# What do you expect from a Club Pro



## ian.cook (Oct 7, 2011)

After 15 years our Club Pro has decided to move on, he's done a great job, but as we all know the industry and culture within golf clubs has changed dramatically over the past decade. The internal conversations at the club are now all about "What do we want from a new pro?"

As this is thankfully not a procedure we go through every year, i thought that it would be interesting and helpful to get some feedback from the group.

If you have recently been through this situation at your club, how did you address the situation.

In the current economic climate, hopefully, its not all about just getting the cheapest person available, that seems like a nice person!! 

We have been giving our current pro a package that is apparently above the average including a house on the course, so there is a reasonable budget already appropriated to the position.

What would be helpful is if members of the group could give us any advice and possibly your top 3 characteristics of a new pro, so that we at least are interviewing with our eyes and minds wide open.

Thanks


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## Hacker AL (Sep 24, 2011)

Must be approchable with a complete lack of arrogance. Nothing turns people off more.Buying you a drink after your round is also a plus.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Hello Ian,

Good customer service skills.

Once your short list is drawn up have some of your senior members/executives of the club visit the club of the candidate. It may be a distance away, and costly, but its your best opportunity to see them in action, especially if you go on a club competition day.

Good stock.

For club pro's to compete against the AG stores or the like you need sight, at interview stage, of any agreements they have with buying sybdicates that will ensure access to a decent stock at decent prices. If they don't have something like this in place the shop will be a bit bare, and what is in there will be costly. If this is the case they won't be able to service the members, nor survive for long.

Opening hours

A fairly obvious requirement but the club needs to detail this formally, and also expect the incoming pro to have a viable plan to meet this requirement. Certainly as clubs experience more nomadic golfers in the UK there is a growing need to have someone there to collect green fees - we've increased our take by almost 40% by staffing to a decent time 7 days a week.

The ability to coach

Has the incoming pro done any more than the pga level 2 course that he needed to pass to become a pro? What is his reputation in his area? Again, bearing in mind the investment the club is making it might be an idea for a club member to go and have a lesson.

His playing ability

Not sure whereabouts you are based in Cheshire but both the MDGA Dunham Trophy & the Nth Cheshire league expect the pro play in the club teams. Certinaly in the MDGA Dunham Trophy if the pro doesn't play the team will start 1 down.

What you see at interview may not reflect the individual, so I would highly recommend visiting at different times to see what sort of operation the candidate is involved in and how they perform.

Good luck, Brian


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Yes what hobbit said!


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## Gas Hawg (Oct 10, 2011)

I think that a pro today also needs to be good with kids and have a plan for programs that cater to getting kids interested in golf. In my experience this takes some additional teaching skills that are not necessarily needed when teaching adults.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

To some extent, I think it depends on the structure of the club. I've known places where there is a club manager and others where the pro had to be the business manager for more than just the pro shop.

I think personality and a positive attitude about good customer service are the two keys.

Other things like Hobbit mentioned are also important, but I'll add one more. The pro needs to be a role model for young people. With the big amount of young people being attracted to the game, a pro needs to be able to give them support by example to develop the right mental approach to the game, learn the rules and learn the etiquette.


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I lost a good golf instructor when my home course changed management, and went with Billy Casper Golf. They sent my guy packing, and brought in their own guy. The new guy lasted all of about 6 weeks. He wanted to make all his students swing his way. Eventually he had no students. 

The only things I would look for in a new instructor would be someone who understood my game, and could explain an agreeable method between him and I, in a way I could understand. I am the guy footing the bill, so I need to understand what he is trying do with my swing. If he and I can't get on the same page, I get nothing for my money.


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