it's a typical situation in these typical times. too many choices. everybody's happy, everybody's free. we'll keep the big door open and everyone'll come around.

so no photo tonight, just a story about my very enjoyable evening.  mike and i went out to dinner with my mentor and his wife to discuss my future in the golf industry. because i work for a golf non-profit, even though i work outside and teach kids all day, i am not in a suitable environment to earn my pga (or professional golf association) membership. golf pros at country clubs, reps for golf companies, golf tournament coordinators, and basically anyone with any power in the golf world has those three letters "pga" next to their name. in the competitive golf atmosphere, having those initials is equivalent to having the letters "md" in the real world. 

i have been struggling with whether or not to pursue my pga membership for a while since entering this job, even though my first question when i was hired was to ask if i could keep my amateur status (something that goes away along with the ability to play in amateur tournaments such as my club championship and state and nationwide amateur tournaments when you gain a pga card).  i was not sure if i wanted to make golf my career, and i did not want to lose the opportunity to play in such tournaments like i enjoyed so much during high school and college. but now, i am realizing how much i love being around the golf business and would like to spend my life in it.

i have attended national first tee conferences and it seems as though everyone in the national office and many with power in chapters across the country have those letters next to their name. i do not want to hurt my chances of progressing in the first tee system or the golf world by not taking this opportunity. the problem, like i said before, is that i am not in a conducive job for attaining my card in the three years it takes most pros to gain their full pga status. i do not work at a "green grass facility" aka a driving range or golf course... even though our learning links has both, and i do not have a supervising pga member to watch my 6 months of work. basically, if i left my job (if you look back at past blog posts, you will see how much time i spend outside on the course teaching and learning) to sit at a public driving range, watch tv, sell buckets of golf balls, and make minimum wage all day i could gain my work experience. are you kidding me?!?! 

my mentor, gary, basically laid out this whole situation and we decided that it would not be the right decision for me to leave my job. gary was instrumental 12 years ago in forming the first tee of ct and has been a pro for over 40 years. needless to say, he has a love for both the first tee and the professional golf world, so he is probably the most knowledgable person i know about my situation. he was also the one who brought me into this job (but that is a story for another time... maybe tomorrow). all in all, he helped me find some female professionals in the area to talk to in the mean time, and i plan to observe their teaching methods next summer. 

what this has taught me is that i love my job and my life too much right now to give it all up for three letters. while i do understand their importance and how much i could gain by going through the program including instruction techniques and credibility, i believe that right now i will take in as much as i can from intelligent and experienced people such as gary and continue teaching my kiddos as best i can.