A question that came up in the comments of the article "how much does a golf manager earn" is the question of how I can actually become a golf manager.
In this article you find information on getting into the golf industry. You learn more about education and further training in this area and find out which options both insiders and career changers have when looking for jobs in the golf business. Note: where high salaries are mentioned, the figures refer to the German-speaking region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Which further training do I need to become a golf manager?
The question of the necessary training for a job in golf management cannot be answered clearly. This fact is a little due to the size of the golf industry. In Germany there are, as of 2022, around 730 golf facilities. In other German-speaking countries such as Austria or Switzerland the number of golf facilities just about reaches a three-digit figure. Accordingly it will surprise only the fewest that there is no direct apprenticeship to become a golf manager.
Staff in the golf industry are often career changers or have qualified themselves to their current positions with additional qualifications and a high interest in the golf business.
Does that mean there is no further training at all for managing a golf facility?
The answer to this is a clear no. Because there are several further-training offers for aspiring and existing managers of golf facilities.
Which further training exists for (aspiring) golf managers?
In golf management too it is important to keep training. The more the years pass, the faster methods and strategies change. Laws and requirements become ever more comprehensive. And we have to run not to fall behind in the jungle of necessary expertise.
The German Golf Association (DGV) offers several trainings for aspiring and existing golf managers.
As of today each of these three trainings requires attendance in person. Digital offers from the DGV I could not find in my research.
It looks different at the IST in Düsseldorf, where there are options for distance learning. Your attendance is necessary for the exam to become a golf operations manager, but you can work through the bulk of the teaching content digitally from home.
I myself completed the further training to become a golf operations manager. So if you have questions for a graduate, feel free to get in touch via the contact form. You can also listen in to my podcast episode on the topic of further training, staff and a rethink in the golf business from the IST.
Less a direct training, but a recognised quality seal in the golf industry, is the CCM of the GMVD. The Certified Club Manager is a graduation system that assesses the networking activities and skills of club managers.
Personally, however, I have so far only got as far as the information meeting; alongside the necessary professional requirements, it is also mandatory to play golf tournaments all over Germany. Since this point is unavoidable, it is a showstopper for me.
An education provider from Austria offers the diploma distance-learning programme "International Golf Management". The distance-learning programme conveys knowledge around golf management and additionally contains an international focus. If the exams were possible digitally from home and not fixed to Vienna and Salzburg, I would probably have completed this training already.
A further option is the B.A. Golf Management. The University of Applied Management offers the bachelor of arts programme for golf management.
Can I also work as a club manager without a subject-specific degree?
Yes, definitely. Personally I am very glad that there are further-training options in German at all. However, these trainings are not a must and also not a guarantee for a job in golf management.
Many managers in the golf business bring competences from the general commercial area or were previously excellent golfers or even golf pros.
A healthy interest in golf and solid commercial skills move you up the pile of applicants.
Routes into golf management
- Career change with a commercial background
- Further training at the DGV or IST Düsseldorf
- Degree B.A. Golf Management (FHAM)
- Training directly at a golf facility
- Quality seal CCM of the GMVD
Which trainings do golf facilities offer themselves?
Staff who already know the facility and were trained on it have good chances of a leading activity. For applicants it is therefore naturally interesting which golf facilities train and which trainings they offer.
I myself completed the training to become a sport and fitness clerk in 2012. My training was very common at that time and took place in an upmarket four-star golf hotel. Now, a good 10 years later, I register in conversations with chamber-of-commerce graduates many event management assistants, whose number is steadily increasing.
Depending on the type of golf facility, further training places are also offered, for example for hotel specialists and hotel or office clerks. There are also trainings in the food and beverage area.
Where can I work everywhere as a golf manager?
Golf managers from Germany work all over the world. Most look for their place of work in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The two latter countries in particular are attractive, because managers of golf facilities are offered very high salaries there.
But it is not only these countries that are interesting when you choose a position in golf management. The place of work can also change quickly; by no means all professionals work only at golf facilities. By now there are the most varied positions in golf management: some are responsible for the golf offers of whole groups of golf facilities, others work in associations or in industry. The manufacturers of golf clubs and clothing also need professionals from the golf industry.
How can I work as a golf manager abroad?
But golf managers from Germany are also in demand internationally. Whether in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Greece, Turkey or the USA, in many countries you find staff from the German golf scene.
Does a golf manager have to be good at golf?
One of the most common prejudices about golf managers: they have to be good golfers. Of course many golf managers are also good players.
However, playing golf and golf management are not a mandatory combination. The manager of a golf facility has the task of managing it, not playing on it.
And indeed, some of the best golf facility managers I have ever met never touched a golf club again after their Platzreife.
It looks different if you work as a golf operations manager. Because alongside the organisation of the daily commercial operation, this is often also connected with the handling of the competitions. Deep knowledge of the rules and know-how about the challenges on your own courses are important requirements when you carry out these activities. It can, however, be enough here if you regularly drive the course and keep training on the rules. After all, most golf facilities also have team captains who are responsible for these questions.
How old are golf facility managers?
Golf is generally regarded as a sport played by older people. And looking at the DGV statistics this assumption is indeed true.
But especially at the congresses and assemblies of the German-speaking golf industry I find more and more younger colleagues. While the average age in golf management is, it feels, still the highest, this changes as soon as we switch industries within golf.
There are colleagues in the position of golf manager who move into their chair in their early 20s. Others find their calling in the field of golf manager only from 50 upwards.
Digital further-training offers for golf managers
A frequently occurring question is the question of further-training offers in digital form. Other industries have offered this kind of training for a long time. Whole degrees are possible completely online, but many smaller, more specific trainings also take place in digital form.
In the golf industry, unfortunately, very little of this change in the further-training system is yet to be seen. Most trainings require a lot of attendance, combine miserably with a main job and show no mercy with digital exams.
Regarding the compatibility of work and further training, I find the offers of the IST in Düsseldorf the best. One of the trainings there can be completed completely online, while the second further training in golf management only requires attendance in person during the exam.
