53 replies to this topic

[Frankie Lob Wedge]

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The schools said the private clubs they deal with are usually are at resorts so an apartment, lunches and green fees are usually thrown in. I am really tempted but it sounds too good to be true.  They said they can help me get my game into the low 80s which is good enough to teach.   I asked them if they guaranteed that and they said yes.  I am not sure what to do.

Edited by Frankie Lob Wedge, 21 October 2012 - 11:06 PM.

[J.W.]

If you can get a start somewhere you don't need one of those schools.  You need to find the fastest way to become a Class A PGA Professional.  Now for the realistic part; not many assistant pros are making $50k.  There certainly are some, and there certainly are some head pros with the right jobs making $250k but its few and far between.  But I do not know a single assistant pro that has started at $50,000 + tips.

This is just my opinion but I would NOT spend $25,000 on a school like this right now.  Work on your game and pass the PAT and then try to find an in at a local course to start the PGA Apprentice program.

[TheMackDaddy]

How much do head pros make on average?
Does it change depending on how nice the course is, or how much money the course collects?

Edited by TheMackDaddy, 21 October 2012 - 11:20 PM.

[Guia]

I think you should pursue what makes you happy.  However, a couple of things:

1.  Very few in any field start making 50K, especially an assistant pro, club repair at a club, or teaching assistant.
2.  During the process of going to a golf school you will learn the skills needed to teach, sell, and manage.  
3.  In order to become a head pro you must pass a test and shoot much lower than 90.
4.  Many, many club assistants were college player and have a A game already, reputation, and contacts.

Very competitive field, and few live high on the hog.

[peterpro130]

Golf Industry Not recommended if you want to play golf or make enough money to live on. Most head pros make $40K..asistants more lke 25K - 30  Extremely competitve as well.... there must be 30+ pgm/golf schhols out there.

[golfpros1]

Take the PAT, pass it, work at a club and take the clases.  That's it.  5% of people make good money, and the rest work in glorified retail sales.  Be willing to move all over the country to make it toward a higher position that makes more money, and suffer until that happens.  that pretty much sums it up, and that's just straight talk.  if you love what you do, and you don't mind being broke, it's great.  After working a 12 hour day, there's nothing more than free golf at your work place that you'd rather do before the sun goes down.

Edited by golfpros1, 21 October 2012 - 11:58 PM.

[Frankie Lob Wedge]

Yeah I thought they were talking BS.   They said they were in with all of Trumps courses and other private clubs plus UK clubs.  I don't want to end up a bitter guy in the bag room like the guy dissing Two Gloves Tommy in the other thread.

I think they just rip kids off.

[rockinar]

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The odds of you going from this school, straight to a fancy country club making $50K- $250K a year, is between slim and none. They are selling you dreams. If it was that easy, everyone would do it. This is the same as all those mechanical technical schools like UTI that tell you that you can get a job turning wrenches on a NASCAR team with the likes of Dale Earnhardt upon graduation. It just does not work like that. The odds are you will be working at Golfsmith, Golf Galaxy or Dicks. You might get a job at some local muni giving lessons for $10/hr. If this does not appeal to you, don't do it. I also call BS on any head pros making $250K a year. Maybe $50K. Maybe a little higher at more exclusive clubs.

If you want to make $250K a year in the golf business, open a golf school with $25K admission and tell the students they will be making $250K a year at a fancy country club upon graduation. That's the only way you will be making $250K by shooting mid 90s.

[J.W.]

rockinar, on 22 October 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The odds of you going from this school, straight to a fancy country club making $50K- $250K a year, is between slim and none. They are selling you dreams. If it was that easy, everyone would do it. This is the same as all those mechanical technical schools like UTI that tell you that you can get a job turning wrenches on a NASCAR team with the likes of Dale Earnhardt upon graduation. It just does not work like that. The odds are you will be working at Golfsmith, Golf Galaxy or Dicks. You might get a job at some local muni giving lessons for $10/hr. If this does not appeal to you, don't do it. I also call BS on any head pros making $250K a year. Maybe $50K. Maybe a little higher at more exclusive clubs.

