PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, will offer The PGA of America's Professional Golf Management Program (PGA/PGM™) this fall, offering a curriculum that provides a combination of golf and business-related subjects for aspiring members of the golf industry. With the addition of Sam Houston State University and Florida Gulf Coast University this year, 17 colleges and universities now offer the PGM curriculum.
"The number of quality colleges and universities offering the PGA Professional Golf Management Program continues to grow, as we proceed forward with our goal to grow the game of golf," said PGA of America President Roger Warren. "Sam Houston State University will be a welcome addition to our list of universities which offer the PGM program and assists The PGA with growing the game."
The PGA of America endorses the Professional Golf Management Program's five-year college curriculum, with students serving 16 to 20 months of an on-course internship with PGA Professionals. Students at Sam Houston State University will graduate with a bachelor's degree in General Business Administration. After graduation, students are eligible for PGA membership, upon appropriate employment in the golf industry.
Sam Houston State University becomes the first university in Texas and the seventh university west of the Mississippi River to offer the PGA/PGM™ classes. Richard Ballinger was hired by Sam Houston State University in February 2005 to serve as the director of the PGA/PGM™ program. Ballinger is a PGA member who most recently worked at Coastal Carolina University as their PGA/PGM™ internship coordinator.
"I am proud to be a PGA/PGM™ graduate," said Ballinger, who was elected to PGA membership in 1996. "I attended Ferris State University's PGA/PGM™ program, the first PGA/PGM™ program in the county, and the best move I have done so far was to get involved in the administration of PGA/PGM™ programs. We look forward to starting this PGA/PGM™ program, but already the support here in Huntsville (Texas) has been unbelievable."
Though the PGA/PGM™ program still needs to hire an internship coordinator and administrative assistant, university officials have named Raven Nest Golf Course in Huntsville, Texas, as the home course for the Sam Houston State University's PGM program.
The other colleges and universities that include the PGA/PGM™ program in their curriculum: Arizona State University-East in Mesa, Ariz.; Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.; Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.; Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.; Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich.; Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Fla.; Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.; Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C.; Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss.; New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M.; North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C.; Penn State University in State College, Pa.; University of Colorado-Colorado Springs; University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho; University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.; and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
The PGA of America, founded in 1916, is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.
