Don’t Be Afraid to Go Big
At Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia, PGA of America Director of Golf Scott Schroeder has been curating golf adventures with members for 15 years. The club hosts three or four larger trips each year, split between Schroeder and three of his assistants, as well as smaller getaways to resorts or other clubs where his members belong.
“We’ve been to the Dominican Republic, the Abaco Club in the Bahamas, Oakmont, Butler National, Pine Valley, Cypress Point,” Schroeder lists. “We have a very generous membership and are fortunate that a lot of them are members at other clubs all across the country. So, they afford us the luxury of traveling with them, which is nice.”
For Schroeder, the 2023 Georgia Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the secret is in the details. “When you’re working on these trips, you want to put together an itinerary where there are no questions that aren’t answered. Whether it’s attire, the groups for tee times, menus for the restaurants – you want to create an experience that makes them want to travel again.”
He’s also found success in extending the club’s travel program to female members in recent years. “I don’t know that there are that many male professionals who lead women’s trips, but they’ve been great. The appreciation they have for having their director of golf take a trip with them is very rewarding and pretty astounding.”
One highlight was a women’s trip to Chicago. “Never in a million years did I think we’d be able to secure Olympia Fields, Shore Acres and Rich Harvest Farms on a three-day trip. But we asked, and the doors opened. The (Atlanta Country Club) members still talk about that trip.”
Schroeder’s advice to his fellow PGA of America Members for planning trips, especially to other private clubs, is simple. “Don’t be afraid to go big. It can never hurt to ask. Members will surprise you with their enthusiasm,” he explains.
Schroeder adds that he brings gifts for staff members at facilities hosting his members, like hats for the golf staff, and makes sure PGA of America Golf Professionals who host his members know that reciprocity is a two-way street that benefits all parties.
“As a traveling PGA of America Golf Professional, you’re also forging relationships with the host professionals, and that’s important because we’re a family,” Schroeder says. “If they scratch my back, I’m going to scratch theirs and be open to hosting their groups when they come to Atlanta – something we do multiple times a month.
“We make sure to give them the best service experience they’ve ever had to make their PGA of America Professional look like a hero in their members’ eyes.”
Travel Benefits PGA Coaches
At Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, PGA of America Golf Instructor Kirsten Pike has woven travel into her teaching business. Her members now expect quarterly opportunities – if not more – to explore new courses together.
Her groups are diverse. Some want the adrenaline of pro-am competition. Others crave bucket-list resorts like Pebble Beach. Increasingly, members are seeking balance. “That same group that once wanted to play 36 or 54 holes a day at Pinehurst now wants to play 18, relax in the after noon and then have a nice dinner,” Pike says. “I’m definitely planning now for people wanting to go places with things to do besides golf and leaving more time in the schedule for socialization off the course where members can just hang out and relax.”
As a coach, Pike finds travel invaluable. “I love going on trips with students so I can see how they play away from home, and, also to see the joy of them discovering new courses. I’m looking to add more trips that are built around me teaching a golf school.”
Pike, the 2024 Northern Texas Section PGA of America Player Development Award winner, also sees travel as a way to have experiences that go beyond daily club life.
“When I travel with members, I’m building relationships – we’re getting to know each other better, learn more about each other’s lives, and have experiences we’re not going to have at our home club,” Pike says. “We did one ladies’ trip where we hit golf balls off a hotel balcony, and it created so many fun memories that the members will never forget. Travel is so much fun, and it never gets old.”
Her best tip for fellow professionals: “Start with conversations. Talk with your students during lessons about places they’ve been or want to go. That’s always a great way to start a conversation about travel, and I guarantee they’ll have a few friends that they immediately will want to talk with about planning a trip.”
Pike adds that travel has another personal upside for PGA of America Golf Professionals – it’s a chance to rediscover your own love for the game and visit places that interest you.
“A benefit to me is that I have a bucket list, too,” Pike says. “If I can work through that along with my members, that’s really cool. For example, I’ve been wanting to play Payne’s Valley at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri. I sent an email to the members asking if anyone wanted to take a trip there, and I immediately had 20 members saying they wanted to go.”