If you want to make $250K a year in the golf business, open a golf school with $25K admission and tell the students they will be making $250K a year at a fancy country club upon graduation. That's the only way you will be making $250K by shooting mid 90s.

Just a FYI there a plenty of head pros making six figures with upwards of 1/4 million.  That doesn't include the ones that own the golf shop at the club or teaching on top of that.  If you get the right job there is some pretty good money and a great job description that comes along with it.  A head pro around here left a job that offered him $350 to re-up and he turned it down to do his own thing.  Now that is extremely rare but there are plenty of jobs out there paying more then $100 as a base salary. You would most certainly need to be very well respected in your area, be at a top place already and have the right place, right time sort of thing but its definitely out there.

Edited by J.W., 22 October 2012 - 12:37 AM.

[Frankie Lob Wedge]

rockinar, on 22 October 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The odds of you going from this school, straight to a fancy country club making $50K- $250K a year, is between slim and none. They are selling you dreams. If it was that easy, everyone would do it. This is the same as all those mechanical technical schools like UTI that tell you that you can get a job turning wrenches on a NASCAR team with the likes of Dale Earnhardt upon graduation. It just does not work like that. The odds are you will be working at Golfsmith, Golf Galaxy or Dicks. You might get a job at some local muni giving lessons for $10/hr. If this does not appeal to you, don't do it. I also call BS on any head pros making $250K a year. Maybe $50K. Maybe a little higher at more exclusive clubs.

If you want to make $250K a year in the golf business, open a golf school with $25K admission and tell the students they will be making $250K a year at a fancy country club upon graduation. That's the only way you will be making $250K by shooting mid 90s.

What about Matt Killen?
http://killengolf.com/

I bet you he is pulling down good money coaching Kenny Perry and 25 other tour pros.  .
http://killengolf.co...come-to-ja-opal

Edited by Frankie Lob Wedge, 22 October 2012 - 01:14 AM.

[Thrillhouse]

It's a sales pitch, that's all. Here's the deal:

There are a handful of head pro jobs in the world that pay 250k, they are at places like winged foot or oakmont, and I doubt they are staffed by a graduate of an uncredited 18 month school that opened two years ago.

There are a handful of 50k a year assistant pro jobs out there. They tend to be adjusted for living costs in places where it is expensive to live so it's all relative.

What are the graduates of this school doing? The odd one will be working as an assistant pro, most will be working down at golf galaxy. The ones who are assistant pros are making closer to 25k than 50k. Honestly there are plenty of head pros out there who would love to be making 50k a year "plus tips" (whatever that means).

[rafal]

They have similar pitches for Chef's schools, Medical Assistant schools etc.  These outfits solely exist to access the federal edu loan funding stream.  Beware of student loans.

[hoganfan924]

rafal, on 22 October 2012 - 04:04 AM, said:

They have similar pitches for Chef's schools, Medical Assistant schools etc.  These outfits solely exist to access the federal edu loan funding stream.  Beware of student loans.

^ Truth

[jwfgolfpro]

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The schools said the private clubs they deal with are usually are at resorts so an apartment, lunches and green fees are usually thrown in. I am really tempted but it sounds too good to be true.  They said they can help me get my game into the low 80s which is good enough to teach.   I asked them if they guaranteed that and they said yes.  I am not sure what to do.

It is too good to be true. Being in the golf business for most of my life I can assure you that there might be 5 Head Professional jobs in the country that pay that much. It would also take 10 years of PGA Class "A" experience to have a sniff at any of those jobs.

According to the 2008 PGA Compensation survey the average Head Professional made  across the country.

Average    Bottom 10%   Bottom 25% Median Top 25%              Top 10%
$83,075.21   $40,000.00 $51,150.00 $69,500.00 $97,000.00          $140,000.00

Assistant Professionals

Average    Bottom 10%   Bottom 25%   Median   Top 25%              Top 10%
$39,874.67 $22,537.50   $30,000.00 $38,000.00 $47,000.00          $59,174.68

Be prepared for extremely long hours and low pay as an entry level assistant.
Also make sure the college you choose is affiliated with the PGA of America or else you will be going thru the 3-4 year PGA Apprentice Program on top of your schooling. It just happened to one of my assistants.

