Opening of $6 million golf clubhouse will enhance N.C. State’s PGA degree program

New Clubhouse at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University

N.C. State’s new $6 million Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse which opened earlier this month, will benefit the Professional Golf Management program of the College of Natural Resources, the turf grass program and the N.C. State women’s and men’s golf teams.

Before the clubhouse was built, the golf programs were housed in a series of trailers and had indoor hitting rooms in a structure that was originally designed to hold machinery.

Though the structure was refurbished, it did not compare to having a real clubhouse, according to Robb Wade, director of the N.C. State PGA Golf Management Program.

“It was kind of like trying to teach physics without a physics lab,” Wade said. “There’s lots of theory, but until you have a place like that, you can’t really enhance the learning.”

The clubhouse is part of the Lonnie Poole Golf Course located on N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus in Raleigh, N.C.

Read the complete article in the TechnicianOnline>>>

 

NC State Golf Management Program One of Five in the Carolinas

Professional Golf Management programs prominent in the Carolinas
Excerpt from worldgolf.com   /  Robb Wade featured

PGA logoGREENSBORO, N.C. — Today, Michael Cooper, PGA, is the general manager at Harbour Pointe Golf Club in New Bern, N.C. But not too long ago he was just a young high school graduate trying to plan a career path in the golf industry. Cooper eventually entered one of America’s 20 Professional Golf Management University Programs (also known as PGM schools), which are designed to help provide entrée into the realm of real-world golf in the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). It is a high-motivation, high-reward, plenty-of-opportunities-for-long-term success kind of career path.

The PGM is a true educational program – one designed to prepare college students for a variety of employment opportunities in the golf industry. The program is a four-and-a-half to five-year curriculum for aspiring PGA Professionals looking to combine their golf education with their overall one.

Each year, five sanctioned universities throughout the Carolinas PGA Section – Clemson, N.C. State, Campbell, Coastal Carolina and Methodist – provide participants with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the golf industry through extensive classroom studies and internship experience.

North Carolina State University’s PGM program in Raleigh, N.C., is designed to teach its students how to combine the best practices for managing the business of golf with the best stewardship of natural resources.

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N.C. State Golf Management Students to Help Northgreen Country Club

N.C. State University has chosen Northgreen Country Club as a classroom case study for students this semester who are trying to make a career in the golf industry. 

PGM students Interning

PGM students gain hands on knowledge through required internships and service projects

The PGA Golf Management course students have been analyzing Northgreen and its clubhouse and are offering suggestions for improving the business.  The students, who are taking the course in the university’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, also are making site visits and will be assisting with clinics and other duties at the course.

The golf course was chosen for this semester’s case study after residents of the Northgreen Village Association sat down with course owner Ed Holloman to discuss ways they could work together to improve the course, which is considered a major selling point for their properties.

The partnership 
between the university and course a win-win situation for everyone involved, Northgreen owner Wayne Holloman said.  He said Northgreen Country Club gets free advice about how to improve the course and improve its bottom line.  And students get a chance to work at a blue-collar course that is open to the public and similar to clubs some will be working at when they graduate, course instructor Andy Betz said.  He said his upper-
level students are putting together a marketing plan for Northgreen.

 Holloman said (the partnership) resulted in what amounted to a free consultation. “It was amazing to see college kids put that much serious effort into something.”    Residents said any 
improvements to the course can only be a plus for the neighborhood.

Adapted from the “Rocky Mount Telegram”.
Read the complete article, written by John Henderson and  published February 11, 2013

Defending Champs NC State Lead 20 PGM Teams into 11th PGA Jones Cup

2011 Jones Cup Winners - NC State University

2011 Jones Cup Winners – NC State University
Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America

The NC State College of Natural Resources is excited to see our Professional Golf  Management students off to Port Lucie, Florida on November 13-14, 2012 to defend their Jones Cup Championship title.  The team is composed of the academic program’s top golfers who will compete with the top golfers from all 20 PGA Golf Management programs nationwide.

Read the complete feature article on the PGA Website.
Learn more about the PGM program at NC State University.

When One Shot Means Everything

NC State’s PGA Golf  Managmement team are the 2012 Carolina’s Cup champions! 

Carolina's Cup TrophySunday, March 11 marked the first time in history that a PGA/GM school has held the Jones and Carolina’s Cup trophies within the same calendar year.  On Thursday, ten elite North Carolina State University PGA/GM students trekked 175 miles to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with hopes of ousting the Carolina’s Cup competition on the newly renovated Hackler Course.  After his practice round on Friday, senior Alex Kowalski warned that the new greens were firm, tricky, and unresponsive.  “It’s gonna make for an interesting couple of days,” he said.  

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