How To Increase Profits As A Golf Pro
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
So you’ve got your tour card, and you are making decent money as a golf pro. Or, maybe you’re looking into becoming a pro, but aren’t sure of how well it pays. Either way, this article will show you how to increase your pay as a golf pro, and maximize profits for the long term of your golf pro career. While some people may not believe that becoming a golf pro should be all about the money, it is important to give heed to this concept since you will have to feed your family, and pay the bills. In a profession like golf, it is easy to get carried away with giving away free lessons, and playing extra rounds with friends. If you want to be a serious golf pro, you must learn to manage your time, as well as your money to ensure you earn enough money to make a descent living.The first step in making more money as a golf pro is not allowing yourself to accept less than what you are worth. Do your research, find out what other golf pro’s with similar experience are making per year. Request that you get paid at least that much in your wages. It is important to not undersell yourself. Even if you are working on an hourly basis, make sure you get a quality hourly wage. All you have to do is ask, and the worst your employer can do is say no. Often they will meet your needs if you are providing them with an above average service to their clients.
Next you must become a golf pro that keeps the clock running and the billing hours in order. This means no extra time should be given away to any clients if they are not paying you. This often happens with golf pro’s that will charge per hour, but end up giving an hour and a half of service per the clients request. Simply develop a mechanism to alert your clients that after one hour you are either in need of billing another hour, or should attend to another client. This will help your golf pro business be as efficient as possible, and allow for you to make the most money each day.
Go to work early, and stay late. This is often overlooked by golf pro’s that swear by a relaxed schedule. Don’t allow others to bring you into a situation where you are only working a few hours a day in the afternoon. Chances are if you are at the course early in the morning, there will be work you can do, and bill for, and this will be the same in the evenings as well. The more that you make yourself available, and the more time you dedicate to your golf pro job, the better your wage will be at the end of the month.
Become an expert in one facet of the game. Are you great with the driver? Can you knock down some long distance putts with ease? Whatever it is that you can do best, try to bill yourself as the expert in that area. This will surely bring you new clients. Often clients looking to work with a golf pro have a specific thing they want to work on. Like driving, or putting. By getting the word out that you are an expert, this will help new clients come to you for instruction. Becoming an expert increases your chances of billing more hours. If you have a solid game overall, but don’t have one element that is better than the rest, start to practice one element, and study one element off the course. Becoming an expert isn’t all about natural ability; it can happen through study and training.
Andy West is a freelance writer and communications specialist for SDGA. San Diego Golf Academy is a premier golf school with five locations across the United States. For more information on becoming a golf pro, please visit http://www.sdgagolf.com .