Not tryng to be negative and I love what I do but the school you are speaking about is sugar coating it.


JWF - Class A PGA Professional

Edited by jwfgolfpro, 22 October 2012 - 08:52 AM.

[J.W.]

JWF, is the second list of compensation assistants?

[ncblademan]

I am 33 and I am just starting the Pre Qualifying process for the PGA. I have not taken the PAT yet, but should not have a problem with that. SHould be taking my Qualifying test in the next month or so.

[jwfgolfpro]

J.W., on 22 October 2012 - 07:54 AM, said:

JWF, is the second list of compensation assistants?

Yep.

JWF

[Tmiller72]

There are lots of cart boys that went to these kinds of schools.  Save your money!

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Any place that charges real money (and lord knows $25,000 for a diploma-mill degree is real money) and then touts the promise of "tips", "free lunches" and the like doesn't even pass the laugh test.

[hoganfan924]

Many of these for-profit educational institutions popped up based on their ability to help students acquire federal student loans, and their tuition is structured around the maximum loan amounts typically available.  Diploma mills is a good description.

http://www.nytimes.c...tion-scams.html

That's not to say that some of the golf programs aren't reputable, but you'd probably be much better off attending one of the established PGM programs, such as Ferris State, Ms. State, et. al. if you were serious about getting a good pro job at a course.  If all you wanted out of it was to teach golf and do it as an independent, then maybe one of these other programs (like PGCC in Orlando) might not be a bad choice, IMO.

Just remember that under current law, student loan debt is not dischargeable in bankruptcy, should you ever get into financial trouble.  One huge reason never to take on student loans if at all possible.

Edited by hoganfan924, 22 October 2012 - 03:18 PM.

[rockinar]

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 22 October 2012 - 01:12 AM, said:

rockinar, on 22 October 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The odds of you going from this school, straight to a fancy country club making $50K- $250K a year, is between slim and none. They are selling you dreams. If it was that easy, everyone would do it. This is the same as all those mechanical technical schools like UTI that tell you that you can get a job turning wrenches on a NASCAR team with the likes of Dale Earnhardt upon graduation. It just does not work like that. The odds are you will be working at Golfsmith, Golf Galaxy or Dicks. You might get a job at some local muni giving lessons for $10/hr. If this does not appeal to you, don't do it. I also call BS on any head pros making $250K a year. Maybe $50K. Maybe a little higher at more exclusive clubs.

If you want to make $250K a year in the golf business, open a golf school with $25K admission and tell the students they will be making $250K a year at a fancy country club upon graduation. That's the only way you will be making $250K by shooting mid 90s.

What about Matt Killen?
http://killengolf.com/

I bet you he is pulling down good money coaching Kenny Perry and 25 other tour pros.  .
http://killengolf.co...come-to-ja-opal

Like I said.

1) You're not Matt Killen.

2) Matt Killen did not just graduate from an 18 month golf college.

3) Odds of a 18 handicap (YOU) teaching 25 tour pros and making $250K a year is ZERO.


I never said the jobs don't exist, they do. I said they were between slim (Matt Killen) and none (You).


Going to that school and coming out and hoping to get a job being a head pro making $250K a year at a fancy club is like me going to acting school and expecting I'm going to be the next Tom Cruise when I get out. It just does not work like that. Does it happen? Yes. Can it happen? Anything can happen. Will it happen? The odds are slim to none. It's more likely that I would be working for free or low pay as an actor in student films, just like it's more likely you would be working at Golf Galaxy than as an assistant of any sort.


If I was you. I would start a business thats's not golf related, if your dream/goal is to make $250K a year. It would be MUCH easier and more rewarding than trying make it by becoming a head golf pro anywhere.

Edited by rockinar, 22 October 2012 - 04:08 PM.

[Johnny Hack]

jwfgolfpro, on 22 October 2012 - 05:19 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The schools said the private clubs they deal with are usually are at resorts so an apartment, lunches and green fees are usually thrown in. I am really tempted but it sounds too good to be true.  They said they can help me get my game into the low 80s which is good enough to teach.   I asked them if they guaranteed that and they said yes.  I am not sure what to do.

