They prepared you in everything. From being able to teach to being able to sell stuff, being able to run a tournament. I mean, they’re going to give you the basics of being a head pro. It motivated me…

I took away the lessons and values taught here such as treating people right and looking the part. You don’t want to take lessons from someone in cut-off shorts and flip-flops. You get respect just by looking like a professional.

Attitude is key. Attitude is probably the biggest thing in this world, you can do anything you want to with a good attitude. Bad attitude isn’t going to get you very far. The only one that can change your attitude is you.

If this is something you want to go into, it’s a good place to go because they teach you everything. From how to hold a golf club, to sell a shirt, to running a tournament. When you come out of here you’ll be able to go to a facility and become a head pro just like I did. There’s always a benefit of working underneath the head pro to learn a lot of stuff, but you get educated on every aspect of the game here. From teaching to running a tournament.”

Read Full Alumni Spotlight on Kirby Robb »

It may sound crazy, but I really enjoyed getting up and going to class everyday. I enjoyed the opportunity to continue learning about something that was very important for my future. Granted, some of the classes were less interesting than others, but I feel like I got something out of every class in the program.
It provides a great opportunity. You get out of the program exactly what you put into the program.”

Some favorite PGCC memories were just playing golf everyday and the opportunity to learn about the game as much as I wanted to. I felt like I immersed myself in golf. I woke up in the morning, went to class, learned about the game, went and played the game, studied playing, studied teaching a lot, I took several lessons and then I just played. And I wasn’t that good when I was there, I got a lot better though. I mean, when I was there I went to the school and I was the 2nd most improved in the class… It was pretty cool, my game became pretty solid while I was out there. I passed my PAT while I was out there. I had a lot of enthusiasm going into working in the industry, which I don’t think there’s a lot of that right now. I use the networking and I keep in touch with everybody.”

Read Full Alumni Spotlight on Lucas Cohen »

Meet new and interesting people, both at school and others that had graduated and are working in the industry at the local courses or in retail. Your professors at school are top of their field and have working knowledge of what they teach.

The PGCC offers you multiple opportunities to volunteer for events like the Heritage at Sea Pines,(a PGA event) and charities in the community. As a student you can take advantage of these times to meet and network with others in the golf industry.

I truly loved playing golf so the schools format for inter-school matches was something I really enjoyed. Playing against other students in tournaments and events with the factuality was one of the highlights for me.

Use your time there to get all you can from the school and the opportunities they offer. The more effort a person puts into learning the more you get from it and the better opportunities you will have after graduation.

Recommended for everyone, any age or gender. I retired from the electrical industry after 35 years at the young age of 55 before I enrolled in the PGCC school. Golf is my passion and now it is my second career.”

All that information really helps you as a person, as a player as well. When you’re playing on the tour and if you understand everything, it makes it that much easier for you to plan… You try to visualize what the architect wants you to do, or how he’s planned or the reason why he’s placed the bunker where it is or the hazard where it is or why the green is sloping such. And then equipment, of course, all the science that goes behind it. Why the clubs are designed the way they are. What they’re supposed to do. The shaft & how to play it. So if you have all this information, you don’t have to depend on someone else.

I’d advise anyone starting PGCC to just soak in everything that gets thrown at you. You’ll realize it once you’ve gone through… What I learned really helped because I didn’t know anything about anything actually, apart from my own swing before I came to this college. And then working in the golf course, giving lessons and then go through the notes I had from this college. So learn everything because it doesn’t matter the road you want to go. Maybe you want to go on the tour, so you might think why should I focus so much on golf operations, but you should have the knowledge about everything no matter what you want to do. Because at a point you think you want to go this way, but somewhere down the road everything you learn is important, everything. So don’t miss out on anything, it’ll help you sometime in the future. Everything will help you. I’ve even re-designed one golf course in India because of what I learned over here.”

Read Full Alumni Spotlight on Moin Malak »

Though without my degree from PGCC and education I would never be working with this awesome company I am with now. I am also gearing up to take my PAT so I can start my PGA apprenticeship with the company. I plan to become a Division 1 college coach in ten years time, but for now I love what I do everyday.

Some of the best moments were playing in the tournaments and being able to take lessons. Being able to play golf after class every day. Also playing in the I-cup each semester and the semester tournaments when I could.

Take the program seriously to get the most out of it.”

One of the things I learned here (PGCC) is the scorecard is not near as important as the people that are around you when you’re filling it out.

Another lesson, is networking. If you learn anything from this school it’s to keep business cards and to introduce yourself. I learned a lot on being a professional in life and in golf. I think a lot of that is the little things. Pressed slacks and polished shoes. A light bulb being out in the golf shop.

I’d say the biggest lesson is knowing that there’s stuff beyond the golf swing. Beyond the golf swing stuff.

Number one was confidence. Confidence in understanding golf and the understanding of the little things, like how to be a marshall. A lot of people don’t realize that it isn’t just being old and driving around. When to talk to people. How to talk to people. Things like that. But for me, the confidence was the first thing. The confidence in the education.

Tip would be to DO IT. Really, if you have the opportunity to be here, take it and take it all the way. I feel like that of my class, I probably took as much or as many opportunities as anybody and I still felt like I missed out. There’s still so much I could’ve done in 16 months. So, Perseverance is the number one tip. Just to keep your head down and enjoy it cause you’re not going to ever have this opportunity again. No matter how many instructors tell you that you’re not going to have this chance again. And no matter what you believe or don’t believe about the golf business. You will never have the chance again, to talk golf for four hours and then play six days a week, seven if your back will let you do it. Never again in your life are you going to able to do that in this world.”

Read Full Alumni Spotlight on Ray Vincent »

From tournament managing to everything involving the entire operations on a day to day basis, you will be using everything. It really depends on where you want to be in the industry though. I know some friends who are strictly just teaching now. What they learned at PGCC is very easily applied to the real world experiences you will come in contact with. The knowledge given out for any subject will, without a doubt, put you ahead of the pack.

Putting together the weekly qualifiers was a very intense, but fun experience. One of the things that really surprised me was having that ah-ha moment in almost every subject taken. PGCC gives you the tools and foundation you need to succeed. The life skills you learn, aside from the golf, will help you become a better person. Even if you don’t find yourself in the industry after you graduate.

Our senior trip was something I will never forget. Going away to a course I dreamed about playing and actually got too play was awesome. Seeing a true golf course and the way the architects intended it to be played is a very unique experience if you enjoy the beauty of golf course design.

I would also say that getting to work at the RBC Heritage Pro-Am and be a part of the Heritage event staff was a once in a lifetime experience. The connections and friends I made during my entire week and a half with them was amazing. The things I learned are well beyond anything my classmates could have learned. Only a select few get to go and help out with the pro-am, so make sure you are a student who puts forth the effort for the experience, and the education. If you’re just going to do it for the school until 12pm, and golf after, you might be in the wrong industry. You really need to love golf.”

The essence of golf to me is teaching, that’s what I love. Having the ability to teach AND play is so important to me; I got into the golf business and PGCC because I love this game.”

Understanding the core concepts of running a golf facility, attending seminars with some of the larger management companies, role play and working with focus groups was a good grounding for what was to follow in my career. PGCC taught me to believe in myself and to have the confidence to go out and exploit my potential.”

He eventually went to work for American Golf Corp until one day a call from a friend led him to his dream job, owner of La Cita Country Club.”

PGCC helped me break into the golf business by exposure to employers and by being very credible. PGCC is known everywhere and employers know that we’re ready for any job in the industry once we graduate.”