I can't tell you how many times I've ran into people and they ask me what I do for a living.  I tell them I'm a golf professional, and the initial response is "Wow that must be a great job" or "I wish I could spend all day outside"....
Well it's not that easy.  I have recently stepped down as a Pro Shop staffer to free up my time to pursue the parts of golf i enjoy the most... Teaching and Playing.  What I can't understand is how some of my peers expect to be great teachers, great players, and great employees of a club when they are constantly draining their main resource... their bodies.

As individuals in the golf business we put ourselves through long hours and days off are spent grinding our way around golf courses trying to make a few extra dollars.  Also, not all of our tournaments are played in spectacular weather conditions... throw in some rain and wind and a day off turns into a real wash out.  It really isn't that easy, and it takes special guys or gals to excel at all three areas of the golf business.

When I first started working in the golf business, at my true home course Southbrook Golf Club, in Binbrook ON (I call it my true home course as that's where I grew up) I concentrated on being a Pro Shop staffer and creating a great golf game.  I did each very well, I felt I did a great job helping Brian Hutton run that shop.  In the meantime, I played lots of golf and qualified for 5 straight Ontario Match Play Champs., 2 Ontario Amateur Champs., and 1 Canadian Amateur.  Once I turned pro and pursued teaching and coaching, I felt my game was being drowned out, I was constantly tired when working in the shop, and my lessons were never ones that really stood out.  So I asked myself the question "What do you truly want to do?" Well, I want to keep playing the game at the highest level possible, and help people through all the great things I learn through golf.  So working inside, behind the counter had to take a back seat.

As Golf Professionals we have to offer the greatest service possible.  If we are run down, stressed out, or truly do not enjoy what we are doing, we have to ask ourselves "What do I truly want to do?"  If we don't figure this out, our customers and ourselves will ultimately struggle in the long run.  A happy coach/employee/player equals happy customers and family.  
 


Comments

Dave Brown
03/29/2010 4:37pm

Unless you are super talented, are an ambitious player, and have some good funding, avoiding the proshop might be a great option however, working the proshop is a true, steadfast income even if its only partime; not to mention good networking and reputation building. Proshop working pays the bills, coming in 20th at a tourny..not so much..there can be a balance between playing, tournys and proshop, its daunting, but a little ambition and hard work and it works!

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