What Are the Best Golf Course Jobs?
You might think golf has only a few jobs you would be interested in pursuing for a career.
Well, that’s what many of our students thought before they attended Keiser University School of Golf. Beyond the high-profile jobs that you may be familiar with already such as touring pro, there are quite a few less well-known positions you might enjoy.
Here is a closer look at some of the best golf course jobs.
Golf Course Jobs Off the Green
Social Media Manager
Some larger courses have a full staff that includes a social media manager.
While the position requires that you post course news regularly on high-profile social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others, it also requires a creative mind to come up with new angles and ideas to help market the facility.
One way to get your foot in the door is to be extremely active on social media on your own, and begin to network with people in the industry.
Over time, they will recognize your name and will think of you when positions open in their company.
In addition to courses, different golf publications will also have social media accounts to promote their latest articles and videos.
If you love to keep up with what’s going on in the golf world, a media job like this would suit you well.
Accounting Manager
A golf course today lives and breathes on revenue from players and members.
The accounting manager is responsible for providing financial oversight on all revenue, sales and expenses.
The course relies on your ability to prepare the annual budget, forecast upcoming sales and provide reporting to club management.
You will be responsible for internal audits and creating financial controls to make sure your club is operating within the standards set by the parent company.
Banquet Sales Manager
Not all of the revenue of a modern golf course is made on the course itself.
As a banquet sales manager, you’ll be an integral part of the club management team.
Your job will be to optimize event and catering revenues by marketing and managing business meetings, weddings, banquets, social events, golf events and other activities at the course.
You will work under the accounting manager or club manager, developing catering budgets and plans to meet preset goals.
You’ll meet with members of the public and interview them about their needs for a prospective event, and follow up to close sales.
You’ll also be responsible for training staff, and ensuring a positive outcome for each client that chooses your facility for their special occasion.
Membership Sales Manager
Golf clubs with memberships rely on a talented membership sales manager to replenish the membership rolls when they move or do not renew.
As a membership sales manager, your job will involve selling memberships and sponsorship sales.
You will track the marketing and sales of prospective members through the clubs Customer Relation Management system (CRM).
You’ll be responsible for developing marketing plans, tours and other events to attract new members; update the club website to include special deals; schedule and train your support staff; and work with other members of the management team.
Recreation Manager
Golf is a central fixture at many high-end resorts, country clubs and vacation destinations.
A recreation manager is responsible for planning and leading non-golf functions for members and guests.
In this role, you will organize a wide variety of activities including fishing excursions, tennis days, shopping outings, local tours and dining adventures.
Your role is to broaden the appeal of the club to other members of the family, as well as give golfers a chance to take their mind off the game.
These positions are highly sought after, so expect lots of competition when applying.
Golf Course Jobs on the Green
Greenkeeper
A greenkeeper needs to have both experience in real-world maintenance and care of the course, as well as an understanding of turf maintenance and agronomy.
The position also requires you to supervise service and maintenance of equipment used every day to keep the course in top condition.
In addition to the turf, including the fairways, tees and greens, the greenkeeper must maintain the surrounding shrubs, trees and horticulture including regular spraying and disease treatment.
It’s not just about cutting grass — there is lots of opportunity for greenkeepers who are interested in keeping up with the constant changes in the industry and applying new skills and techniques on the job.
Ground Crew
If you are not cut out for a boring desk job and don’t want the responsibilities that come with a supervisory position, a ground crew job might be perfect for you.
Every day you will get to work outside in nature and be around your favorite sport.
You’ll be responsible for maintaining the equipment, irrigation systems and turf; plant trees, shrubs and grass; make sure golf carts and cutting machinery are working effectively; make repair; and interact with the Golf Course Superintendent.
It’s a critical job in maintaining the smooth operation of a golf club in order to provide the best experience for players and members.
Golf Course Professional
As a golf course professional, you’ll need a comprehensive knowledge of golf to impart to your students. Just as important is your ability to work with people.
In addition to being able to communicate golf concepts to players of all levels, you’ll interact with maintenance workers, other pros, retail salespeople, and groundkeepers inside your operation.
You may be tasked with managing course play and helping build sales and revenue.
Working on the course means that you’ll be able to enjoy sunny weather and an atmosphere surrounded by your passion.
You’ll be helping to encourage a great game of golf for everyone, whether they’re just starting out or if they’re a pro!
Tour Caddy
Besides PGA touring professional, the next best job on a golf course might be touring caddy.
Many caddies were themselves top players in professional and amateur ranks, and lend their skills to help their professional optimize their play on any given day.
Pay varies widely because the general pay structure is roughly $1500 per week plus a percentage of the prize money.
You must know each course intimately in order to provide the best advice and counsel.
In addition, you act as a sounding board, therapist and emotional grounding point for the player you work with.
In that regard, you are as much mental coach and partner as you are employee.
It’s a difficult balance, but the best enjoy working at the top levels of the game, even if you are not the one actually pulling the trigger on the shots.
Golf Course Jobs – Design
Golf Course Mapper
A golf course mapper uses drones, otherwise known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), to provide aerial surveying for golf courses and clubs. You will provide maps of the entire terrain of the course, helping course management make decisions about agronomy, course redevelopment, coastal erosion, television broadcast setups and other engineering challenges.
In addition, golf course designers will use your services and knowledge to plan and design courses.
In the near future, your expertise with drones may move beyond golf course mapping.
Drones are soon expected to play a big role in golf teaching and training by showing players an aerial view of their swing and ball flight during the round itself.
Technology is invading every sport, and your skills will help golf move to the next level in course management and player development.
Course Construction
Course construction is booming in golf-crazy countries around the world.
As a professional in course construction, you’ll use large equipment like bulldozers, and more pedestrian tools such as shovels and rakes, to expertly shape the features of the course such as fairways, bunkers, tee boxes and greens.
This position is ideal for getting on-the-job training if you are interested in moving on to golf course design or photography.
Or you can become a construction project manager, responsible for overseeing the entire operation.
In this role, you’ll report to senior project managers.
You’ll manage the subcontractors, suppliers and line superintendents, and plan out the project schedule.
Get Started today
When you set your heart to work in the golf industry, maybe you originally wanted to be a tour player or local golf professional.
With technology moving at a breakneck speed and golf clubs working hard to provide an all-around experience for players, there are a quite a few job openings in areas you may have never known about.
Whatever your skillset it, there’s a career out there that can pair it with your love for golf.
Are you ready to pursue a golf career that you’ll love while working to improve your game?
We’e got you covered. No matter which path you take, Keiser University College of Golf in Florida can help you reach your goals. The first step is to get started with a golf management degree.
To learn more, contact us today, and we’ll help you plan out your future step-by-step so you can see which golf course jobs might be the best fit for you.
