The PGA of America is shining a spotlight on Wisconsin this month, with the Ryder Cup scheduled Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits on the shore of Lake Michigan. It’s not a bad time to shine a light on the organization that operates the biennial matches, as well.
The PGA of America gains much attention for the Ryder Cup and its PGA Championship, but the heart of the organization is nearly 29,000 golf professionals who teach the game, operate courses, conduct thousands of local charitable and fundraising events each year, and basically make the game more inviting and fun for members of private clubs and public-access facilities.
Golfweek spoke with PGA president Jim Richerson, as well as Northern Ohio PGA Section president Steve Parker, to highlight their enthusiasm.
Jim Richerson, president of the PGA of America (Courtesy of the PGA of America)
Richerson, the senior vice president of golf operations for course-management company Troon, was elected president of the PGA in 2020. His career included an 11-year stint at Destination Kohler, the resort that operates Whistling Straits. Parker is the director of golf operations at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, and was for years employed at Firestone Country Club, longtime host of a PGA Tour event and three PGA Championships.
Richerson: Our 28,000 professionals are truly the tangible connection to everybody who is involved or wants to learn to play the game. We’re the best teachers, we’re the best at running events, we’re the best promoters and the best at growth-of-the-game and player-development programs. Typically, PGA members are unbelievably service-oriented and hospitality-driven. If you join a club or frequent a public golf course, you’re kind of there to get away from your job or a little bit of stress in your life … and PGA professionals are the best at facilitating that.
Steve Parker, president of the Northern Ohio PGA section (Courtesy of the PGA of America)
Parker: For a club hiring a PGA member, he has proved that not only can he complete a task by completing the requirements for his membership, but he is also knowledgeable in the field of golf.
Richerson: That’s one thing we constantly evolve and update. It’s PGA professionals being educated in the latest technology, whether its golf operations with point-of-sale systems, whether it’s through sales and marketing, or teaching and coaching programs. Now as we get a lot of technology in coaching, that’s a big part of it. We have plenty of PGA professionals who have gone on to become general managers at properties or executives with management companies and various high levels of different facilities and different companies involved with golf, and I think the continuing education helps those PGA members get to the forefront.
Parker: It keeps them up with industry trends and new ideas. There’s a fraternity there amongst the PGA members, and sometimes the best ideas are from somebody else. And you learn from the fraternity, if you will, of PGA members.
Richerson: If you look back 50 or 60 years, it was all about teaching and playing. Some of the best-playing tour professionals were also club professionals. … It has evolved into businesspeople running golf shops, running a complete facility operation, maybe if they have become general manager then running the food and beverage, and the agronomy, accounting, maybe human resources. As we like to say, a PGA member wears a lot of hats.
Parker: It has become more well-rounded. They have changed our PGA education program now to really three career paths: teaching and coaching, golf operations, and executive management. So, the individual PGA professional has a choice through one of those career paths to expand their knowledge. … I think that over the last 10 to 15 years, they have really enhanced the education program of the PGA.
Richerson: As we said, we offer all that continuing education a PGA member can take advantage of. We also have a lot of corporate partnerships that a facility that has a PGA member can take advantage of. It also ties you into a network of 28,000 PGA members around the country. If you’re looking for advice, that professional can reach out to those 28,000 for their best practices or references to share ideas. … If you’re going to increase your bottom line, you have to drive new revenue and drive new business. If you (the customer) are playing better golf, you’re likely to play more golf. The people who can get others to improve their games and play more golf are the PGA professionals out on the lesson tee. A PGA professional is always part salesperson, making sure that guest or member enjoys their experience and wants to come back. It’s a big part of it. Clubs that have more guests or members coming through the door are going to thrive.
Richerson: The biggest thing, inherently, is most golf professionals don’t really trumpet their own horn and tell the community or their membership all the things they are doing. We have some unbelievably skilled men and women that need to toot their own horn a little more to let everybody know the incredible jobs they and their staffs are doing, how they are benefitting their facility and how they give back to the community. That’s a big part of our job from the national perspective, and as the president of the association I’m going to trumpet that horn and make everyone aware of the job our golf professionals are doing.
Richerson: I do that all time, trying to mentor young professionals. It’s a really great industry to get into if you really enjoy golf and enjoy people. Some of the most interesting people in the world are all connected by golf. You will learn all kinds of different business and people skills that will help you in your personal life as well as your business. If you enjoy the game and are passionate about it, you will have all kinds of opportunities.
Parker: I would tell them it’s a great business to be in and offers plenty of opportunity. I have a 21-year-old associate, and he’s going back and forth between a club in Florida and Portage. I’m encouraging him to do that because he gains insights with other operations. And that’s just going to broaden his education, his knowledge of the business. … I would tell a young person to explore all their options to see how best to get involved with the PGA.
Richerson: Aw, c’mon, what can I say: the USA of course! Captain (Steve) Stricker, the favorite son of Wisconsin, is going to bring the cup home. So we’re really excited, and with me having spent a number of years in Wisconsin, I know how great the sports fans are in that state. Having had to wait an extra year for the event, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, everyone is very excited. I know that Captain Stricker is doing everything possible to be in the best position possible to win.
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