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Golf professional education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a golf professional. Golf professionals usually study business, marketing, or parks and recreation management. 75% of golf professionals hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,132 real golf professional resumes to see exactly what golf professional education sections show.

The most common colleges for golf professionals are the Ferris State University and the Ferris State University.

There are also many online golf professional courses to help get the education required to be a golf professional.

There are certain golf professional certifications that you should consider. These golf professional certifications include Certified Club Manager (CCM) and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a golf professional?

What degree do you need to be a golf professional?

The most common degree for golf professionals is bachelor's degree, with 75% of golf professionals earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 18% and associate degree degree at 3%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Associate, 18%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a golf professional?

You should major in business to become a golf professional. 39% of golf professionals major in business. Other common majors for a golf professional include marketing and parks and recreation management.

Most common colleges for golf professionals

Golf professionals often get their degrees at Ferris State University, Mississippi State University, and New Mexico State University. Here are the most common colleges for golf professionals in the US based on their resumes.
Golf professional common collegePercentages
Ferris State University21.26%
Mississippi State University8.08%
New Mexico State University6.89%
Arizona State University5.99%
Methodist University5.69%

Best majors for golf professionals

RankMajorPercentages
1Business39.0%
2Marketing10.3%
3Parks And Recreation Management9.6%
4Management5.9%
5Finance4.2%

Best colleges for golf professionals

The best colleges for golf professionals are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

A golf professional with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for golf professionals. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become golf professionals.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

4. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$11,803

Enrollment

4,631

8. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

20 best online courses for golf professionals

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Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for golf professionals

The most affordable schools for golf professionals are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for golf professionals are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for golf professionals.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for golf professionals

The hardest universities for golf professionals to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

Some great schools for golf professionals are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for golf professionals based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

10. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for golf professionals

The easiest schools for golf professionals to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and felician university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a golf professional without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for golf professionals.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average golf professional salary by education level

According to our data, golf professionals with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,129 annually. Golf professionals with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $42,853.
Golf professional education levelGolf professional salary
Master's Degree$42,853
High School Diploma or Less$35,606
Bachelor's Degree$43,129
Some College/ Associate Degree$37,595

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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