Try telling mom and dad that you want to major in “golf”.
Even the savviest college shopper might never ask him- or herself:
“What do science, business, and golf have in common?”
Ohio State University (OSU) provides all the right justifications for turning your golf passion into a lucrative career. The right facilities, broad cross-disciplinary coursework and specializations, premiere faculty and intensive professional networking can make you a sought-after candidate in a $62 billion industry.
OSU' s creative four-and-a-half year Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program collaborated across three academic departments and with a leading professional association to offer high-potential student golfers an opportunity to make their passion into a career. The program combines the academic requirements of The Ohio State University with the golf business knowledge and golf aptitude expectations.
The OSU College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) houses the program, which is delivered by the Horticulture & Crop Science Department. CFAES, the College of Education and Human Ecology, the Fisher College of Business, and the OSU Athletics Department partnered to develop the program, which is sanctioned by the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA). PGA requires students to become Class A PGA professionals after graduation
Why OSU? Why a Career in – of all things – Golf!?
According to program officials, about $4.4 billion of (the $62 million golf industry) is produced in Ohio, according to a PGA study. “The starting median salary for someone going through a PGM program is about $50,000 and can eventually reach six figures,” program literature points out.
Ohio is fifth among U.S. states for the number of golf courses (~ 800). Most of them serve as sites for OSU PGM students to conduct internships.
Ohio State was the 18th institution in the United States to implement a Professional Golf Management program, and has the distinction of offering the only PGM program in Ohio, and only the second in the Midwest.
What’s Involved with a Golf Management Major at OSU?
Applicants to the PGM program must be admitted to the University and provide proof of an 18-hole golf handicap of 10 or better. This provides evidence that PGM students have the potential to pass the PGA of America’s Playing Ability Test (PAT).
This degree is multi-disciplinary and incorporates on-campus courses required to complete the major and the General Education Curriculum. Students must also complete the course requirements for a minor in many areas of interest, such as General Business, Agribusiness, Coaching Education or Exercise Science.
All students majoring in PGM at Ohio State complete at least 16 months (five academic quarters) of internships prior to graduation.
Courses are offered in finance, personnel management, marketing, merchandising, plant science, inventory control, lesson planning, individual and group teaching, and social and professional interactions. Students learn to operate a golf course or resort, studying accounting, food and beverage management, event planning, turfgrass science - while honing their golf skills and teaching expertise.
A range of internship opportunities allow OSU PGM students to gain a breadth of experience in the golf industry, as well as focus on specific career interest areas. Students intern at high quality sites across the United States and internationally at university, municipal, public, private and semi-private courses/clubs, resorts, retail stores, learning centers, golf club manufacturers, and sport management companies.
The program is led by Dr. Ray Miller, who has been a member of the faculty at The Ohio State University since 1985 and was previously employed in the chemical industry and served as an environmental consultant.
"(Our PGM students) begin gaining the knowledge and skills required to become a resort manager, club pro, equipment representative or instructor in the golf industry," Dr, Miller notes.
"Other schools, especially the smaller ones, are very 'golfcentric,'" Miller says. "Even though students might learn human resource management or restaurant management, their programs are really focused on the golf part of that. Our students here, even if they decide to get out of golf, will have a broad enough background to do other things in life."
Dr. Miller helps students succeed in their academic program to become members of the Professional Golfer's Association of America. He carries a 7 handicap.
I’m Interested! What Do I Need to Do Next?
Prospective students must show proof of an 18-hole golf handicap of 10 or better. Proof of this handicap may be established by any one of the following:
· Confirmation of playing ability form signed by a high school golf coach
· Confirmation of playing ability form signed by a PGA of America member
· Current United States Golf Association Handicap card
· Confirmation of Playing Ability form - download form
Students can also visit the PGM website at pgm.osu.edu or call Mary Rose Molinaro at 1-866-367-5268 for further information.
Source: http://hcs.osu.edu/pgm/
My mission is to empower youth with: - The knowledge about career possibilities, and the education and training needed to attain them - The creative-thinking and emotional skills that make for good career decisions and which employers prefer; - And the resilience needed to flourish in life.
