If you plan to go into the golf industry for your career, you’ll quickly realize that there are golf colleges and regular colleges with golf teams. What’s the difference? Why shouldn’t you go for a business or sports-related degree? We’ll unpack the answers to all of these questions below.
Difference Between a Golf College vs. Regular College with a Golf Team
First up is decoding the difference between a traditional college with a golf team and a golf college. If you’re not sure which one is best for you, this quick breakdown can help you decide.
Golf College
A golf college is a college dedicated to everything golf. They have everything from generalized courses to help you hone and build your skills to golf degree-specific courses. You can surround yourself with other people who are just as into the game of golf as you are.
A golf college also typically have dedicated space for indoor golf instruction. This space could include things like 3D swing analysis systems, launch monitors, video systems, and more. The instructors have experience in a broad range of golf-related careers, and graduation from a golf college with a degree gives you many credits that count toward a PGA membership.
A golf college also gives the student access to golf courses to play seven days a week, and this is the perfect way to take what you learn in your classes and put it to practical use. Many golf college programs also have partnerships with some of the best golf equipment companies, and this can result in equipment or merchandise discounts that can save you hundreds of dollars.
Regular Colleges with a Golf Team
Next up is potentially attending a traditional golf college with a golf team. This is very different from a straight golf college. Traditional colleges offer dozens of different subjects and classes related to academic pursuits. They structure these classes around specific fields like nursing, teaching, social work, psychology, and other fields.
Regular colleges do have sports teams, and some of these colleges offer scholarships based on your performance in these sports. However, they don’t have sport-specific classes regarding techniques or the sport’s history. Your participation in these sports depends on your grades, and you typically go into a different field and use sports as a secondary hobby or outlet.
Traditional colleges usually don’t offer credits that you can use toward your PGA membership, but the golf team can go to different schools for competitions. They may offer equipment if you don’t have your own, but they normally don’t have discounts available for members of the golf team. They also divide the golf teams up into junior or varsity players based on skill levels.
Why Not Pursue a Business or Sports-Related Degree Instead?
If you want to play for the PGA, golf schools give you valuable credits that you can use to fulfill these credit requirements. If you decide to pursue a business or sports-related degree, you won’t have the opportunity to take golf-specific classes and put what you learn to practical use. In turn, you’ll spend a lot of time playing catch up to anyone who goes to a golf-specific college for their golf degree.
Another thing a golf college gives you that going to a traditional college for a business or sports-related degree is connections. When you go to a golf college, you get to work alongside industry professionals. Most golf colleges have solid connections and working relationships with golf brands that the students can use. This can result in discounts, or the students get a chance to make connections they can then use to get their foot in the door for their career.
A business or sports-related degree will look nice, but golf clubs and leagues may choose to go with the applicant that went to a golf-specific school over the person who didn’t. Another reason for this is that golf schools tend to be immersive, and the students can immediately apply the skills they learn in the classroom on the course. This looks better to many clubhouses or courses, and it gives you valuable skills that could result in a higher salary.
Sign up for a Golf College in Florida
If you’re ready to pursue your passion with golf, sign up for a golf college in Florida. You’ll get a terrific experience with a lot of hands-on instruction from industry professionals. This will set you up for a rewarding and fulfilling career doing what you love.