By Don Jozwiak, Senior Editor
A defining characteristic of the golf business is the way mentoring is woven into the fabric of PGA of America Golf Professionals’ lives. Just as golfers are introduced to the game and taught its nuances by coaches, PGA Members themselves have always learned the business of golf – and potential career paths – by mentors who are eager to pass along their insights and institutional knowledge.
During the current golf boom and employment crunch, however, mentoring is evolving beyond a way of helping younger professionals find their way into a competitive advantage for facilities that are known for being launching pads for young golf professionals. That makes mentoring matter in a new way to both established PGA of America Golf Professionals and PGA of America Assistants and Associates building their careers in the sport.
“During the ‘Great Resignation’ that happened at the start of COVID, there were a number of golf facilities that struggled to find and retain qualified staff,” says PGA of America Master Professional Dawes Marlatt, the Association’s Senior Director for Education and Organizational Development. “But golf facilities with a great culture, which includes leadership that is committed to mentoring its staff members and preparing them for the next steps in their golf journey, didn’t have trouble finding people for the most part. When your facility is seen as a place that fosters excellence, develops talent and supports your career and life arc, it’s easier to attract and keep talented people. That’s a competitive advantage today.”
This is just one of the trends that is receiving attention at the national and Section levels as the PGA of America works collaboratively with all PGA of America Members to modernize and facilitate the mentoring process to help prepare the next generation of golf professionals to become industry leaders.
For example, mentoring was one of the breakout sessions topics at the 2024 PGA of America Annual Meeting, where each Section was challenged to establish a Mentoring Chair as part of their Membership Committees. A number of Sections are already moving forward with formal mentoring programs, which can be tied into PGA of America Deferred Compensation for an extra benefit.
The PGA of America Education Department has also prioritized the importance of pairing PGA Associates with mentors as they pass through Levels 1–3 of the curriculum or early in PGA Golf Management University Program studies. And, of course, the PGA of America’s numerous Career Consultants are in the field to serve as mentors to golf professionals at all stages of their careers.
“Mentoring is really the bread and butter of the Career Consultants,” says PGA of America Master Professional Mike O’Donnell, the Association’s Senior Director of Member and Section Operations. “Everyone needs a plan for their career and their life, and the Career Consultants can help shape that as your career journey unfolds and changes, and help position you for your next opportunity. It’s a fundamental purpose of their jobs, and they’re very good at it.”
Like the business and game of golf, the act of mentoring is also evolving in profound ways. While the traditional mentor-mentee relationships remain profoundly important, they are increasingly becoming two-way streets – a trend known as mutual mentoring – where the typically older, more experienced mentor is also learning a great deal from their younger mentee, who may have more current knowledge in areas such as technology or building communities.