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PGM Program ?'s


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I am a senior in high school and want a career in the golf industry . I have applied and been accepted into the PGM programs at Coastal Carolina, Methodist, Mississippi St, and Florida Golf Coast. My number one is Coastal but it will all come down to money at the end of the day. My family and I are struggling to decide what is the most money efficient way to get this degree. I know that i could go to business school and then go through the apprenticeship process, but as I understand you lose many connections that way. So my main question is, is it worth it to go to one of these schools and potentially go into 70k in debt? Thanks in advance.

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I took the path of finishing school then going into an apprenticeship. Yes overall you're paying much less than you would going through a PGM program but you also aren't going to make squat for money for ~5~ years. The apprenticeship costs ~$2500 a year assuming you follow close to the 3 year track and go to the seminars once a year. I work in a seasonal area at probably the best public course in a 50 mile area and barely make $20k. Thankfully I live at home with my parents right now but working as an assistant pro without certification is a green light for companies to underpay.

You mentioned the lack of connections. Everyone I've talked to has said hat while the cost is higher for PGM you're paying for the connections and that it's absolutely worth it. To have 10-50 peers spread across the country immediately helps with job finding. Also I know a couple PGM programs have scholarships to help with the costs.

Let me know if you have any other questions on apprenticeships. I'm just starting my 2nd year and would love to help with what I can.

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I took the path of finishing school then going into an apprenticeship. Yes overall you're paying much less than you would going through a PGM program but you also aren't going to make squat for money for ~5~ years. The apprenticeship costs ~$2500 a year assuming you follow close to the 3 year track and go to the seminars once a year. I work in a seasonal area at probably the best public course in a 50 mile area and barely make $20k. Thankfully I live at home with my parents right now but working as an assistant pro without certification is a green light for companies to underpay.

You mentioned the lack of connections. Everyone I've talked to has said hat while the cost is higher for PGM you're paying for the connections and that it's absolutely worth it. To have 10-50 peers spread across the country immediately helps with job finding. Also I know a couple PGM programs have scholarships to help with the costs.

Let me know if you have any other questions on apprenticeships. I'm just starting my 2nd year and would love to help with what I can.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would stick with Coastal if it was me. I got into both there and Methodist. I visited Coastal and thats where I should have gone, because Methodist is very expensive and its not worth it imo.

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Being a Methodist Grad, it is a little bit more expensive however I am biased over which program I like more. I would check out both schools to see which has better Alumni support in an area you wish to live. I grinded for three years after graduating working hourly before I landed my first management job. My advice is to enjoy the journey and wherever you go make the most out of your current situation. The road to being a sucessful PGA Professional is a marathon, not a sprint. The biggest difference i have seen with PGM guys and Non-PGM is that the Non-PGM have to put in those extra four years to catch up, we are talking working mainly outside and paying for the majority of your own education. In most cases I have seen Non-PGM guys take about 6-8 years to complete the program, where PGM would be 4 years plus your degree.

Also take into account what kind of education you need to be sucessful, I struggle with mild dislexia and my grades were nothing amazing in high school which is why I chose Methodist for not only their PGM program but also their smaller class sizes.

PM me if you have any questions.

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  • 5 months later...

I went to Methodist for my freshman year. Hated it and got the hell out of there ASAP. Transferred to Coastal Sophomore year and met about a dozen guys who had made the same switch of the previous couple of years. Better town, better golf, better academics, cheaper (if you can swing in-state), I could keep going..

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  • 3 years later...

Any feedback on Mississippi State or NMSU ?

 

With us living in Virginia we can apply for in state tuition exchange.

 

Son does CCU though. I mean what's not to love!

 

Mississippi State sux. But I know nothing about their PGM. program. Just trust me, as an Ole Miss grad, you want NOTHING to do with that place.

 

I will say that most of the assistant pros at our club have come from State and are good folks. They’ve all moved on to good head pro jobs. But no way it’s worth going to that awful place ???

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Going into PGM programs: Not very many college golfers end up with full athletic scholarships. Have you looked into general scholarships or grants to help defray the cost of college? See what type of total package you could get from the different schools.

 

What do your high school grades look like?

 

Coastal Carolina University has the Hackler Golf Course near campus. The course ties in heavily with the PGA Management program run out of the business school. I don't have direct ties to CCU, but have observed and talked to their students during trips to Myrtle Beach and at 2016 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. They speak highly of the PGM program and CCU in general.

