There was a time when the head professional wasn’t allowed to step foot into the clubhouse. Nick Williams, the Head Professional at St Enodoc, recalled how the man he replaced, Ernie Goodman, was made to stay outside.
“I first came for interview, the old professional Ernie Goodman that was here before me, and he was here for 35 years before I came, he wasn’t allowed in the clubhouse,” he recalled on The NCG Golf Podcast.
“They weren’t respected back in the old days. So, even right up to the 80s, at this golf club, the professional of the golf club then wasn’t allowed to go into the clubhouse, and he had to stay outside. And you would be invited in by a member if you wanted to go into the clubhouse.”
It was a time when they also had differing responsibilities. It was common practice for Williams and his colleagues to set up the tee and pin positions.
Now a vast chunk of their time is spent with members, wither it’s through golf lessons or social interactions. But are clubs tapping into this enough?
“What annoys me a little bit is that golf clubs in general don’t use their professionals enough,” Williams pointed out. “They don’t use the information they’ve got.”
The changing role of the golf club professional
The modern PGA Professional isn’t someone who simply gives lessons or sells golf equipment. They can be a coach, retailer, club fitter, organiser, an administrator, as well as a constant point of contact for members.
They’re often the feet on the ground and the ear to the wall at many clubs.
“We’re here every day of the week listening to the moans and groans and the members’ wishes and not wishes,” Williams added.
“They don’t come and ask. You know, you think well, surely you would even just ask once a month what was going. It might help to help run the club.
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“That’s the disappointing side of it. That not just me, but you know, golf clubs in general tend to not do that, and I think they should. It’s our job. We’re here every day. We’re trying to keep them all happy.”
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