It is too good to be true. Being in the golf business for most of my life I can assure you that there might be 5 Head Professional jobs in the country that pay that much. It would also take 10 years of PGA Class "A" experience to have a sniff at any of those jobs.

According to the 2008 PGA Compensation survey the average Head Professional made  across the country.

Average    Bottom 10%   Bottom 25% Median Top 25%   Top 10%
$83,075.21   $40,000.00 $51,150.00 $69,500.00 $97,000.00   $140,000.00

Assistant Professionals

Average    Bottom 10%   Bottom 25%   Median   Top 25%   Top 10%
$39,874.67 $22,537.50   $30,000.00 $38,000.00 $47,000.00   $59,174.68

Be prepared for extremely long hours and low pay as an entry level assistant.
Also make sure the college you choose is affiliated with the PGA of America or else you will be going thru the 3-4 year PGA Apprentice Program on top of your schooling. It just happened to one of my assistants.

Not tryng to be negative and I love what I do but the school you are speaking about is sugar coating it.


JWF - Class A PGA Professional

+1 here - in the Houston area most assistants are maling that $24-25K mark and working closer to an average of 50-55 hour weeks than 40. After all those long days then you still need to try and book and give lessons to make any extra money, unless you get hooked up with a club that has a teaching academy (few and far between).
Not saying you cant make some money in the PGA club end of the business, but dont go in thinking it is about making money, its more about the love of the game than the cash.

The drop out rate for people coming up through the PGA Program is also very high.
Your total cost to igo through the progarm and become a Class A PGA Professional is in excess of $17000, takes an average of 5 years, and that doesnt guarantee you a "Head Pro" job just because you have your card, as I know quite a few Class A Pros who are holding the position of First Assistant.

If it is something you really want, then go for it, but dont go in blind, and I say save your money that you would spend at any institution other than The San Diego Golf Academy or one that is very similar and has a verifiable graduate placement record

[1puttwoods]

jwfgolfpro, on 22 October 2012 - 05:19 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The schools said the private clubs they deal with are usually are at resorts so an apartment, lunches and green fees are usually thrown in. I am really tempted but it sounds too good to be true.  They said they can help me get my game into the low 80s which is good enough to teach.   I asked them if they guaranteed that and they said yes.  I am not sure what to do.

It is too good to be true. Being in the golf business for most of my life I can assure you that there might be 5 Head Professional jobs in the country that pay that much. It would also take 10 years of PGA Class "A" experience to have a sniff at any of those jobs.

According to the 2008 PGA Compensation survey the average Head Professional made  across the country.

Average    Bottom 10%   Bottom 25% Median Top 25%   Top 10%
$83,075.21   $40,000.00 $51,150.00 $69,500.00 $97,000.00   $140,000.00

Assistant Professionals

Average    Bottom 10%   Bottom 25%   Median   Top 25%   Top 10%
$39,874.67 $22,537.50   $30,000.00 $38,000.00 $47,000.00   $59,174.68

Be prepared for extremely long hours and low pay as an entry level assistant.
Also make sure the college you choose is affiliated with the PGA of America or else you will be going thru the 3-4 year PGA Apprentice Program on top of your schooling. It just happened to one of my assistants.

Not tryng to be negative and I love what I do but the school you are speaking about is sugar coating it.


JWF - Class A PGA Professional

Look at you busting out the compensation survey.......well played.

[MDP1555]

For first hand info on becoming a PGA certified golf professional got to pgalinks.com. understand that eligible employment or internship is a requirment before being eligible to apply for membership. Personally, for a Golf Professional certification the other no name academys while not crooks, are really not worth the money required. Also be aware that a large part of their income is derived via their student loan program. no matter what path you take avoid student loans at all cost.

Now if your goal is more to be a teaching Pro then PGA is not the only well respected rout. The USGTF is a well respected instructor certification. employment with in the industry is not required. The first two stages can be completed via a home study program. The last two stages do require in person attendence and completion of your PAT prior to exceptance into the third stage.

