Three young golf industry professionals provided details of their career journeys from serving as PGA WORKS Fellows to landing full-time jobs in golf Thursday during an inspirational presentation on the PGA of America Industry Stage presented by CapTech moderated by Michael Collins of ESPN.
Mackenzie Myers traced her steps from being a softball player studying sports management to a PGA WORKS intern with the Gateway PGA Section. Today, she serves as Player Engagement Manager for the Gateway Section and is loving her position.
“I always wanted to work in sports, and being a PGA WORKS Fellow in the Gateway Section taught me all about golf and the many programs a PGA Section offers for golfers of all skill levels and backgrounds,” said Myers. “It was an interesting learning process, but Alli Wells (Gateway Section executive director) took me under her wing and helped me learn the ropes. My advice for anyone trying to get into the golf industry would be to find a good mentor you can go to with any question or issue you might have.
“The toughest thing I had to learn in transitioning from softball to golf?” asked Myers aloud. “How to hit the golf ball straight. The rest has been fairly straightforward, although the first time Alli (Wells) said here’s your budget for this program, I said ‘budget?’ What’s a budget? But I quickly learned.”
Tomie Anderson (pictured), who now serves as PGA Jr. League Grants Coordinator for PGA of America REACH Foundation, knew from the youngest of ages that he wanted a career in sports. He just didn’t know it would be golf.
“Anything that involved a ball, I was with it,” admitted Anderson. “After I was a PGA WORKS Fellow, I was looking around to see where I could make a positive impact. I’ve always loved working with kids, so working with PGA Jr. League was a great fit for me.
“The first youth clinic I was part of in L.A. – shout out to those impacted by the fires in LA. – I saw how I could impact so many lives through golf. My advice to someone wanting to get into the golf business, is stay curious and don’t be afraid to look at jobs that are different. That’s how you will grow.”
Shannon Gilbert served as a PGA WORKS Fellow at the Metropolitan PGA Section and now is a Marketing Associate at RX Global, who helps manage the PGA Show among other Shows for the worldwide company.
“I was always interested in golf and played golf, but I wanted to see the back side of the golf business,” noted Gilbert. “My job at RX Global has taught me how to organize my time and be professional while handling hundreds of behind-the-scenes jobs that go into making a show like the PGA Show successful. I got to be an attendee at the PGA Show a couple of years ago, so I got to see the Show from the perspective of an attendee. I learned from that and have incorporated what I learned into my current job with RX Global. My advice is not e afraid to take risks and try new things to make shows a better experience for everyone.”