Golf Course Management

If you can?t stand the cubicle lifestyle, it might be time to look for a job in golf course management. There are thousands of golf courses across the U.S. currently looking for professionals in golf course management. It is a booming industry that will only grow as the economy matures. In fact, golf course management is one of the fastest growing careers in America. More people are playing golf today than ever before.

As the baby boomer generation begins to settle into retirement, golf courses become a greater destination choice for retirees. As the demand for golf increases, so does the need for qualified golf course management to handle the traffic, and build out new courses to meet the growing need. Typically golf courses are located in areas that are exposed to a large amount of sun light, and thus can be considered a safe bet for the course to stay healthy. Because of this fact, often times the golf course management pool in the area is small to nonexistent. Managers who have potential in this field are living and working in or near a city. This creates an even stronger demand for golf course managers, and it doesn?t hurt that the job calls for you to live in paradise.

Some people actually believe that golf course management is nothing more than setting up and monitoring tournaments throughout the year. This of course is a misconception, since golf course management is a career that involves all aspects of management. One will be expected to tend to the staffing matters for the course, as well as overlooking the accounting practices of the course. If there are extra duties for the manager, it could include helping out with the tennis courts, or the pool management duties.

Further, as a golf course management professional you will be acutely aware of the golf courses needs, and often be tasked to meet them. This means everything from sourcing sand for a trap that has had one too many wedges hit its sandy banks, to finding new tee boxes to match the course logo. There is much more to golf course management than meets the eye, but it is an extremely rewarding career for those that give it a chance.

Many wonder how the pay in golf course management matches up to that of a traditional management career. Not only are most golf course management careers competitive in terms of pay, but also the benefits can be outstanding.

Consider this fact, at most jobs; we consider ourselves to be lucky to have health insurance, a retirement plan, and possibly stock options. Imagine having all those benefits as well as a free membership to a course that costs its members $90,000 per year to belong. It?s hard to fathom, but people that work in golf course management often reap the above rewards each year as part of their compensation package. If you can not be a member of the course, how would you be able to manage it? This is the fundamental reason why many people join golf course management, because a membership benefit can be unbelievable.

Don?t wait until retirement to consider this career choice. That is when most people do it, and that is why it becomes a hard job to obtain at that time. If you are ready for a change of lifestyle and career, think about making the move to golf course management today. If you don?t have the skills to get involved in the trade right off the bat, consider going back to school to obtain the marketable tools that will help you land the job of your dreams.

Andy West is a freelance writer and communications specialist for SDGA. San Diego Golf Academy is a premier golf school with five locations across the United States. For more information on Golf Course Management, please visit http://www.sdgagolf.com .