Lesser Known Facts About a PGA Club Pro

As the 2023 PGA Championship continues this weekend, let’s take some time to reflect on one of the most under-appreciated professions in all of golf: the PGA Club Pro.

Yesterday, Michael Block — a PGA Professional out of Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California — captured the hearts of many as he fought back to make the cut at this year’s second major championship. In fact, Block is very much in the mix entering the third round only a handful of shots back. He did not hide his emotions when asked by reporters what this meant to him, nor did he forget to honor the “29,000” other PGA club professionals whom he is representing.

Block acknowledged that he knew he would never be a PGA TOUR pro, but that this week has allowed him to achieve one “last little goal” for his career. After Sunday, Block will go back to work at his home course and continue performing all the duties that’s required of the club pro profession.

While I personally am not a PGA Club Pro, I did have the privilege of working at a club for a decade growing up. During that time I observed multiple club professionals and their day-to-day duties, many of which I assisted with throughout my tenure.

This article will detail some of the lesser known skills and tasks that is expected of a club pro, especially those who work at smaller, local courses like Block (and thousands of others).

As the conversation about fair wages for PGA club professionals picks up steam — and deservedly so — keep in mind that while golf may seem like a dream job for many, it’s still a job that features hundreds of thankless hours and menial tasks of which you might not be aware.

Membership Swing Coach

Perhaps the most obvious job requirement for a PGA club pro is their golf lesson schedule. Depending on the size of the course or club, a PGA pro’s summer is likely filled with lesson appointments for their membership (and sometimes members’ families).

Golf lessons can make up a considerable percentage of a pro’s salary, especially with added gratuity for a session. But these lessons aren’t always reserved for the practice tee. Club pros are often bombarded with questions from members and guests alike, all of whom hoping for a comped impromptu swing tip. The club pro has a choice to make in these instances: ask the member to schedule a lesson, or “let this one slide” out of good customer service.

Often times a club pro will leave hundreds of dollars on the table they would have otherwise made via a scheduled golf lesson.

Club Event Coordinator

Almost every club professional will be tasked with coordinating and hosting numerous membership or course events throughout the year. Whether it’s men’s league, twilight golf, an opening day corporate scramble or the annual Club Championship, you are almost guaranteed to see your local pro running around like crazy.

There’s a joke around club pro circles about having the Best Calligraphy Skills, stemming from the handwriting you see on event leaderboard posters displayed during an outing. There’s a very good chance your club pro wrote out those posters by hand, and possibly more than once if a misspelling was made or black marker runs out.

Club pros — and hopefully their assistant pros, if they’re lucky — must also coordinate event payouts, corporate sponsor fees, and literally everything else that’s required to make an event run smoothly. All of this is done in the hope that a member or two will toss a few extra bucks their way, which is never guaranteed.

The Manager-Mentor

Golf courses are a wonderful place for young kids to earn their first jobs. The PGA club pro must serve as the head honcho in these cases, handling payroll, onboarding, and every other managerial duty you’d expect.

However, the club pro is also dealing with teenagers as employees… along with all the challenges that come along with it.

As a former teen who worked at a club, my head pro was not only the guy who signed my paychecks. He was a mentor in many ways, teaching me about customer service, the importance of showing up to work on time, taking pride in a job well done, and (when necessary) reprimanding me for unprofessional behavior.

I still remember long stretches when our club pro remained at work well into the evening catching up on paperwork, balancing budgets, placing orders to keep the pro shop stocked, and a million other administrative tasks that could not be delegated.

Maintaining a Strong Golf Game

Not only does your local PGA club pro have to worry about every single business aspect of the course. They also have to keep their golf game sharp, at least in the eyes of members.

You’d be surprised at how much stress this causes for club pros, especially when the pro hasn’t had the chance to hit a golf ball in weeks let along play an entire round. Members or guests routinely extend golf invites to the pro, and every one of them expect that pro to blow their minds with stellar play. They’re professionals after all, right?!

I have been told by more than one club pro how embarrassing it can be to accept a foursome invite and not break 80. In these circumstances the pro takes on a ton of risk: if you don’t play well, who is going to book a lesson with you?

Staying in Good Graces

While this is especially true at private golf clubs, the PGA club pro must do everything in their power to not only appease the membership, but also the Board of Directors.

Often times this Board is comprised of members, which compounds the stress for the club pro. Give a bad lesson to a Board member? That’ll come up at contract renewal season. Mess up a custom club order for a member’s guest? The club pro better expect a nasty phone call. And so on. And so on.

Many promising club pro careers have been cut short due to bad blood or misunderstandings with the Board. While every profession in life includes answering to a supervisor, it’s never fun to constantly appeal to an entire membership every single day.

These examples only scratch the surface of what a PGA club professional experiences throughout their career, and we haven’t even mentioned their family or social life. While the layperson will look at a club pro and think, “Gosh, they get to play golf all day,” rest assured that couldn’t be further from the truth.

As you watch the remainder of this year’s PGA Championship, take a moment to reach out to your local club pro and offer your appreciation for all they do. Sometimes kind words can go a long way, even in a professional like golf.