They aspire to a life at the top of European golf but talented female golfers got an insight into other career options in golf during the recent LETAS Access Series event at Stoke by Nayland.
Around 50 golfers playing in the WPGA International Challenge attended a presentation by David Robinson, The PGA’s training manager.
The girls, mostly in their late teens and early 20s, gained an insight into getting PGA qualified to help broaden their career opportunities after their playing years have ended.
Current LET players Lydia Hall and Connie Chen are two who have already enrolled on the PGA’s education programme and Robinson reported positive feedback from the players.
“After the talk, there was quite a lot of interest with several coming up to me to find out more and asking for more information,” said Robinson.
“These girls are all young, want to play and are focused on trying to make it on tour. This is great to hear but it is very hard to succeed on tour. They are going to be working or playing for the next 40 years and in essence I said that if they wanted to stay in golf the PGA route will stand them in good stead.
“Whether it is coaching, being a club pro, a director of golf, retailer, club manager or any number of different roles, being PGA qualified opens the door to these opportunities down the line.
“As I said to them, they might take away your tour card but they can’t take away your PGA qualification. And as Lydia and Connie have shown, it is perfectly feasible to combine both playing and the degree programme at the same time. Hopefully the presentation has put this in the back of their minds and will reap dividends in the future.”
The presentation follows a PGA marketing campaign launched earlier this year to promote its world leading education programmes to the next generation of PGA Professionals. Eye-catching infographics, video logs, google display ads and social media were utilised to highlight the opportunities for those who enrol on either The PGA Foundation Degree in Professional Golf Studies or the University of Birmingham’s Applied Golf Management Studies degree.
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