PGA Golf Management Internship Conference

On Thursday July 26th, the 2012 PGA Golf Management Intern Conference was staged at historic Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. 18 students representing 6 different universities participated in the annual event that brings the interns together in an inspirational and educational environment. The conference is designed to allow the interns to network with their peers, share their experiences, and learn from some of the areas finest PGA Professionals. The event was graciously sponsored by Vineyard Vines.



TOUR OF THE BALTUSROL GOLF OPERATION
 

 

After the opening announcements, the conference kicked off with a tour of the Baltusrol golf operation led by its First Assistant Professional and Clemson PGM Alum, Reed Lansinger. Reed gave the interns an inside look at the practice facility, it's learning center, the golf shop, and the clubs more than 90 year old clubhouse. The tour is designed to inspire students and give them a first hand look at what is possible through perseverance, patience, and hard work.PANEL DISCUSSION

 

After the tour, the interns returned to the Farrell Room for the panel discussion which included David Reasoner, Head Professional at The Ridgewood Country Club and Penn State PGM graduate, Jamie Kilmer, Head Professional at Wheatley Hills Golf Club and Penn State PGM graduate, Michael Shank, Head Professional at North Shore Country Club and Penn State graduate, and Cory Crelan, Vineyard Vines Account Executive and Ferris State PGM graduate. During the panel discussion, the mediators as well as the students picked their brains to see just what it takes to be successful as a PGM student, intern, and PGA Professional. The following are some insights gained:

• Get away and get out of your comfort zone. Develop a unique story that you can tell to a selection committee. Being able to tell a compelling story to a selection committee is going to be critical.

• It's important to know who you are working for because they are going to have a large influence on shaping you as a young professional. Absorb the different styles of the teachers, merchandisers, tournament operators, assistant professionals and head professionals around you. Learn what is right and what it wrong. Shape yourself into the kind of golf professional that you want to be. 

• The path as a club professional requires, more than anything else, the virtue of patience. In the midst of that patience, we must be utilizing our strengths but just as important, developing our weaknesses. 

• Take seriously the accounting classes. They will have a large impact on your future ability to to run a business. Ask your Head Professional if you can watch them do what they do from a business standpoint, i.e. budgeting, payroll, open to buy, etc. 

• PGA Professionals are the authorities of the game, we must lead by example and act the part. 

• We need to be able to communicate and adapt to our members. Clubs are melting pots of people. They have a different mixture of personalities and different members shake hands differently. There are the hand shakers, the fist bump guys, and the huggers, and we must be able to shake their hands how they shake hands. The better you can adapt to everyone, the more successful you'll be. 

• Involvement is critical. Involvement outside of mandatory requirements. Extracurricular activities speak volumes about a students initiative, motivation, and direction. 

• Students are now sending in portfolios for internships. Portfolios for bag drop positions are common place now. It is an extremely competitive landscape now. Students are better prepared and you must be able to compete with that. 

• If you can come to work with a smile on your face and be enthusiastic about what you do, you will be successful. 

• Pay attention to the places you visit and don't be afraid to speak up at work and offer suggestions based on what you've seen. Most Head Professionals don't want "yes men". Stand up for an idea that you believe in. 

• As young professionals, what you do on your days off speaks volumes about your motivation and direction. Some Head Professionals don't want their assistants going to the beach on a day off, they want them playing, playing in tournaments, and working on their game. 

• Develop a professional website for yourself and use that as means to market yourself during the hiring process for positions.

• The decisions you make are the difference between success and failure. When a family with kids comes into your life, what you have to lose increases dramatically. At that point in your life, you can't afford to make poor decisions. You must develop your decision making ability and that process begins when your young. Your career and most importantly your life depends on it. 

ROUND TABLE GROUP DISCUSSION 

 

After a dinner break, the students broke out into a "round table" group discussion format in which each one shared their internship experiences and what they have learned, as well as best practices picked up along the way. The following are some insights that were shared:

• Patience with the membership. Everybody ticks differently and we must be able to exhibit patience as we address the needs of the various kinds of members we'll confront. 

• Get everything you can from all aspects of an internship. If you're told that your main responsibility is to man the counter. Don't let that stop you from involving yourself in other areas on days off or off hours on a day you work. 

• Be happy with yourself, with who you are, don't try to be someone that you're not. 

• Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help and getting something right is ten times better than doing it without asking and getting it wrong. 

• If you can find the things you're not very good at and ask your Head Professional for opportunities to get better in those areas, you will learn so much more than just always clinging to what your already good at. Strengthen your weaknesses, and improvement will come quickly. 

• Maintain professionalism among the staff and peers. Don't take for granted the privileges you have within your staff and throughout other clubs. We are lucky to be doing what we are doing. 

• Problem solving and learning to deal with people is critical. No matter the size, we need others to solve problems. We depend on everybody. From the golf staff, to the F&B staff, to the grounds crew, everybody must be prepared and in communication with each other. 

• Our service must be consistent. The members that come in one minute before close deserve the same service as the members that come in at 10 O'Clock in the morning. 

• "No" should not be in our vocabulary. But we can say "I assure you that I'll try my best". 

• Making empowered decisions is how we will get better. Being empowered to make a decision and then making the wrong decision is not a bad thing. It's an opportunity to evaluate your thought process and get better from that situation.

The golf business is as difficult as it has ever been. In the midst of the challenges, the PGA Golf Management Intern Conference is designed to inspire and energize a young generation of aspiring golf  professionals towards a successful career as a PGA Professional. We all need help and who better to find it in than each other. See you next year!