Many will start with their USGTF certification then later move on to PGA membership.

Now if you currently have a job wher you make more than $25K a year and you are supporting a family, you may want to re-think this carrieer change. Even if you get hired on somewhere quickly The odds of movnig up in income rate quickly is very low and the odds are your first 10 years in the industry you will live on very meger wages and work your butt off to earn them. The turnover rate is very high. and you will not have the time to play golf except possible on your off days.

I grew up in a family where my father built, owned and ran a country club. he was never off work. When he passed he had built the business to a point where we have 35 employees 5 assistants golf pros, me as the head pro, 8 bag room and member sevice personnel, 14 in the resturant and bar and the rest work under the course superintendent. Outside of myself, our head chef, one server, one assistant pro and our course superintenent none have been with us more than a year and that is the typical turnover. Assistents dont want to stay assistents long so they tend to move from club to club attempting to climb the ladder. Very few stay in the business long.

It is a nobel profession but it is not a very secure one.

[ej002]

hoganfan924, on 22 October 2012 - 03:11 PM, said:

Many of these for-profit educational institutions popped up based on their ability to help students acquire federal student loans, and their tuition is structured around the maximum loan amounts typically available.  Diploma mills is a good description.

http://www.nytimes.c...tion-scams.html

That's not to say that some of the golf programs aren't reputable, but you'd probably be much better off attending one of the established PGM programs, such as Ferris State, Ms. State, et. al. if you were serious about getting a good pro job at a course.  If all you wanted out of it was to teach golf and do it as an independent, then maybe one of these other programs (like PGCC in Orlando) might not be a bad choice, IMO.

Just remember that under current law, student loan debt is not dischargeable in bankruptcy, should you ever get into financial trouble.  One huge reason never to take on student loans if at all possible.

Listen to HF on this one.  Once you sign the loan documents you WILL pay them back, it just a matter of HOW.  The gov't has all kinds of fun ways to get money back, including taking your tax return from you until you pay off this loan.   If you have to take loans, just be very very smart about how you will pay them back.  I have tons of friends from law school who got hosed b/c they can't find jobs in this economy.

[wmblake2000]

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Frankie, you shoot in the 90's.  Now, you don't have to be Tiger Woods to teach effectively, but you need to be much better than this.  Among other things, you would have NO credibility.  Read all the posts dissing teachers.  No school is going to teach you enough teaching techniques to resolve this. No matter what the field, every teacher relies on his/her personal experience to form a foundation or at least a major part of that foundation.  So the first step is you need to get much better at playing the game. If you can do that, then you have a foundation - among other things you will understand how an adult can improve from personal experience, and not many teaching pros really understand that.

[MDP1555]

wmblake2000, on 26 October 2012 - 10:28 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Frankie, you shoot in the 90's.  Now, you don't have to be Tiger Woods to teach effectively, but you need to be much better than this.  Among other things, you would have NO credibility.  Read all the posts dissing teachers.  No school is going to teach you enough teaching techniques to resolve this. No matter what the field, every teacher relies on his/her personal experience to form a foundation or at least a major part of that foundation.  So the first step is you need to get much better at playing the game. If you can do that, then you have a foundation - among other things you will understand how an adult can improve from personal experience, and not many teaching pros really understand that.

+1
The exact reason PAT is a requirment for PGA and USGTF certification

[iteachgolf]

The usgtf is not well respected in the industry and IMO a waste.  Your best bet is PGA or nothing for teachers. The general public doesn't care. If you are good at what you do you will be successful.  Ton of successful teachers with zero affiliations.

[Oilman83]

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The schools said the private clubs they deal with are usually are at resorts so an apartment, lunches and green fees are usually thrown in. I am really tempted but it sounds too good to be true.  They said they can help me get my game into the low 80s which is good enough to teach.   I asked them if they guaranteed that and they said yes.  I am not sure what to do.

