First off, Happy April! For many of our NCCGA seniors, graduation is right around the corner. I’m sure you have started the process of looking for jobs. Many websites and blog articles are written each year about the Do’s and Don’ts of how to get a job. Travis Richardson even wrote an article back in December about using LinkedIn to find a career in golf. There are some amazing golf companies to work for such as, PGA Tour, AJGA, Golf Channel, and PGA of America to name a few.
Since it is April Fool’s Day, I thought I would take a different approach with this article. Below is an example from a few years ago of how to not get a golf job. (Trust me, this is not an April Fool’s Day Joke. This is a real email from a student seeking an internship!). "We said thanks for your interest in the position. Can you please tell us about your experience in golf?"
Dear Mr. Hart,
Thank you for your quick reply. I only have a basic amount of knowledge about golf, such as: it's a "luxurious" sport mostly played for a class of people ranging from fairly too extremely wealthy. People usually play this sport on weekend/sunny days.
Regards to the Rule of this sport: there are usually 18 holes in major tournaments, and each hole the player wants to use the least number of shoots in order to put the golf ball into the hole. Depends on a given # of shots for each hole, the score each player can get for each hole = # of shoots the player takes to put the ball into the hole - given # shots for each hole. At the end of the tournament, the player with the most total negative scores (i.e, the least total number of shoots after 18 holes) will win the tournament. If there are ties, the players continue to compete on each hole until the first time when one of them wins (e.g: if player A and B starts playing on hole 4 in the tie-break, and player A wins, then he wins the tournament). Usually, a major tournament like USA open has 3 or 4 rounds lasting for several days, and there are usually a cut-off for the number of players to advance to the semifinal/final rounds.
I know a few well-known players in this sport such as: Tiger Woods (just re-claim his #1 spot on the World Golf Ranking Table) , Rory Mcllroy, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ernie Ells.
One last point: a golf cart is pretty expensive for low/middle-class income in US, even the used one. I know that on average, a used golf cart may be worth $500-$4000, but they are came with warranty.
I hope my answer fairly meets your expectation. Thank you for your question, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Job Applicant
With any job posting, be sure to research both the company you are applying to and the industry you are entering. Learn everything there is to know so you can impress the hiring manager. Come prepared with questions, this will show the interviewer that you are motivated and eager to learn. The most important piece of advice I can give, is that you be yourself. You want the job to be a great fit for you as well as you a great fit for the job. As the applicant above showed us how to not get a golf job, it is important that we all avoid his mistakes. Do your homework, demonstrate your skills, and be yourself.
**Kris Hart is the CEO of Nextgengolf
