SEPTEMBER
2001
FUTURE IS PROMISING FOR PROFESSIONAL GOLF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION
Ask Jim Riscigno what makes FSU's Professional
Golf Management (PGM) program unique, and you will get a solid
and complete answer.
"It is the only certified program that combines a business
degree with a major in hospitality," Riscigno said. And
it is the only program in Florida certified by the Professional
Golf Association of America.
Offered by the College of Business Dedman School of Hospitality,
the program prepares its graduates for every aspect of professional
golf management. Although the certification requires applicants
to have an 8 or lower handicap, very few of them are likely to
follow in the footsteps of Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam.
With 28 years of corporate golf business experience, Riscigno
has strong credentials for directing the program and teaching
the golf management course sequence. He is the former executive
vice president of ClubCorp, which has more than 250 private clubs,
golf resorts and daily fee operations. A graduate of the FSU
College of Business in hospitality, he earned a master's degree
in business administration at Southern Methodist University.
Riscigno says opportunities abound for PGM graduates.
"The men and women who come to the program have a real passion
for the game and have decided they want to make golf their careers,"
he said. "They not only enjoy the game of golf, but they
also want to learn about the business of golf."
"Most of them are going to end up in positions as club professionals,
golf instructors, professional managers, directors of golf or
general managers.
"And then they can move on up into maybe a corporate vice president position with a company like ClubCorp or American Golf. Or they may end up in merchandising with a company like Titleist or Foot Joy or a golf-cart manufacturer.
"There are just so many directions they can go,"
Riscigno said.
Students in the program must complete a 16-month internship with
a PGA head golf professional and the Player Ability Test (PAT).
They will receive plenty of help from Ernie Lanford, the former
Seminole golf coach, who is on the faculty.
"Ernie brings more than 18 years of golf coaching and PGA golf professional experience to our program," Riscigno said. "He has more than 20 years of education and teaching experience."
Agronomy courses are also required in the PGM program.
Overall, the program, is "chapter, date and verse of everything
they need to know," Riscigno said. "They're exposed
to all areas of professional golf management prior to their certification."
Once students have completed all of that, they still have to complete an apprenticeship, which takes about eight months. Thus, from start-to-finish, until they can actually apply for their certification as a Class A PGA professional, the commitment is really five years.
"This program is intensive, but it's fun," Riscigno
said.
Students have not balked at the hard work, and enrollment is
growing.
"We have 30 students in the PGM program; we expect approximately
40 enrollments this fall," Riscigno said.
Men and women students may be attracted to golf and its flourishing
job market.
The opportunities in Florida are getting better every day. With more than 1,200, Florida has more golf courses than any other state.
Since 1986, the number of golfers in the United States is up 41 percent and is estimated to be about 28 million. However, it is difficult to separate players from those who practice on golf ranges but don't play. So much so that Tim Finchem, PGA tour commissioner, said recently that participation in golf stands at 35.4 million, when you count the 7.7 million range users.
Women are a significant part of the growth. Although they make up only 22 percent of the golfer population, the number of women golfers rose 24 percent over the past 10 years.
Moreover, about 39 percent of all beginning golfers are female.The number of 18-hole rounds played and the number of golf courses also have increased significantly in the United States. About 570 million rounds of golf are played each year. And the rate of new golf course construction has gone from an average of 150 new courses per year to more than 400 per year over the last decade.
Golf is also bolstering the economy. Reports show that golfers in 1999 spent $22.2 billion on equipment and fees.
For more information about the FSU PGM program, see the Web site at http://www.fsu.edu/cob/ha -Franklin D. Murphy, president, University Communications Group
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