Marcus King: “What the PGA Has Done for Me”

WHAT HAS THE PGA DONE FOR ME?

When I served you before as your President, and in traveling throughout the Section visiting our Chapters and getting to know you all, the one question that always came up was: “What does the PGA do for me?”

The answer is relatively simple: the PGA gives all of us instant credibility as members of the leading sports organization in the world.  If you can pass the PAT, pass a background check, get through the three qualifying courses, muscle your way through the PGA PGM, and remain eligibly employed, you get to wear the badge that says, “I am a leader of the golf industry and I play a credible (and in many cases incredible) game of golf.”  This credibility makes you eligible to be hired as a PGA Golf Professional and is a ticket to the glamorous lifestyle that you love.  There is nothing better than being at a social gathering when someone finds out that you’re a “working pro,” hands their wine glass to their spouse, grabs a broom handle, and asks you to check their grip.  Good times!

Beyond the badge, the rest is up to you.  The PGA provides the tools, training and opportunities to go as far as you want in our profession.  The PGA will lead you to water, but you are the one to drink the water…or Kool Aid.

On a personal level, the PGA has:

  • Opened doors to so many friendships. My best friends all have PGA after their name.
  • Provided opportunities to learn about boards and leadership and its application to my facility.
  • Taught me how to run a business the right way…and the wrong way.
  • Initiated me to the necessities of time management and work/life balance.
  • Given really cool discounts, which I take advantage of routinely.
  • Provided plenty of competition opportunities.
  • Exposed me to “movements” such as Special Olympics, Folds of Honor, teaching disabled vets, inner city junior golf, and diversity and inclusion programs.

But the greatest gift the PGA has given me is the smile I get to bring to my wife’s face before she breaks down with uncontrollable shrieks of laughter after I look her in the eye across the pillow and remind her with a straight face, a paunch that haunts me, and a quickly developing balding pattern that “I am a professional athlete, and you would do well to remember that.”  Good times, my friends, good times!

I would love to hear your stories about what the PGA does for you and what it means to you.  Please email me at mking@overlakegcc.com and share your story…I would love to hear it!

I look forward to seeing you all at your Chapter meetings coming up in September and October.

Marcus King, PGA, CCM, CCE
General Manager
Overlake Golf & Country Club

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