
What are the different jobs at a golf course?
There are a variety of possible jobs at golf courses, ranging from golf instructor to sales clerk to the laborers who cut the fairways and greens. However, there are only a few jobs that offer potential careers, with opportunities for solid advancement in position and pay.
Why choose a career in golf courses?
Variety of jobs: Golf courses offer a variety of jobs, ensuring you find a position suited for your skill set, experience and interest.
How many beginners are in the golf industry?
The industry has had seven straight years with more than 2 million beginners. By comparison, there were 1.5 million beginners in 2011. The key for future growth, however, is retention. off-course only participants. The engagement within this demographic has remained steady for the past seven years.
Who are the on-course golfers?
of on-course golfers are women. Females represent a disproportionately higher percentage of juniors (34%), beginners (36%) and off-course participants (45%) than they do in the overall golf population. people who didn’t play golf in 2020 said they are "very interested" in playing golf on a golf course.

How many jobs are there in the golf industry?
There are 28,000 PGA professionals who work in the $84 billion golf industry. Some jobs are top of mind for most folks: teaching and coaching, golf operations and executive jobs like a club's general manager.
What kind of jobs are at a golf course?
Golf course jobsCart attendant.Cashier.Snack bar attendant.Shop assistant.Golf professional.Cook.Maintenance crew.Golf coach.More items...•
What percentage of business is done on a golf course?
How much business is done on the golf course? Chances are 33.33% (or 1 in every 3) golfers are into or doing some kind of business on the golf course.
How much revenue do golf courses generate?
Golf Course Owners make between $30,000 to several hundred thousand dollars per year. However, golf course owners sometimes will lose money if the course has a bad year.
What is a golf cart girl called?
The best thing is a cool refreshing beverage and it's the job of the golf course beverage cart attendant to serve you. A golf course beverage cart attendant, commonly referred to as the beer cart driver, delivers drinks and snacks to golfers.
Is a career in golf worth it?
Having a career in golf is a lot of work but is very rewarding. I have met some fantastic people on my journey and have worked at many some very prestigious courses. The job, like any job, has its ups and downs but it is worth it in the end!
Does golf help business?
According to Forbes article Golfers Make Better Business Executives, 90% of Fortune 500 Company CEOs play golf, and 80% of all executives say, “Golf has the power to establish new relationships.” Not only do you acquire a professional relationship, you also make a friend that can last a lifetime.
How big is the golf industry?
Golf is a nearly $70 billion industry.
How often do CEOs play golf?
16 roundsWe first look at how frequently CEOs play golf, to see if there is any reason for concern. On average, a CEO records 16 rounds of golf per year – a little more than one round per month.
Do golf courses turn a profit?
Profitable golf courses are generally selling for six to eight times EBITDA, while courses that aren't profitable tend to sell at 0.8 to 1.4 times revenue.
How do golf courses stay in business?
Ways To Raise Money For Your Golf Course. The most common income streams are green fees, membership fees, pro shop sales, and food and beverage sales. While increasing membership fees or green fees might seem like a good way to increase revenue, it might put off more golfers than the additional income earned.
How much money does golf bring?
Last year, there were 24.3 million people that played golf at one of the nation's 16,000 golf courses. The golf industry continues to grow. In 2018, the nation's golf courses generated $23.4B in revenues, a 3.3% increase from 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (see Figure 1).
What is someone who works on a golf course called?
PGA teaching professionals are sometimes called assistants and work underneath the head pro. Many of them teach, work in the golf shop and coordinate golf course events and tournaments. These staffers are many times certified PGA professionals or in the PGA apprentice program.
What skills do you need to work at a golf course?
Top 12 skills to get a super jobAgronomy skills. “Clubs are looking for an individual with good agronomic skills. ... Strong leadership abilities. ... Good writing and communication skills. ... Strong character and decisiveness. ... Team player. ... Approachability. ... Sound financial and administrative skills. ... Experience with improvements.More items...
What does a cart attendant do at a golf course?
Primary responsibility falls on service to members, assisting golfers with bags, cart cleanliness/upkeep, and maintaining the driving range. The Cart Attendant must have excellent listening skills and an eagerness to provide excellent service. Must be flexible in meeting the varying scheduling needs of the golf course.
What does a golf caddy do?
