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PGA Golf Management Program in Full Swing

Step onto the lush greens of Sam Houston State University’s 18hole golf course, and you’ll find an unparalleled program focused on developing the golf industry’s future leaders. With curriculum, internship opportunities and faculty dedicated to excellence, SHSU’s PGA Golf Management Program within the College of Business Administration, combines a PGA-accredited golf management education with an AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business)accredited business degree for aspiring PGA professionals.

Golf is absolutely BOOMING,

said Rich Ballinger, PGA Golf Management Program director. He would know. Ballinger, who received the 2021 PGA Professional Development Award, has led the program since its inception in 2005. The comprehensive program encompasses three key components: an innovative curriculum, 16 months of internships and the PGA Playing Ability Test (PAT) — a challenging 36hole test of the student’s golfing ability.

Sam Houston State is one of only 17 colleges and universities in the nation to offer an accredited PGA Golf Management degree. Along with a PGA-specific curriculum, the importance of playing ability in this program cannot be understated.

“Students must have a verifiable 12 handicap or better to enter the program,” Ballinger said.

However, achieving a handicap of around 4 or 5 is necessary to pass the PAT. To assist students in reaching this level, SHSU offers an intensive player development program.

Unique internship opportunities give students practical experience through 16-month work cooperatives in the golf industry.

“We have placed students in 48 states in the United States, from Maine to Pebble Beach and all points in between,” Ballinger said.

Whether students aspire to be head golf professionals, golf directors or pursue other industry careers, they receive exposure to the best courses and golf professionals.

Most importantly, the program offers the added benefit of a business degree, a versatile education that extends beyond the greens.

To date, more than 130 students have graduated from the PGA Golf Management Program and become PGA professionals, including Scott Archer, assistant executive director of the Southern Texas PGA Section; Kyle Andis, head golf professional at Bluejack National in Montgomery, Texas, home to the first Tiger Woods designed golf course in the United States; and Paul Brewer, head golf professional at Champions Golf Club in Houston.

Like most sporting programs today, technology is revolutionizing training through live-tracking performances, perfecting athletic movements, enhancing communication and virtually eliminating injuries. Ballinger continues to marry technology with innovation in his program to optimize student performance with a new a club repair lab and a state-of-the-art swing simulator available for students this fall.

There are also scholarship opportunities available. The Hunter Watkins Endowed Memorial Scholarship and Reid Clark Memorial Scholarship recognize talent and intellect, allowing students to achieve their goals.

For information on making a gift to the PGA Golf Management Program at SHSU, please contact Rich Ballinger at (936) 294-4810 or at ballinger@shsu.edu.

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