By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
As golf professionals and industry leaders, we often talk about “growing the game.” This usually means boosting junior golf engagement and programming to get more youth athletes interested in golf, whether they pursue it in high school, college and professionally, or simply play the game for a lifetime with friends and family.
However, as PGA of America Golf Professionals, building the game AND the business of golf for the future also means rearing the next generation of professionals. After all, with more players than ever getting into the game, who’s going to continue the tradition of service and commitment that the PGA of America has provided for more than a century?
In addition to almost 25,000 Class A members in the PGA of America, there are roughly 6,000 PGA Associates in the PGA’s Professional Golf Management (PGM) Associate Program or enrolled in the PGA PGM University Program at participating colleges and universities from across the nation.
Regardless of the method by which a budding professional pursues PGA Membership, the PGM program offers an extensive curriculum that includes teaching, merchandising, tournament administration, golf cart fleet management, food and beverage, management, customer service and more. When completed, along with meeting the current Playing Ability Test (PAT) requirements, successful candidates are elected to PGA membership to carry on the Association’s greatest traditions, as well as help the game adapt to an ever-changing golf landscape and dynamic customer demographic.
With such busy clubs and courses from coast to coast, time management is often a challenge for young professionals working, competing and yes, maneuvering his or her way through the PGM Program. In the Northeastern New York PGA Section, one of 41 PGA of America sections in the U.S., the primary mission of its Assistant’s Committee is “to provide assistance and mentorship to PGA Associates who have a direct interest in membership in the PGA of America, ultimately expanding the pool of qualified assistants to our members and employers and producing the next generation of PGA Professionals. Assistance will be provided through assigned mentors with more tenured PGA Members, education workshops and offerings, membership meeting inclusion and tournament-playing opportunities for networking.” From mentoring to education to networking, all the buzzwords are covered, and the process of paying it forward continues.
Matt McPhillips is the PGA of America Director of Instruction at Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, New York and has been the Chairperson of the NENY PGA Assistant’s Committee since January 2021.
“During the calendar year, our committee meets four times, either virtually or in person, to coordinate our flagship event – The Associates Cup,” McPhillips explains. “Specifically, we delegate tasks to make sure that everyone is participating and remaining engaged. To that end, our committee is constantly in contact with the Associates in our section to ensure they are aware of all of the offerings to help them with their PGA journey.”
To fully serve the ever-changing needs of their diverse Associate demographic, McPhillips and NENY Director of Operations Christian Torres came up with the concept of Accelerator Sessions to help their Associates in real-time while they are working on their books.
“Specifically, we have set up two dates during the upcoming season where we’ll get as many Associates together as we can at one site to work on their current coursework,” McPhillips says. “There will be multiple Class A members in attendance who are there to share guidance and provide support to help Associates proceed to the next checkpoint. We provide food and beverages, and then after a morning’s worth of classroom time, we all head out onto the golf course for 18 holes. Networking and accelerating the timeline to Class A is our goal!”
McPhillips and his committee are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment in the Northeastern New York PGA Section. In 2023, they hosted the Silver Dollar Tournament at Hiland Golf Club in mid-October. Although the upstate New York weather wasn’t particularly great, they received support from vendors such as Titleist, Satch Sales and TaylorMade that helped draw a strong field of Associates from across the Section. The result was a highly successful raffle, great food and beverage, a competitive but fun Scramble format and a great chance to bring the Associates together to realize that they’re not alone in this process.
McPhillips says he looks forward to bringing their neighboring Associates together for future events, helping NENY Associates meet Central and Western New York Associates, as well as those in the Connecticut and New England PGA Sections.
McPhillips and his committee aren’t just helping with bookwork, however. The playing opportunities enable Associates to put their laptops away and get on the course to hone their own playing skills.
“By playing 18 holes with the Associates after the study session, we can help with course management suggestions and ways to manage playing expectations,” McPhillips adds. “Additionally, when the Associates Cup rolls around, we have 2-3 Class A mentors assigned to the field to play with the Associates. I remember when I was an associate in the section – I played 18 holes with Mike Behan, a Past President of the Section, and to this day we are close and continue to work together in several areas, including college golf.”
Other PGA Sections are doing their part to help Associates navigate the hurdles towards PGA Membership, including the Pacific Northwest Section with its Associate Mentoring Program and Guide to Mentoring Associates and the Southern California PGA Section, which administers its own Associates Mentorship Program.