The biggest duty as a caddie is to carry the golf bag for the golfer. This involves not just carrying the clubs but handing the golfer the requested club when they're ready to use it. You will need to put the clubs back in the bag once the golfer is finished with their shot.
What are the jobs at golf courses?
There are a variety of possible jobs at golf courses, ranging from golf instructor to sales clerk to the laborers who cut the fairways and greens.
Who oversees the entire operations of a golf course?
The person who oversees the entire operations of the golf course is the general manager. He hires and manages staff, oversees the budget and implements marketing plans. At some courses, the general manager is also a PGA teaching professional. According to a number of job websites, as of 2010, a golf course manager's salary generally ranges ...
What is a staff professional in golf?
Staff Professional. PGA teaching professionals are sometimes called assistants and work underneath the head pro. Many of them teach, work in the golf shop and coordinate golf course events and tournaments. These staffers are many times certified PGA professionals or in the PGA apprentice program.
What is a head pro in golf?
Head Golf Professional. The golf course's head pro usually oversees the golf shop operations and the golf teaching staff. She is almost always a certified class-A PGA professional and generally has been an assistant professional or a staff teaching professional at a golf course or driving range. According to the PGA of America, as ...
What is a golf food and beverage manager?
The food and beverage manager oversees dining and food budgets, orders needed supplies, manages food staff and helps to coordinate special course events , such as golf outings. She may also work as a sales associate to help promote the golf course's dining or banquet facilities.
How do rangers manage golf?
Rangers manage play around the golf course by keeping tabs on pace-of-play and helping assist players with such things as misplaced clubs or a lost ball. Many starters and rangers are paid on an hourly scale.
What is the job of a caddy master?
That person is the caddy master. His biggest job is to manage the course caddies, coordinate their work schedules and develop training programs for the caddies.
1. Golf cart attendant
Primary duties: Cart attendants can work at designated clubs or work for professionals that may travel to various locations. Their tasks can include greeting guests, driving them through the course and performing caddy duties such as cleaning and organizing clubs, handing clubs to the golfer, rake sand traps and smooth ball marks along a course.
2. Greenkeeper
Primary duties: The greenkeeper, or groundskeeper, on a golf course helps maintain the course itself. Their primary duties can include setting pins and tees, measuring the speed in which balls can travel on the green and clearly marking hazards so patrons stay safe.
3. Sports writer
Primary duties: Golf sports writers are often professionals passionate about the sport who attend golf matches or watch competitive golf on television. Sports writers can write recaps about matches, professional features or predictive articles that speculate the results of matches in the future.
4. Golf professional
Primary duties: Golf professionals are often master golfers who help run the operations of a golf course. This can involve determining daily and event tee times, answering customer queries and assisting customers in the course shop. Golf professionals may spend much of their time golfing themselves or holding lessons to teach others how to golf.
5. Golf coach
Primary duties: Golf coaches assist golfers in organizations or at clubs to improve their golfing skills. These professionals schedule and facilitate practices, managing team budgets and managing equipment like clubs, tees and uniforms.
6. Marketing associate
Primary duties: Many golf equipment companies, facilities and clubs hire marketing associates to create promotional materials for them. This can include writing email campaigns, pitching design ideas or managing social media content for a company.
7. Sales associate
Primary duties: Golf sales associates can work as associates in shops on a course, retail companies or for companies as inside or outside sales representatives at larger companies. For example, at a golf equipment company, you may need to manage customer accounts, call prospective sales, generate leads and reach a regular sales quota.
How many hours a week can you spend on golf?
For some, the sport of golf can become an obsession. You can spend 20 hours a week on the course, watch every second of the week's PGA Tour or LPGA Tour tournaments and still not get enough.
What is the job of a golf course superintendent?
A golf course superintendent has the responsibility of making sure that the greens, fairways and roughs are cut to specific level, that the grass is watered, the pins are moved, the tee boxes maintained, the pesticides and lawn chemicals are applied and that the lawn equipment is properly cared for.
What degree do you need to be a golf course architect?
They have to have a degree in either architecture, landscape design or engineering.
How employable are golf pros?
CareerExplorer rates golf pros with a D employability rating, meaning this career should provide weak employment opportunities for the foreseeable future.
Are golf pros in demand?
Between 1999 and 2003, Tiger Woods won an estimated thirty-two golf tournaments, among them seven majors. During this period golf was, not coincidentally, at its most popular. Since then, the industry has struggled to regain traction.
