Pathways to a PGA Membership

Th two ways to obtain a membership, and the costs behind it.

Every Monday, I write a newsletter breaking down the business in golf. Welcome to the 106 new Perfect Putt members who have joined us since last Monday. Join 5,202 intelligent and curious golfers by subscribing below.

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(Sand Creek Country Club)

Pictured above is Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana — a Concert Golf Partners Golf Club.

I have been fortunate to partner with Concert Golf Partners for the last few months. I appreciate Peter Nanula and his team's support for Perfect Putt.

Concert Golf Partners is the leading boutique owner-operator of upscale, private clubs nationwide. Since its founding in 2011, Concert Golf has developed a reputation as the buyer of choice for private club owners seeking to pass the torch to a high-quality operator.

Concert Golf’s most recent acquisition was Marsh Landing Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Concert Golf has a portfolio of 28 boutique golf clubs in the United States — below are a few.

• Glen Oaks Country Club — West Des Moines, Iowa

• The Club at Renaissance — Fort Myers, Florida

• Hiwan Golf Club — Evergreen, Colorado

Concert Golf is actively seeking to add to its boutique portfolio. If your club or you know of a club looking to explore an acquisition — reach out to the Concert Golf Team below.

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Hey Golfers —

I spoke with several PGA Professionals over the past week to better understand the path to becoming a PGA Pro, the opportunities, and the challenges that come along with it.

Let’s start with the path to becoming a PGA member.

There are essentially two pathways that lead to PGA membership.

• PGA Golf Management University Program

• PGA Professional Golf Management Program

There are 17 universities offering a Professional Golf Management (PGM) program — down from 20 in 2019. Two of the 17 PGM programs are at private universities — Campbell University and Methodist University.

PGM programs are 4.5 - 5 year programs with an incredible job placement rate of 100%.

The two private universities aren’t cheap. Before scholarships — Campbell has an estimated cost of $54,000, and Methodist has an estimated cost of $51,000.

Access to affordable PGM programs is an issue, with so few universities offering the PGM program.

The state of North Carolina boasts the most PGM programs at three.

• Campbell University

• Methodist University

• North Carolina State University

Outside of North Carolina, no other state has more than one program — 15 states in total offer a PGM program.

• South Carolina

  • Coastal Carolina University

• Kentucky

  • Eastern Kentucky University

• Michigan

  • Ferris State University

• Florida

  • Florida Golf Coast University

• Mississippi

  • Mississippi State University

• New Mexico

  • New Mexico State University

• Pennsylvania

  • Penn State University

• Texas

  • Sam Houston State University

• Oklahoma

  • University of Central Oklahoma

• Colorado

  • University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

• Idaho

  • University of Idaho

• Maryland

  • University of Maryland Eastern Shore

• Nebraska

  • University of Nebraska

• Nevada

  • University of Nevada Las Vegas

And why is this important? Out-of-state tuition costs are double in some cases.

North Carolina State costs $25,000 yearly for in-state students and $47,000 for out-of-state students. And UNLV costs $26,000 for in-state students and $44,000 for out-of-state students.

To put this in perspective — 122 million people live in these 15 states or about 37% of the United States. While some universities may offer residency to neighboring states — if you don’t live in a state with a PGM program, you will likely be paying a considerable amount in college tuition costs to get a PGM degree.

The average salary for an assistant PGA Pro in the United States is $53,700 per year, and the average salary for a head PGA Pro is $102,000 per year. This begs the question — is the PGM program worth the return on investment?

The PGA of America offers the PGA Professional Golf Management Program, an alternate path to the university PGM program.

A person will need to do two things to get started in the program.

• Pass a background check

• Pass a qualifying test

When a person passes the background check and qualification test, they can apply for an associate membership as long as they fulfill the employment requirements.

The Player’s Ability Test (PAT) is also an essential requirement.

To pass the PAT — a player will play 36 holes and must be within 15 strokes of the course rating. Less than 20% of players pass the PAT Test, and you have eight years to complete the PAT test.

Once a person is accepted into the PGM Associate Program, they will have nine years to complete three different levels. And it can be completed at a much quicker pace, dependent on the individual.

One of the things I appreciate about the PGA Professional Golf Management Program is you do not need a college degree.

You will need 28 work experience credits to complete the PGA Professional Golf Management Program. One credit is equal to one month of work experience. But college degrees are rewarded in credits.

• Four-year degree: 12 credits

• Two-year degree: 6 credits

If a person were to have a four-year degree, they could conceivably finish the PGA Professional Golf Management Program in 16 months.

One individual I spoke with played Division I golf at a school that did not offer a PGM program and is currently in the PGA Professional Golf Management Program. He estimated the total cost of the program to be $12,000.

The golf industry has enjoyed incredible success in the last two years, but there are also challenges — the lack of PGA Professionals and Superintendents in the labor force. A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece about the Business in Turf. The PGA professionals I spoke with echoed the comments made by Superintendents.

Earlier this year — Golf Digest wrote a piece highlighting some of the challenges PGA Professionals face.

In 2004, there were over 9,700 students in both programs we discussed. In 2022, there are only 5,000 — the talent pipeline has been cut in half in just 18 years.

And in the last four years, Head Professionals and Assistant Professionals in the labor market have dropped by 10%.

One of the most alarming data points in the Golf Digest piece was how many PGA Professionals are no longer members. From 2009 to 2018 — 27% dropped their membership.

Two of the PGA Professionals I talked to weren’t green grass professionals. One never entered the market, and the other looked for a better work-life balance. And one of the PGA Professionals I spoke with graduated from Cambell University. He started the PGM program with 41 students and only graduated with 16.

The PGA Professionals I spoke with provided two reasons for the overall decline in participation.

• Poor work-life balance

• Golf was in a steady decline until the pandemic

In 2006, there were an estimated 29.8 million golf participants in the United States. That number dropped to 24.3 million in 2019 — a decline of about 18%.

(Photo Credit: Statisa)

Add in the record years in 2020 and 2021 for beginner golfers of over 3 million each year to the other key data points — we can understand the challenges golf may face in the coming years.

The PGA of America is certainly aware of its current situation. And each PGA Professional I spoke with acknowledged that compensation is improving and the emphasis on a better work-life balance.

One last thing I will leave you with is an obvious but important statement. Buy as much golf gear and equipment as possible at your local golf course. In some form, it will support your PGA professional.

Have yourself a great Monday. Talk to you next week!

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