 

For any of the PGM programs, do your homework and find out what the net cost of attending would be. I don't think you have prospected very much on different sources of financial aid. Does your $70K figure take into account opportunities for financial aid?

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Driver:  Tour Edge EXS 10.5° (base loft); weights neutral   ||  FWs:  Calla Rogue 4W + 7W

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Ball: 1. Srixon Q-Star Tour / 2. Calla SuperHot (Orange preferred)  ||  Bag: Sun Mountain Three 5 stand bag

    * MD4 54°/10 S-Grind replaced MD3 54°/12 W-Grind.

     Ψ  Backups:

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Be the member not the pro - get a business/finance degree at a good school and you’ll play more golf and enjoy the game much more.

 

Not true for everyone

There are exceptions to every rule

 

I think you’d be surprised at the top 25% and average income for head pros, directors of golf, general managers, and directors of instruction make in the US.

 

Golf pros can play a lot of golf if they choose to.

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Be the member not the pro - get a business/finance degree at a good school and you’ll play more golf and enjoy the game much more.

 

Not true for everyone

There are exceptions to every rule

 

I think you’d be surprised at the top 25% and average income for head pros, directors of golf, general managers, and directors of instruction make in the US.

 

Golf pros can play a lot of golf if they choose to.

 

As a PGA Professional and past Dir of Golf at a Top 15 in my state, I wouldn’t be surprised. But I respect your opinion.

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Be the member not the pro - get a business/finance degree at a good school and you’ll play more golf and enjoy the game much more.

 

Not true for everyone

There are exceptions to every rule

 

I think you’d be surprised at the top 25% and average income for head pros, directors of golf, general managers, and directors of instruction make in the US.

 

Golf pros can play a lot of golf if they choose to.

 

As a PGA Professional and past Dir of Golf at a Top 15 in my state, I wouldn’t be surprised. But I respect your opinion.

 

So you made more than the average/median graduate with a masters degree in business/finance with more access to top golf courses than the overwhelming majority of them.

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Golf pros can play a lot of golf if they choose to.

 

This depends a lot on the place where you operate. If you work at a public course and have to manage the snack bar on the side, not too likely. Same situation if you work at a mid-level semi-private course.

 

Also, head golf pros in the 2000s find themselves in a different situation than those back in the 1980s. Thirty years ago, the head pro often ran the golf shop himself and got the profits, and got to keep most of the lesson money.

 

Now, many golf pros find they are more of a salaried employee than a business professional. They run the pro shop on behalf of the course owners, probably get a small cut. I tried to get a semi-private pro as guest speaker for an early October event. He declined, because he said the pro shop staff had been cut to himself and an assistant for the post-Labor Day season. This is a busy course with 27 holes.

 

I know several former golf pros or white-side club fitters. They said they quit the golf industry because it interfered with their golf game and parenting.

 

Part of it, of course, has to do with time management. One pro at a high-end country club where I caddied always got in some golf each day. You might see him practicing his 5i and 7i at 7:45 AM when the range opened, or working on his chipping and putting on the lunch hour. He normally got in 9 holes with the men's association president on Friday morning.

 

Granted, the right golf industry situation can be a great way to live. But, don't automatically count on playing a lot of golf every week.

What's In The Bag (As of April 2023, post-MAX change + new putter)

 

Driver:  Tour Edge EXS 10.5° (base loft); weights neutral   ||  FWs:  Calla Rogue 4W + 7W

Hybrid:  Calla Big Bertha OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  Calla Mavrik MAX 5i-PW

Wedges*:  Calla MD3: 48°... MD4: 54°, 58° ||  PutterΨSeeMore FGP + SuperStroke 1.0PT, 33" shaft

Ball: 1. Srixon Q-Star Tour / 2. Calla SuperHot (Orange preferred)  ||  Bag: Sun Mountain Three 5 stand bag

    * MD4 54°/10 S-Grind replaced MD3 54°/12 W-Grind.

     Ψ  Backups:

  • Ping Sigma G Tyne (face-balanced) + Evnroll Gravity Grip |
  • Slotline Inertial SL-583F w/ SuperStroke 2.MidSlim (50 gr. weight removed) |
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Be the member not the pro - get a business/finance degree at a good school and you'll play more golf and enjoy the game much more.

 

Not true for everyone

There are exceptions to every rule

 

If everything is possible, then it is possible for anything to be impossible.

There's definitely something more important that I should be doing.
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