This was written some time ago by Ken Stasiewich when he was Assistant Golf Professional at Pridis Greens.
The life of a Golf Professional… the dream of many! No one can escape from being asked “What do you do for a living?” As a Golf Professional, I know if I answer truthfully I will have to endure the long pause, the glazed over stare, the slow upward turn of the lips, and then patiently wait for the inevitable: “A golf pro, eh? Wow! I’d love to golf every day for a living! What do you do in the winter? Why am I slicing the balls? What is the best ball out there today? What exactly do you do?” It occurs to me that, number one: people LOVE to talk about golf and, number two: few people understand what Golf Professionals do. Listing the job’s responsibilities would read like a resume, so instead, let’s take a walk through the average day of the Golf Professional.
HONEY! WAKE UP! IT’S 4:45am YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR WORK!” my wife “calmly” wakes me. Reality strikes hard! My shower is quick, my deodorant is generously applied and SHOOT!” my cotton pants aren’t ironed! Thank goodness for summer wool! As I drive to work (work being the pro shop not the first hole at the Players Championship which some actually believe) I pray that the beating rain miraculously disappears by the time I get to the golf course. As I approach the club and the dark clouds part I lift my hands towards heaven and cry, “Thank you!” The weather can be a friend or foe to the Golf Professional. But for now the weather is cooperating, there is no chance of frost, and tee times should run smoothly. I take a quick look at my day timer to refresh my memory…morning ladies league start at 8:00, club fittings at 8:30am, meeting with a corporate tournament committee at 10:00, management meeting at 1:00, show samples of shirts for client at 3:45, lessons from 4:45 – 6:30.
I take a deep breath and look out the window at the first hole. The view is beautiful and it occurs to me how often I have taken this beauty for granted. My smile broadens when I see good old Carl walking toward the pro shop with his precious 30 year old clubs trailing behind him. “FOCUS”, I tell myself. I check my emails…ouch! “Okay, deal with one e-mail at a time!” I encourage myself. Here I go…and here Neal comes. Neal is a young new assistant to the staff and is a promising professional. He asks if I have time to review the work he has done on this weekend’s mixed tournament. I look down at my lengthy To Do list and answer “of course”! He accepts my praise with a humble smile and he absorbs my suggestions like a sponge. I return to the first “do” on my To Do list: Return Sandy’s call and confirm ball order and logo. As I pick up the phone Keith, a newer member, comes into the office upset about yesterday’s pace of play. I place the one on its cradle and we take a little time to rectify the problem. As we walk out of the pro shop together, I take note of our staff: Dean is changing a floor display, Janice is helping a member try on a pair of shoes, Brent is answering the phone and Craig is checking in a guest! At the range, the outside service staff are on task and the back-shop employees are providing good service. I think back to the intense training I put the staff through in the spring to get to this place today. Wow…it was well worth the effort!
As I work my way back to the office I look at my watch. I reads 8:15am. The day has just begun…