
The pro as a kind of pleaser-in-chief should be a given. It doesn’t require a golf management degree, and it’s something that needs to filter down to staff. Everyone agrees that a passionate and engaged pro-led staff is critical to any successful golf operation.
Still, the pro needs to try on and fit into many other hats as well — a reality today in which the learn-as-much-I-can switch should always be on. While teaching and playing well should still be integral, they’re only part of the package these days.
“You can’t have the attitude that it’s ‘someone else’s’ job,” says Ian Scott, whose 40 years in the business included managing Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont., and Mississaugua Golf & Country Club in Mississauga, Ont. “The pro must be versatile and take an active role and interest in the overall success of the entire facility.”
Leblanc says you have to be able to “do it all” and “continue to improve your skill set.”
“The club pro has to be a jack-of-all trades. The smaller the club, the bigger role and responsibility the pro will have.
“I’m in charge of everything golf-related, as well as our website and marketing on social media. I also work the pro shop counter two to four shifts per week to save on labour. I try to play golf with the members as much as possible, but it gets harder and harder every year.”
Getting too comfortable in one’s office chair doesn’t sit well with O’Leary.
“Too many people get into a role and feel like they’ve ‘made it’. But you have to make sure you’re working to continually improve. Attending industry seminars, functions and events, and being active on social media, are all ways professionals can improve.”
Today’s savvy pros use social media to market and build their reputation and their club’s. While some pros may be reluctant to use it, O’Leary says it’s a must if used properly.
“Promoting yourself, your club, your sponsors, your members and your staff on various social media platforms is an efficient and cost-effective way to build a club’s brand. A well-rounded professional should have a social media presence that is far reaching throughout the golf business.”
If there’s a crystal-ball consensus among everyone Pro Shop spoke with, it’s this:
- Everyclub should have a golf pro. “They’re still the heartbeat of the game,” Scott says.
- PGA of Canada plays an important role in educating its members. Says Scott: “They need to spend more time and focus on marketing why the golf professional is integral to the game.”
- Pros control their own destiny through learning new skills and proving their worth.
- Today’s pro can’t be a one-trick pony, must be versatile in all facets of the operation.
- Pros will continue to face increased pressure to provide more value for what they earn.
- The status of the golf pro will likely continue to follow the trajectory of the industry.
To understand the need for a broader skill set, pros should read Harry Brotchie’s Master Professional Thesis — Beyond the pro shop: moving from golf professional to diversified business operator.
Though written 15 years ago, it remains a valuable and topical resource for why it’s important for pros to be exposed to as much learning as possible. It can be found on the PGA of Canada website at www.pgaofcanada.com
