PGA
COVER
STORY
THE GROWING
INFLUENCE
OF PGA
PROFESSIONALS
CHANGING TIMES,
GREATER RESPONSIBILITY
“While touring professionals have traditionally
occupied the top of the Pyramid of Influence and
have been highly influential in guiding the con-
sumer to play the equipment the touring pros play,
we have begun focusing more on the club professional
at the local level,” he said. “Why? The PGA Pro-
fessional is the touch-point person at golf facilities
who consumers can interact with and ask pertinent
questions about virtually everything associated
with golf.”
His discourse on the value of the PGA Profes-
sional continued: “From our perspective, it is much
easier and more cost-effective for us to provide
information regarding technological benefits of
our equipment to the PGA Professional than it is to
try to educate
20 million consumers.”
The executive said his company research indi-
cates that the typical PGA head professional
provides an informational pipeline to
10,000 or
20,000 consumers every year. The PGA Professional
tells
100 or 200 of his or her members about a
new driver or wedge, for example. Then that club
member tells his or her inner circle of friends and
family. Then those people pass the message along
to their friends and family.
Perhaps without realizing it, that golf industry
executive was offering a candid snapshot of the
influence wielded by today’s PGA Professional. He
was endorsing and reinforcing The PGA of America
slogan that today defines PGA Professionals as
“The Experts in the Game and Business of Golf.”
“The influence and value of the PGA Profes-
sional has never been greater,” says PGA President
Jim Remy. “We like to say the PGA Professional
wears many hats, but just one badge. As leaders and
role models at
16,000 golf facilities, the influence of
the PGA Professional runs deep.”
AN EXECUTIVE REPRESENTING A MAJOR GOLF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER was detailing his company’s marketing plan for 2010 at the 57th PGA Merchandise Show when the subject turned to the Pyramid of Influ- ence. Noting that the challenging economy had forced many manu-
facturers to “rethink and restructure” the way they attempt to influence
consumer purchases, the executive made an interesting observation.
Eight trends have contributed to the
growth of PGA Professionals’
influence
How have PGA Professionals become so influential
in the golf industry? What dynamics and variables
have catapulted PGA Professionals to the top of
the local and national Pyramid of Influence? What
trends and industry issues have shaped the PGA
Professional as the experts in the game and business of golf? And how does the PGA Professional
capitalize on current trends to continue to build his
or her influence in a challenging economic climate?
After speaking with numerous experts, PGA
Magazine focuses on eight significant outside
trends that have developed over the past
10 years –
many of which have been recent – that have
