Many people tend to associate the term "PGA Professional" with someone who plays or played the PGA Tour. That is not so. PGA Professionals are business people that are associated with golf. Sure, some are very good players, but none make a living playing tournaments traveling from city to city and from major to major. In my case, about the closest I came to "fame", was hitting balls right next to Lee Trevino and Billy Casper (once each), making the cut twice in the Mexican Open and once in the Mexican PGA Championship, I once shot 61 on my home course (playing preferred lies) and 64 on a course in Tucson, AZ. Par was 69.... oh, and you have to count my expert caddying for my daughters as well. "We" qualified for several national championships, and "they" messed up some rounds.Back to the two different professions: at one time, the PGA of America, the association I belong to, which was founded in 1916, ran the tour. In the early 70's, after it was evident that more and more non club professionals had been winning tournaments since the 50's (Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Jack Nicklaus and others), the tour and the PGA of America decided to go separate ways: let the good players make history, let the club professionals do their job: manage, teach, promote, teach the rules, organize events, and other mundane things such as taking carts out for members, regriping their clubs, selling range balls and merchandise, and even being a baby sitter, and I don't mean of small children.
It was not an easy split. Deane Beaman, PGA Tour commissioner, called it the "Players' Tour" (very appropriately named), but the PGA of America has a lot of clout, and the word "PGA" was added and the term was changed to "PGA Tour". In short, the basic difference between a golf professional and a professional golfer should be evident: a professional golfer makes his living playing golf and getting his swing dissected by Johnny Miller and Peter Kostis, a golf professional is happy to get a couple of rounds a week, indeed, VERY HAPPY.... and helps others, including players who are better than himself figure out their game. On the light side of humor, here are some of the things a club professional should consider knowing in order to be successful:
What Isaac Newton had to do with golf
Net scores do matter to a 24 handicapper
John Daly does not play Hippo clubs, and..
Nick Price does not use the “E” club either
Where your pro-am partner hit his last tee shot
How to tell someone that he’ll never break 90
One handicappers are not very helpful in pro-ams
The place where all important people meet for coffee
How to understand the difference between a sincere question.and a test you didn't study for!
How to stop some guys from wearing pants with ducks on them
Expelling the course’s slowest player is a case that will probably not go to court
How to stop people from wearing pajamas to the golf course
The name of a good doctor, lawyer, a favorite restaurant, a good hotel, and if necessary, a bookie
All the Saturday and Sunday sports scores while your members are playing golf
How to explain to a parent that his child will not be the next Fred Couples
How to tell someone that you’d be OK if they preferred tennis over golf
How to give the right answer to questions from the W.G.A.’s membership.
How to explain 14 hour days to your daughter when she has a school play.
How to politely explain to people why you don’t want carts parked in a bad “lie”
How to tell a “slicer” that to correct his problem, he first has to aim farther right!
How to tell the difference between a Titleist NXT Distance and a Titleist NXT Tour
How to explain how come you are not on Tour after shooting a 61 on your home course
How to tell some golfers that all groups are full even if there are some twosomes around
The date, time and name of the person who made a divot on green #7 and who killed him
Who is married to someone’s ex so you don’t accidentally pair them together in a scramble
How to explain how were you able to earn your PGA card after an embarrassing round of 80 or higher.
How to explain to the MGA President that he lost a $5.00 Nassau because he doesn’t really understand the rules
How to explain to your child that you had to settle a rules dispute and that is why you were late to her school play...again!
How to tell a member that the greens are OK, but that he needs more spin in his wedge shots
How to remember the names of all 300+ bosses... all the time
How to break up a foursome into a threesome and a "onesome".
How to break a sixsome... and which ones to break
How to laugh at bad golf jokes that your had already heard anyway
HOW TO DEPART THE PREMISES, PREFERABLY UNDETECTED!!
So there, our job is not only easier than yours, but that is why it is also glamorous!