If I Was… Thinking Of Getting Into The Golf Business

Over 25+ years in the golf industry, I’ve been approached numerous times by parents or young adults inquiring about the best way to get started in this business. Over the years, a slightly flip answer developed… “Don’t do it!”

Please don’t misunderstand, I LOVE my job and am thankful every day I decided to pursue golf as a career. It has granted me the opportunity to meet many wonderful people. I’ve played some of the world’s finest golf courses. In my current position, I’ve learned how to run a successful business. Overall, I have had a wonderful time in this industry.

Let me explain how my answer came to fruition.

Whenever someone is thinking about making life-altering decisions, it is a good idea to make a list of pros and cons. Putting on paper the good things and bad things about an important choice allows someone to calmly and quietly contemplate the ramifications of that choice.

When doing a list like this for the golf industry, based on pure numbers, the cons would almost ALWAYS outnumber the pros but follow my logic to the end.

Cons…

First, the pay is not great. Typically, people in the golf industry make far less money than someone in another industry doing a similar job. Second, the hours for most people in the industry are nowhere near 9-5. If you work at a Minnesota course, you need to “make hay when the sun shines.” In other words, from March to sometime in October, most people in the industry are working 60-80 hours a week. Third, as is the case in almost any service industry, if something goes wrong for the customer… it’s almost always YOUR FAULT! As anyone who’s worked on the front lines of a service job knows, you are the most convenient target. It’s not personal; you just get caught in the crossfire. Finally, when it’s time to play golf, you are working. When your friends want to get in a quick 9, you have to wait for the last carts to come in. When people are at the cabin, you are running the “Firecracker Four Ball” on the Fourth of July.

None of these are unique to the golf industry by any means, but they are all things to consider when making a choice. If you want to get into the golf business because you love golf, these things can make you hate it and there is nothing sadder in life than having your job take away your love for something.

Now for the pros…

First, generally it is a fun industry. It might be me, but I would much rather bang my head against a wall working in golf than sitting at a desk reading spreadsheets all day. Second, every day is different. Once day you might be helping someone take up the game for the first time; the next, you are running a 140-person shotgun charity event.

While the pros are certainly less than the cons. When you look at the effect of the pros, the rewards are great. Through golf, you have the opportunity to make someone’s day. Imagine having a bad day at the office. Emails are out of control, co-workers getting on your nerves, someone takes your lunch from the breakroom fridge. Then you race to the course to play in your weekly league. A smile on the face of the golf shop assistant or the pat on the back from the Head Professional can make those problems melt away. If you are the one providing that relief, it is a great feeling. If you run golf events at a course, you have the privilege of helping people raise money for some amazing charities. If you teach golf, you have the opportunity to help someone achieve personal goals or fall in love with the game.

So why did my answer turn into “Don’t do it?” Mainly because trying to explain to someone the value of the positive things in golf proved a gargantuan task. The look on people’s faces generally told the story that they would never get past the cons. On vary rare occasions, the person in front of me managed to set aside the problems and focus on the great things the industry offers. THOSE are the people that should take the plunge and join the golf industry. These people are a rare breed.

So if I were a person looking to get into the golf industry, I would do three things. First, ask yourself, what do I want to achieve in my career? Are you looking for a lucrative career that gives you freedom to do the things you enjoy outside of work; or are you interested in making a decent living out of your passion? Second, are you committed to handling the cons for the amazing opportunities that come with the pros? Finally, what area of the business do you want to work in?The golf industry offers multiple options for a career. From Head Professionals at a private club to sales representative to even golf media, if you really want to do this, there are certainly many paths to show your talents.

In the end, if you’ve read this column all the way to the end, maybe you are just the type of person the golf industry needs.