As we head into the holidays and reconnect with family and friends, this month’s PGA Networking cover story addresses the importance of networking, relationship building and mentoring — three intangible traits that help define successful PGA of America Golf Professionals.
This story goes in-depth to detail how PGA of America Members are benefiting from effective connectivity throughout their careers, and why an individual’s network is a catalyst to achieving goals at every step of their journey.
As is our mission, the PGA of America remains laser-focused on promoting and supporting member-to-member collaboration, the importance of mentorship among peers, and the intrinsic value of developing one’s personal and professional network. In fact, our “We Love this Game” campaign is driven by a collection of anecdotes of PGA Members whose passion for the game is fueled by their support of the people they work with, work for and, most importantly, whose lives they impact every day.
The ability to network and connect with others, while wearing many different hats, is what we do every day as PGA of America Golf Professionals.
When I ran to become an officer, my vision was to help create a unified alliance between the PGA of America and its 41 Sections, centered around effective collaboration, enhanced communication and dynamic programming. The centerpiece of this mission is an unwavering commitment to promoting the PGA of America Member and driving the value of our profession. One of our many goals was to revitalize the old PGA Member Poster, which was among my campaign promises and a project we’ve talked about for years. At last month’s PGA Annual Meeting, I was proud to officially announce the poster (pictured) had become a reality.
As you can see, it features updated branding to match “We Love this Game” and the slogan reads “A Game We Love. A Profession We Live.” Those words embody who we are, and why this game is so meaningful to PGA of America Golf Professionals.
The poster also features a list of 32 related job titles the PGA Membership Committee has approved to define what we do. They are among the hats we proudly wear to work as we manage the game and business of golf today, and into the future.
The ability to effectively network is a key ingredient to each and every job title a PGA of America Member serves. Networking spurs collaboration and generates ideas that can play a crucial role in how we manage our daily business, relationships and careers, and how we truly grow the game.
I encourage you to go to pga.org to obtain a poster, and proudly display it in your office. I also encourage you to realize just how vital networking is to our profession, and in connecting the job titles featured on the poster.
In closing, I want to leave you with this thought. During the PGA Annual Meeting, we had the privilege of hearing from one of our best keynote speakers ever. Captain Charles Plumb, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is a former jet fighter pilot, a combat Veteran with 74 successful missions over Vietnam, and founder of the “Top Gun” school in Miramar, California. On his 75th mission, just five days before he was scheduled to return home, Captain Plumb was shot down over enemy territory. He ejected from his F-4 Phantom jet, parachuted into enemy hands, was taken prisoner, tortured and survived nearly six years in communist prison camps. His story of winning through adversity is beyond inspiring, and I encourage you to watch his presentation on pga.org.
During a conversation with Captain Plumb, he made a terrific observation. He said that associations are groups of people with the same job, and the PGA of America is an association of people who truly share the same love. That is something we should never forget as we share a passion and love for this game and the business of golf.
I wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season. Thanks for all you do and God bless!
Sincerely,
Don Rea Jr., PGA President, PGA of America
