The golf industry is shit

SMT

Here is a new job opening for an Assistant Professional at a very nice Chicagoland Country Club. The place is and has been viewed as "prestigious" in my time in the industry.

THIS is why we can't have nice things and THIS is what you get.

Typhoon

SMT I stopped reading at $16-$18/ hour.. you can get that at a coffee shop.

johnnydoom

Yikes. I was making that much in a technician job in the early 90's when I was in between engineering gigs.

candukid

That is ridiculous.

wishbone

That is below our minimal salary for a teller!

PA-PLAYA

It is horrible. The local Target is hiring and paying $18/hr for stockers.

Hoss7504

What a dream job. 2+ years experience in the industry to make less than an entry level retail worker...

SMT

Hoss7504 AND, you have to babysit the Member's kids.

Par4QC

Not sure if people are reading the whole article, from responses.
Benefits ......no OOP could add up to quite a 'bonus', weekly/daily/hourly.
Also the fact you are getting to work at something you love, not something you 'have to', just to get by.

I'm living on $2.28/hr. Full time; listed job is part-time only.
And have to buy my own meals and clothes.
And have to pay to play or practice.

Spuzz

Par4QC the fact you are getting to work at something you love

I am sure Mike once said something like "if you want to actually play golf, don't work in the golf industry as a teaching pro"

SMT

Par4QC Also the fact you are getting to work at something you love, not something you 'have to', just to get by.

Bullshit. The local gynecologist thought the same way, but even he doesn't want to go home and look at THAT all night.

The industry is full on shit.

Par4QC

Spuzz Set work week, 5 days. Not a salary position. I don't see a problem with being able to play. Plus, you may be called on to go out with members, which is on the clock.

If you don't love/like what you do......never, but never do it. At any price!!
Has been my life, never a regret.

SMT

Spuzz That is the "cleaned up" version. hahaha

Walterjn

Par4QC If you don't love/like what you do......never, but never do it. At any price!!

I learned that fairly young, just not young enough...
I now just want to make enough to pay my bills, have some extra for play time, and do something I love/like for people I like/ love.
If I made millions and did shit I hated for people I can't stand; well I'd be a drunk and not someone anyone would want to be around.

SMT

Par4QC I don't see a problem with being able to play. Plus, you may be called on to go out with members, which is on the clock.

This is my 45th year in "the industry" and this right here is one thing that a private club NEVER let's you forget!!!! They (the members) are all your boss. Oftentimes over 350 of them and their wives and family as well.

They will wine and dine you, let you come to all the club parties and maybe play a round of golf with you, that you are supposed to lose by the way, but "they" never EVER let you forget that you are an employee.
It dawns on you when you are literally called to come over to their house to move their goddamned piano.

KCee

Sadly this is probably why our club didn't have an Assistant Pro last season. I know he was considering a "real" job.

DonM

The whole assistant pro concept is out of date. Actually the pro concept is too.
Either you are running a business or you are a teacher/coach.
I get that at smaller courses the boss wears multiple hats. In that case you are running a business and teaching on the side.
My favorite course in Illinois (Cinder Ridge) had none of the above. It had the owner, who was there every day and managed by wandering around, and it had a counter person, a lunch/bar counter person serving roller hot dogs and drinks, a person cleaning carts, and on weekends, a starter. And of course the grounds staff.

Drive ten minutes up the interstate to a well funded muni (Heritage Bluffs), with double the staff, and they had pros. It has a better grill, but the golf experience was no better, for more money. Unless of course you wanted lessons, then it's no comparison.

SMT

DonM Well said. Heritage has a new clubhouse too. hahaha
I didn't know you were this close by.

ptjn1201

Our local muni had an assistant pro under the old head pro. He got paid for the hours he was in the shop, otherwise no pay. He kept all of his lesson money, and he did extremely well with his one week kid's day camps for 8-9 weeks each summer. He was charging the kids' parents $300 a week, and there were usually about 30 of them. He had three college golfers minding the kids and teaching them at $15 an hour. Still had time for his own lessons. Did he get rich? No. But he did well enough that he worked as an assistant there for 20 years.

SMT

ptjn1201 Virtually all of the courses here are run by management companies. They ask many teaches for 20% - 30% of their teaching revenue.

Full on bullshit.

When you end up with skin cancer, ask them if they will cover 20-30% of that.

mulegolf

Unless there are other ways for that employee to make money, the hourly wage quoted is ridiculous.
I can't see how they even get applications.

johnnydoom

mulegolf I can't see how they even get applications.

I could only see myself applying (I'm not even qualified) in two circumstances. One is something I'm close to now - old, retired from full-time work, want some extra money and access to course amenities. The other, young and need a job and it would be something to keep me going while I look for something better. If they want a young person to develop and bring along I can't see it working, but apparently that's not what the course wants since it is only a part-time job.

SMT

mulegolf Absolutely.

They will get three and choose the best of the worst.

Think about it this way... People used to play pitching pennies in years gone by. It is a little more sophisticated at courses now, but if you played pitching QUARTERS now, and won a single dollar in the first minute of tosses, that is $60 per hour in revenue. hahaha

fatshot

We play a variety of courses in the Toledo-SE Michigan area during the summers. I can think of maybe 2 or 3
that have a pro with his name and PGA logo printed on the scorecard. The rest have a variety of people behind
the counter.....either the owner, a senior citizen, or high school or college kid. To my knowledge no place
sells "equipment" other than gloves and balls. Few advertise lessons.

SMT

johnnydoom It's actually called a Part Time - Seasonal position so they don't have to cover them on insurance and more.

KCee

Our course is small and semi-private and our pro does not give lessons. We had an assistant pro for that, but I think he was as underpaid as some of our grounds crew that also left. Covid was a boon to our course, but I don't think the wealth was shared with staff. Most members at our course just want to play and not take lessons. Conversely I always see a lot of women and children taking lessons at the nearby small public course. There one of the pros has a lease with the town that owns the course.

wishbone

Walterjn

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Walterjn

wishbone which one??