PGA Excel: The key to identifying and nurturing top talent within the golf industry

11/11/2024

For those that employ or manage within the golf industry, identifying candidates who bring proven expertise and tangible value to their roles is crucial. PGA Excel, the framework which offers recognition of those that have made a significant impact, is a sure way to assess this, providing clear evidence of PGA Members’ achievements in their chosen field.

Doug McClelland, the PGA Master Professional and founder of Europe’s biggest club retail store – Silvermere, in Surrey - is a strong advocate for PGA Excel and the benefit it provides to employers and golf facilities, as well as the individual.

And as it becomes increasingly recognised across the industry, with higher designations leading to greater desirability among employers, McClelland believes that it’s critical to the success of PGA Members and the facilities they serve.

“Every PGA Professional and golf facility should want to make themselves the best they can be and The PGA are the best in the world as a training association at offering that chance,” McClelland explains.

“Gaining CPD accreditation and committing to achieving a higher PGA designation through PGA Excel gives PGA Professionals the chance to develop a great career, make their mark in the industry and show their value to an employer. It can also open up great opportunities in the future, particularly if you want to work abroad. That speaks volumes about the PGA training programme and also the CPD and development pathways available afterwards.

“The PGA is one of the most powerful brands in the world of sport and it’s accepted globally. It goes with high standards, excellence, honour and integrity and there’s no question that having PGA and a higher designation after your name is the biggest thing a PGA Member can do towards furthering their development. For employers of PGA Professionals, it adds even more credibility.”

One such Member is PGA Fellow Professional Simon Peaford, the former Head Professional at Walton Heath who now teaches at Silvermere and Burhill.

“As Head Professional at Walton Heath, I employed three PGA Assistants and when new positions became available, it was very important to us that the new member of the team had aspirations to improve their knowledge and experience.

“Continuous professional development was a part of our daily lives. For that reason, many of my staff achieved a higher status, qualified as a PGA Director of Golf or became proud Head Professionals at well-respected golf courses.

“Personally, when I stepped away from Walton Heath to become a full-time coach, it was a natural decision for me to take on the PGA Excel framework and work towards achieving a higher designation to reflect my own skills. Sometimes, until it is written down in an application, it’s difficult to realise how much somebody has achieved. But PGA Excel helps to do that.

“It also enables PGA Members to submit applications at the level that best reflects their experience. For me, that was ‘Fellow’ status and the process of documenting my achievements meant I could draw upon all of my experiences as a Head Pro to demonstrate my impact in the industry.”

What is PGA Excel?

The PGA Excel framework is designed to enable PGA Professionals to clearly demonstrate their impact and achievements in the golf industry throughout their career. Progression through the framework is rewarded with higher designations and is an important consideration to those that employ PGA Professionals.

The designations of Advanced, Fellow, Advanced Fellow and Master apply to all three Member specialisms of PGA Professional, Coach and Manager.

PGA Master status represents the pinnacle of achievement, with only 64 PGA Members achieving the status in the Association’s 120-year history.

For each specialism (Professional, Coach or Manager) the online application process directly relates to four Value Blocks and their associated Expertise Areas sub-sections. These represent the fundamental skills and capabilities required in each category and provide the criteria against which the assessments are made.

For more information about PGA Excel, visit: https://www.pga.info/about-the-pga/pga-excel/