How to become a golf pro
Requirements for becoming a golf pro vary with the type of position desired. For touring professionals, there is usually no certification required other than a …
How many people will play golf in 2020?
played golf – both on-course and off-course – in 2020. This includes 24.8 million people who played on a golf course and another 12.1 million who participated exclusively in off-course golf activities at places like driving ranges, indoor golf simulators or golf entertainment venues like Topgolf and Drive Shack.
What percentage of golfers are women?
0 %. of on-course golfers are women. Females represent a disproportionately higher percentage of juniors (34%), beginners (36%) and off-course participants (45%) than they do in the overall golf population. Latent Demand.
How to raise money for a golf course?
Ways To Raise Money For Your Golf Course. The most common income streams are green fees, membership fees, pro shop sales, and food and beverage sales. While increasing membership fees or green fees might seem like a good way to increase revenue, it might put off more golfers than the additional income earned.
How to boost income from golf club?
To boost income all you have to do is use your imagination and look around at what competitors are doing. Then go do it better or implement something that they do not do.
What are some ways to increase sales in golf?
Providing on-course refreshments at strategically placed holes where golfers can stock up with refreshing cold beverages, or even a hot beverage on a cold day can increase the sales when golfers forget to stock up before the round or a halfway house.
Why are golf courses abandoned?
Many a golf course has been abandoned during economic downturns due to the high cost of keeping it alive and prospering. One of the most common ways to raise funds is by increasing the number of members. However, this is not always possible during tough times such as the Covid-19 pandemic or the 2008 economic downturn.
What does it mean to look at a well-manicured golf course?
Looking at a well-manicured golf course creates a peaceful feeling until you play some challenging golf. Being an owner of a golf course can fill you with loads of pride but can lead to financial difficulties.
How does sponsorship work in golf?
Sponsorship can go a long way for you to promote incentives for membership by pooling regular golfers’ names and have a monthly draw to hand out a prize. This can be conditional on the number of rounds a golfer has played or something similar.
Can you search for tee times on the internet?
Golfers will search the internet for tee times when they want to book at short notice. In earlier days you had to phone the golf courses to determine whether there is a slot available, now it is done from the comfort of your mobile device.

Overview
General Manager
- The person who oversees the entire operations of the golf course is the general manager. He hires and manages staff, oversees the budget and implements marketing plans. At some courses, the general manager is also a PGA teaching professional. According to a number of job websites, as of 2010, a golf course manager's salary generally ranges from $60,000 to $100,000 annually.
Head Golf Professional
- The golf course's head pro usually oversees the golf shop operations and the golf teaching staff. She is almost always a certified class-A PGA professional and generally has been an assistant professional or a staff teaching professional at a golf course or driving range. According to the PGA of America, as of 2010, a head pro's yearly salary can range between $35,000 and $100,000.
Staff Professional
- PGA teaching professionals are sometimes called assistants and work underneath the head pro. Many of them teach, work in the golf shop and coordinate golf course events and tournaments. These staffers are many times certified PGA professionals or in the PGA apprentice program. Job websites estimate annual pay at between $25,000 and $60,000 as of 2010.
Course Superintendent
- To become a golf course superintendent, or head greenskeeper, you must have an education in agronomy or turfgrass management. The job is to take care of all the different varieties of grasses, trees and shrubs on the golf course, to manage the landscape crew and to handle the obstacles (heavy rains, storms, obsessive heat) Mother Nature may bring. The superintendent al…
Caddy Master
- Mainly at private golf clubs, someone is needed to oversee caddy operations, train caddies and coordinate caddy work. That person is the caddy master. His biggest job is to manage the course caddies, coordinate their work schedules and develop training programs for the caddies. According to sports and recreation job websites, a caddy master can make between $20,000 an…
Starters and Rangers
- To help manage tee times and player start times, and to help facilitate play around the course, golf clubs hire starters and rangers. The starter is the first tee's gatekeeper, managing the tee times as players begin their rounds. This position requires organizational skills and a personable demeanor, as starters welcome golfers to the course. Rangers manage play around the golf cou…
Food and Beverage Manager
- If the golf course has dining, bar or banquet facilities, there is likely a position for someone to manage this part of the golf club's operations. The food and beverage manager oversees dining and food budgets, orders needed supplies, manages food staff and helps to coordinate special course events, such as golf outings. She may also work as a sales associate to help promote th…