How Golf Jobs Continue To Evolve

Summary: The golf industry has grown tremendously in the past decade, thanks in part to the monumental success that the professional level of the sport has enjoyed, along with the growth in availability of the sport to a more casual, available audience on a regular basis. The result is a sport that is in dire need of individuals who can provide a growing feature set of skills and abilities that golf jobs may not have previously required. What Golf Jobs Used to Be At one point, g...

The golf industry has grown tremendously in the past decade, thanks in part to the monumental success that the professional level of the sport has enjoyed, along with the growth in availability of the sport to a more casual, available audience on a regular basis. The result is a sport that is in dire need of individuals who can provide a growing feature set of skills and abilities that golf jobs may not have previously required. What Golf Jobs Used to Be At one point, golf courses were restricted to country clubs and expensive getaways where the staff largely consisted of only the most elite of golf professionals, those who had spent their lives in the sport, often as a player. These individuals would organize the course, oversee tournaments and events, and provide oversight to the limited staff of employees. What Golf Jobs Are Today Today, golf jobs are much more elaborate. Because there are now multiple golf courses in every city at varying levels of affluence, there is a much higher demand for golf professionals. Today, you might see golf courses or centers located in: Malls and shopping centers Suburbs Cruise Ships Fitness Centers City Parks All of these locations provide a more direct and publicly accessible means by which an individual can learn to play golf without needing to pay an outrageous fee for membership and entering the course. In addition, driving ranges, golf outlets, and fundamentals workshops have popped up in many places where a full-fledged course may not quite fit. Golf jobs are highly in demand for these locales as anywhere else. What These Golf Courses Need The next logical question, especially for those who are interested in working for a golf course is finding out what these golf courses need. The answer is as varied and broad as the number of places where a golf course may be located. That means that a wide array of individuals may take up the call if they have the necessary training. While it was once necessary for trained professional golfers to maintain these posts, it is nearly impossible for that to be the case anymore and a professional athlete would not know where to start in operating a massive business like structure. Business End Golf Jobs The business end of the golf industry is vast. Running a golf course is a lot of work today because a lot happens. The course must be maintained, usually requiring a large staff of landscapers, designers, and greens keepers, all of which must be organized. Tournaments must be overseen and kept organized and the nearly weekly advent of charity golf outings keeps most golf directors incredibly busy. A business degree is usually required to run a golf course, while undergraduate degrees will help in administrative work. Maintenance Golf Jobs To work in maintenance for a golf course or in the industry, you need to have a keen grasp of the kind of maintenance you will be doing. There are many different aspects of the process now and technology has taken a much greater role in keeping it all operational. Previous maintenance work and a vocational degree are often required for this type of job. Other Golf Jobs Other positions in the golf industry include golfing professionals who can provide instruction, either on the course, in the clubhouse, or at the range. Additional staff includes those who can provide detailed information about clubs and gear or to test various equipment. For someone interested in becoming involved in the industry, it is growing rapidly and there is ample room for new applicants to find golf jobs. The right studying and experience will always help, but a passion for the sport of golf and a working knowledge of its mechanics are nearly as important.