You can also explore business minors at uNebraska: how feasible is it? Any of interest that would help him pivot away from strict golf management?
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If this is the case then I would encourage him to not major in golf management then, because there would be no reason he needs that specific of a major and the PGA card.
For the job at an apparel or equipment co, he will be competing with students with many different majors, some likely with more rigorā¦.specifically more quant skills. I do see at UNL that one of the golf mgmt paths includes a 18 hour business minor, so would recommend that if he sticks with the golf mgmt major.
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To me, golf club management is learning about running a shop, running food services, tee time operations, etc.
Sounds to me like heād want a marketing degreeā¦and maybe something with apparel or merchandising as a double major or minor.
When heās applying for internships, he can apply to sporting good companies, etc.
What you describe, to me, wouldnāt be golf course management. And would likely be hard to get this focused - but there are some (few) golf equipment/apparel companies out there.
I mean, there really isnāt difference from this to a car or peanut butter. Itās a widget at the end of the day.
But are you sure what heās pursuing educationally will get him to where he wants? It doesnāt sound like it but hopefully youāve researched curriculums of the PGA programs and they match what he is seeking.
U of Arkansas has an excellent merchandising program - as will others.
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Absolutely - many of these programs encourage a business minor (some give the bachelors degree) and we would want him coming out with a degree that gave him the flexibility to explore other options should he (like many of us) choose a different path.
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We went and visited five of these programs in person from which he narrowed it down to the two that were the best fit for him - all of them promote a diversity of tracks within the golf industry depending on the studentās interest. So we do feel confident that he can create the pathway he wants and make some good connections. However, the benefit to his interest in more of a marketing or business side is that he really can look at other ways to get there since his two top choices each have a limitation - one geographic and one cost prohibitive. This thread and conversation has really helped me to start making sure his singular focus isnāt just on the PGM programs and that we are helping him connect the dots about how the other pathways can get him there as well.
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Itās great how much research youāve done !!
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@ethome02 You and he might want to do a linkedin search of some of the companies where he might want to work and see what kinds of backgrounds junior and middle management folks have.
It might be helpful in terms of establishing the value of a specialized program, preferred course of study, preferences for ex-athletes, skills, etc.
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Good idea. I went to the linkedin pages for Nebraska, PSU, Miss State, and Coastal Carolina. I clicked on alumni, and typed āgolfā into the search. This should be the top 10 employers of alumni of each college for that major. I know next to nothing about golf, so Iāll leave it to others to interpret the results.
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Swerving a bitā¦does it make more sense for your son to pursue a business or marketing degree at a school where his golf game is good enough for him to be a playing member of the golf team?
Maintains his connection to golf and gives him more opportunities outside of just golf.
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Try the Linkedin pages for Callaway, Nike, Titleist, etc. And look at their jobs postings.
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Iāll let someone else do that as I donāt know anything about golf 
I did not think about that - brilliant!
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Wow - thank you for taking the time to do this! I feel so basic that I didnāt even know you could do that on LinkedIn. So interesting.
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Itās probably too late to be officially recruited, but good point to not lose sight of this. He could play at a club level or try to walk on. That way he keeps a foot in the golf world while takes a more traditional track academically. Thanks!
I thought of this thread last night when the weatherman said āItās golfing weather all weekā in Denver, as it will be 60+ until Friday, when the snow comes. You just never know.
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Hereās my thoughtā¦NEVER make a decision based on a dream out of high school. The average college student changes their major at least twice before settling on something to study. If you can ābarelyā afford it, then really, you canāt. Any layoff or major financial blow could dry up a money supply really fast. Remember this degree is a hyper-specialty. This major could pigeon-hole him in a career that, chance are, he might not like. And if he finds he doesnāt like it, heās going to have a very difficult time doing something even slightly different. Itās better to go into college with an open mind and gain a more diverse skill set.
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Well said.
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What a way to capture the entire essence of this thread - couldnāt agree more. Thank you!
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If heās already set his mind on transferring then he should explore accepting an Ohio State regional campus admission or starting at Columbus State. If he starts at a branch heād be eligible for the football ticket lottery. If there is room in the golf program then they might allow him to register for their classes from the regional campus or Columbus State. You can continue to pay the discounted regional campus tuition as long as the majority of his credits are taken there. Once heās earned 30 credits heād be eligible for a campus change. There are lots of furnished private student housing complexes in Columbus that would set him up with roommates.
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I would love for him to consider this - he was accepted to the Wooster campus in lieu of main campus so we are hoping to keep this option alive if he really wants OSU. I didnāt realize heād be eligible for the football lottery. Thatās a good reminder that he really can get many of the same benefits. Thanks!
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