October 18, 2011
As assistant golf professionals, we work in a very transient corner of the business. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. As assistant golf professionals, it pays to get mobile. Getting out of your comfort zone can be very beneficial to you both personally and professionally. Although it certainly is not wrong to stay put in a place for many years, it can be a disadvantage. Not having any considerable amount of experience out of your comfort zone can limit your perspective on the business and your career. The following are some reasons that getting mobile as an assistant golf professional can be beneficial to you.
Networking
The biggest advantage to you as a golf professional can be the plethora of opportunities for networking. In some ways, it certainly pays to stay put in a certain place and become a part of the club and the town and grow grass-roots relationships. You can certainly network in this situation. However it is arguably more advantageous to mobilize yourself and cultivate networks in different parts of the country. Your sphere of influence will grow, and with that comes many doors.
Perspective
Going from local to mobile will open up your mind. If you’re from the northeast and you spend a few years in the south, you will experience new ways of doing things. You will encounter different personalities and a different culture. Being a well-traveled golf professional will lend you great perspective on the inner workings of customer service, hospitality, and general golf operations within different regions.
Adaptation
Getting mobile will increase your ability to adapt to new and different situations. Going to new and different regions forces you to focus and adapt to the regions and the clubs culture. Not only will you be better able to adapt to people and places, but you’ll sharpen your ability to adapt to situations, and have a sounder ability to make decisions.
"The Bubble"
Making yourself mobile will make you less judgmental. If all you know is the town you grew up in, then you’re missing out on experiencing how other places and people are, and living in the bubble can potentially cocoon your way of thinking. By exposing yourself to different places, you introduce yourself to different social values and different methods of running a golf operation. Sometimes you take on values and instill them into your own life and career.
Risk Taking
Many HP’s like seeing assistant professionals "dig" - Taking risks for the sake of their success as a golf professional. Having multiple experiences in different parts of the country on your resume tells the HP that this kid is grinding and is willing to take risks and do what he/she has to do to be successful as a golf professional.
Learning Curve
Mobilizing yourself increases your learning curve as a golf professional. Some assistants go south for the winter, some use the off-season to do some personal traveling, some use the off-season to do nothing at all. There is nothing wrong with any of these three approaches; however it’s obvious which one will increase your learning curve and push your career as a golf professional forward faster.
There is nothing wrong with staying in your home town, but there is A LOT to be said about getting mobile and moving out of your comfort zone. Whether going south for the winters or permanently moving to another region of the country, getting out of your comfort zone will pay big dividends for you personally and professionally.
Get mobile.