Listen to me buddy. The assistant pro at my country club went to the professional golf career college and he said its a joke. When you so call graduate the PGA of America does not even recognize the certificate. I also had friends of mine that graduated in the PGM program at Miss State University in which when the finish the four year degree (bachelors) they are Class A professionals. These guys still will not be hired at most courses due to the fact they have NO experience. Your best bet would be to find an open position at a club, say like an outside staff. Get your game to where you can shoot about 78 or so and then take the PAT. The PAT will cost you $100 or so. Remember once you take the PAT and pass you become a (professional) according to the PGA of America. This means you can not participate in an amateur events and if you chose not to be a professional in your career you must reinstate you amateur status (which is a pain in the a**). Once you pass the PAT try to get in the current club your at or maybe a club that is hiring a second or third assistant. As a assistant you will probably start off somewhere around $20-25K a year plus the following: meals at the club, lessons, tips, holiday bonuses, and staff deals with certain club manufacturers.

While you are an assistant you order all of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level PGA books. You are only able to complete one level per year in which you must go to Orlando, FL to take the test. So go ahead and figure yourself an assitant for a minimal of four years. Each level you finish your are considered as an apprentice, C, B, and then A. After A you can be considered like a Master professional but thats usually like 20+ years in the business. Once your an A class pro, clubs will consider you to be eligible for a head golf professional.

What you need to do is figure out if a minimum of five years is worth the squeeze. Also depending on the club you find a job at, you can determine how much you make by marketing yourself.

Hope this helps!

[hoganfan924]

Oilman83, on 02 November 2012 - 08:10 AM, said:

Frankie Lob Wedge, on 21 October 2012 - 10:46 PM, said:

I had been getting lots of banner ads on web sites for technical colleges for the golf industry.  I am in my mid to late 40s and shoot in the low to mid 90s from the blue tees at my muni.

I was considering a career change and called one of these golf colleges for a career in golf.  The school is 18 months and $25,000 but you can get financial aid.  They said they can place graduating students at private clubs usually as assistant pros to start.  They also said their teaching methods have helped students become pros at private clubs.  I asked about the pay and they said asst club pro starts at $50,000 plus tips.

Once you become club pro you can make a lot more.  Some of their students are pulling down a quarter million.  Some of the wealthier club members will pay them extra for lessons.

The schools said the private clubs they deal with are usually are at resorts so an apartment, lunches and green fees are usually thrown in. I am really tempted but it sounds too good to be true.  They said they can help me get my game into the low 80s which is good enough to teach.   I asked them if they guaranteed that and they said yes.  I am not sure what to do.

Listen to me buddy. The assistant pro at my country club went to the professional golf career college and he said its a joke. When you so call graduate the PGA of America does not even recognize the certificate. I also had friends of mine that graduated in the PGM program at Miss State University in which when the finish the four year degree (bachelors) they are Class A professionals. These guys still will not be hired at most courses due to the fact they have NO experience. Your best bet would be to find an open position at a club, say like an outside staff. Get your game to where you can shoot about 78 or so and then take the PAT. The PAT will cost you $100 or so. Remember once you take the PAT and pass you become a (professional) according to the PGA of America. This means you can not participate in an amateur events and if you chose not to be a professional in your career you must reinstate you amateur status (which is a pain in the a**). Once you pass the PAT try to get in the current club your at or maybe a club that is hiring a second or third assistant. As a assistant you will probably start off somewhere around $20-25K a year plus the following: meals at the club, lessons, tips, holiday bonuses, and staff deals with certain club manufacturers.

While you are an assistant you order all of your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level PGA books. You are only able to complete one level per year in which you must go to Orlando, FL to take the test. So go ahead and figure yourself an assitant for a minimal of four years. Each level you finish your are considered as an apprentice, C, B, and then A. After A you can be considered like a Master professional but thats usually like 20+ years in the business. Once your an A class pro, clubs will consider you to be eligible for a head golf professional.

What you need to do is figure out if a minimum of five years is worth the squeeze. Also depending on the club you find a job at, you can determine how much you make by marketing yourself.

Hope this helps!

Decision 2-1/9 states otherwise.  Taking the PAT does not make you a professional according to the USGA.  So this should never be a concern to the amateur wishing to take it.

Edited by hoganfan924, 02 November 2012 - 08:43 AM.