The 'Beating Heart' Or A Logical Casualty Of Financial Pressures... Do Golf Clubs Still Need A Professional?

I’m not going to write one of these pieces that beats around the bush when answering a question such as that posed in this headline. My answer is yes, golf clubs still 'need' a professional.

But it’s understandable why committees at smaller clubs should ask and consider their options. With many town and village clubs struggling to make ends meet, trying desperately to avoid ramping membership subscriptions to unsustainable levels for local players, finances must be scrutinised carefully.

Committees and those in charge of finances must prioritise what is important for the future of a club and, in many cases, the tightening of belts and a reduction of some levels of provision might be required for a smaller club to survive.

At these lower-tier clubs, the course should always come first on the must-spend list. If the course quality is allowed to dip significantly, a club is risking its primary asset. Reputation suffers, members leave, visitors don’t visit.

Then, the basic integrity of the clubhouse must be maintained. People need somewhere to change their shoes and have a coffee.

After that, you’re looking more at the luxuries for smaller, member-run clubs. This is where top of my priority list would come a good club professional or a professional who also acts as the club manager.

And these are the reasons why...

Front of House

Where do you go when you first turn up at a golf club? You look for the pro shop. It’s the first point of contact for visitors and generally for members too who normally pop their heads in to check how the tee sheet is running or just to say hi.

The professional is the face of your golf club. When you talk about your club to fellow golfers elsewhere in the region, and beyond, the first thing they’ll often say will be, “Oh yes, isn’t X the professional there?”

The pro (and perhaps an assistant or two) are crucial to setting the tone for the member and visitor golf experience. If you turn up at a venue and there’s nowhere to check-in, you feel a little neglected.

Teaching

An obvious one. The professional can help you with your game. Yes, we can all now watch internet videos now and instructional programmes on Sky. They’re sometimes quite good.

But there’s nothing like spending half an hour with a qualified PGA professional who can look at your swing, analyse your problems and give solutions.

A club pro can also coach the juniors, educate them about the game and (hopefully) inspire the next generation!

A club without a pro loses a huge amount without that instructional expertise on site.

Equipment knowledge and advice

The same level of loss could be felt when it comes to equipment. If a club has a knowledgeable club pro, they will be abreast of the latest equipment trends. They will have a shop stocked with the kit (both hardware and apparel) they think will be of benefit to their members.

They can then advise, sometimes fit that kit to suit.

We’ve all been to those clubs without a pro, where the retail has been taken in house. There’s a dusty bag in the corner of (what was) the pro shop with a rag-tag selection of 10-year-old fairway woods, a row of ball packets from the late 1990s and some tired looking shoes on a rack that still have flaps over the tongues.

Without a pro, members and visitors will be buying all their kit elsewhere! It’s all potentially part of a downward spiral at a club.

Administration

Many clubs have chosen to combine the role of club pro and general manager. That’s a sensible way to go.

The pro is at the beating heart of a club, so they know what is going on in all departments. They’re a crucial link between other members of staff (and the committee.)

The pro is well placed to run the competitions as they know the members. They know what’s going on out on the course, and they tend to run the tee sheet anyway.

The modern pro with a PGA qualification has a huge range of skills, from marketing and sales to customer service and business management. They are no longer 'Mars bar sellers!'

They can help to sell the golf club product to both members and visitors. They can arrange outings or other initiatives that bring in extra income.

By getting rid of a professional, a club could well reduce revenue, negating the savings of removing them in the first place.

Rules and General Knowledge

The professional will have a grounding in the Rules and will be able to give advice and resolve any disputes that occur. That’s a useful thing for a committee to have at their disposal.

They will know about the handicapping system, about the different competition formats, the latest announcements from the governing bodies. They are a font of knowledge for a club.

On top of that, they will simply have a good general knowledge of the game. They will be interested in it – that’s why they’re golf professionals.

They will know a bit about the history of the sport. They will likely watch golf on TV and generally keep up to date with what is going on in the competitive game.

The pro will also have contacts throughout golf. They have chosen the golf industry as their career, and they will know all sorts of people who could be of benefit to a club.

Member interaction and general banter

As mentioned, the pro meets all the members at some point. They’re a walking members directory! If you need to contact another member for any reason, the pro can point you in the right direction.

They are also, normally, pretty skilled when it comes to banter. They converse with members and guests all day. They are interesting and amusing to talk with and that makes the experience of being a golf club member more enjoyable.

Many cubs must be more frugal to survive but getting rid of the club pro is not the best route towards that.

By removing the pro and all the advantages they bring to the table, a club would be shooting dangerously towards its foot!