Listly by Kadir TUNCEL
There are many golf careers available, and the industry is thriving. It does well as a social-distanced event where you can still see and interact with your friends or family while honing your skills. In turn, this makes it a very in-demand career field, and there are gorgeous courses all around the nation that are always hiring. We've compiled a list of the biggest golf careers to give you an idea of the fields you can go into.
In this job, you manage physical facilities like the ovals, grounds, and buildings to ensure the club maintains a high operating standard. You work as a key support person between the staff and the committee and executive members to ensure the club runs smoothly. You plan any upgrades, coordinate tournaments, and ensures all of your staff perform their duties. The salary range depends on your location, and it can range from $55,000 to $180,000.
You'll oversee the course at a more personal level in this role. You could work directly in the clubhouse to coordinate tournaments, execute them, and coordinate your staff. You oversee the superintendent of the course, and you'll also oversee the head professional. Typically, you'll work with the suppliers of the club and any sponsors. *The salary range starts at $50,000 a year, and it has a top end of just over $100,000 a year. *
The general manager is a very hands-on position at any golf club. It's a great golf career to have if you like to interact with people. You'll manage the day-to-day operations of the golf course. This position brings a lot of interaction with staff. You'll schedule them, make sure you have enough staff to run tournaments or daily operations, and help set up any events the club has. You may work with suppliers and order inventory. *The salary for this career ranges from $40,000 to $80,000 a year. *
If you're a golf course owner, you've invested in a golf course. You typically hire a company to manage it for you, and you may set up a board to help with daily issues or larger problems. It's your responsibility to ensure you have the processes in place for the club to run, and it'll come back on you if the club doesn't meet local or state standards. This is an investment property so that you will earn from it. However, the amount varies wildly.
You have to be a people person to be a driving range owner. You'll invest in the property and have a hand in the daily operations. You'll set your range's hours and book times. You'll have to deal with customers and work with suppliers to get balls or other equipment. You'll have to hire staff to manage it too. The salary range will vary depending on how profitable your range is.
In this position, you'll be responsible for working with suppliers to source and purchase merchandise to have in your pro shop. If you host tournaments, you could also spend time ordering tour-specific items. This person sets up the pro shop, prices merchandise, and works directly with suppliers to bring in new items. You can expect to earn between $30,000 and $50,000 a year working in this spot.
This is a more high-end golf career where you work to manage an entire golf resort. This means that you'll have more duties like coordinating events, making sure you have enough staff to run it, and working with event organizers to ensure everything runs smoothly. You'll coordinate with the resort board or an owner too. The salary gap is very wide for this career depending on whether you work in a larger resort or a smaller one, but it can average from $40,000 up to over $120,000 a year.
You have to have a customer service-oriented personality for this job. The goal of this job is to sell golf club memberships to new people. You usually have sales goals that you have to meet or exceed. You will also lead and coach another team of salespeople to ensure they hit their sales goals to make the club as profitable as possible. Many of these careers are commission-based, so the salary can easily range from $45,000 up to over $150,000. It depends on how much you sell, your resort size, and your location.
If you love teaching golf to new people, this is the golf career for you. The head golf professional will oversee the pro shop, help with merchandise, coordinate tee times, and help coordinate tournaments. You can teach at the driving range, in one-on-one classes, and group events. You'll have to know the rules of the game and be prepared to explain them to people. Fitting people for equipment is another part of the job. The salary ranges between $35,000 and $90,000 a year.
The main role of this career is to assist the head golf professional at a golf club. You could do a lot of duties that the head professional delegates to you. You could work in the pro shop, help order and set up merchandise, co-teach classes, and help with equipment fittings. You want to gain as much experience as possible in this position. The salary ranges between $30,000 and $60,000 a year.
The first step to pursue a career in golf is to get an industry related degree such as and Associate or Bachelor’s degree in golf management.