How To Pursue A Professional Golf Career, by: Andy West

Golf is becoming increasingly popular. Long seen as a sport forthe business class, golf is often used as a pastime for everyonefrom co-workers to the CEOs. However, recent years have alsoseen golf increase in popularity as a career choice, asnationally renowned golf schools make it easier to enter thefield. Below are some tips for pursuing a professional golfcareer.

Have some prior knowledge of the game. Being familiar with golfis important when you are making a decision about your future.Pursuing a professional golf career entails making a commitmentto the sport, and before you do that you should be sure that youlike golfing enough to do it for a living. If you love golf somuch that you feel you can never spend enough time at thedriving range or on the course, then a golf career may be anexcellent way for you to mix work with pleasure. However, ifsome of your worst moments have occurred on a golf course, or ifyou think you might like a career in golf but you aren'tentirely certain, you will probably want to take some time toreassess your feelings about the sport before making a decision.

Have a backup plan. Although it's not impossible, succeeding asa pro golfer can be difficult. This doesn't mean you can'tpursue a career in golf, however. There are many professionalgolf careers that don't require fame and stardom. Just be surethat your golf education and experience will leave other optionsavailable to you: for example, golf instruction, golf facilitymanagement, and golf equipment sales are all jobs that willbenefit from your education and experience, and hopefully willinterest you almost as much as playing the sport itself.

Get an education from a good school. Just as it is in almost anyother professional career, a good education is important in thegolf industry. Golf schooling opens doors that might otherwisebe shut to those seeking professional golf careers. A golfdegree on your resume indicates to prospective employers thatyou know the sport and the business, making you a moreattractive choice over an applicant who would require moretraining. Also, the fact that you pursued an education in theindustry means that you have already demonstrated lastinginterest in the sport, whereas an employee without a similarbackground could decide in a month that golf is not for him.Therefore, getting a golf education is one of the best ways toprove to employers that you can and want to the job.

Gain as much practical experience as possible. Although a degreesays a lot about you to a prospective employer, so does yourwork history. The more you work in the industry beforegraduation, the greater your chances of finding a good job rightout of school. Many different options are available to thosepursuing professional golf careers: most golf schools havethriving internship programs, allowing students to gain valuablework experience and an education at the same time. Your schoolmay also be able to assist you in finding long-term part time orfull time employment while you are a student.

Have fun! Remember, the entire point of pursuing a professionalgolf career is to earn your living doing something that youenjoy. If your stress levels or a sense of urgency make youreducation and career into more of a job than you once felt itwas, you could permanently destroy any enjoyment the sport oncehad for you. Try to remain optimistic, and make efforts to keepschool and work fun, regardless of what trials you may face. Andwhatever happens, don't forget that you are here because youwanted to be.

About the author: Andy West is a writer for SDGA. San Diego Golf Academy is apremier golf school with five locations across the UnitedStates. To learn how to start your professional golf
career, please visit www.sdgagolf.com/why_golf.php .