Golfzon Leadbetter Education - Dream Goals

[Josh Parker]

I have been really looking at how to make golf into a career and have been looking at several options. 

I have considered starting a golfcart sales business out here as there is nothing and I can cater to a few cities nearby.  But I also want to build out a fitting studio and lessons area.  

In the perfect world, I would have a space for a putt putt course as we have nothing for families out here. I don't know that any or all of it are in the cards but I'm digging into it. 

I found the Leadbetter certifications and wonder if anyone has done anything like this or done classes other than PGA for lessons.

[Coulter]

This sounds awesome! Good luck! I’m going to look into this. I’ve wanted to find a way to make a living through golf for a while now just can’t ever find anything that is very promising or makes the kind of money that I’d need to make.

[Coulter]

What’s your reason for the Golfzon Leadbetter program in particular? 

[Josh Parker]

25 minutes ago, Coulter said:

What’s your reason for the Golfzon Leadbetter program in particular? 

It's one that has popped up when looking. The challenge is, there aren't many reviews on the certification. A ton of his teaching schools though. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

1 hour ago, Josh Parker said:

I have been really looking at how to make golf into a career and have been looking at several options. 

I have considered starting a golfcart sales business out here as there is nothing and I can cater to a few cities nearby.  But I also want to build out a fitting studio and lessons area.  

In the perfect world, I would have a space for a putt putt course as we have nothing for families out here. I don't know that any or all of it are in the cards but I'm digging into it. 

I found the Leadbetter certifications and wonder if anyone has done anything like this or done classes other than PGA for lessons.

I went down the same rabbit hole about 10 years ago. First was a sports practice facility. Baseball and softball batting cages, golf simulators and a putt putt course. There was a concession stand as well.  I made a business plan, had blueprints of the layout, cost of equipment and with my dreams I headed to the chamber of commerce in town. I had two options. One being an abandoned Walmart building. I wanted 1/3rd of the space and the second being an outdoor facility. Walmart wanted to rent me by the square foot. So outdoors it went. I could get a couple acres and be done. The chamber of commerce that handled small business affairs and loans wanted me to upfront something stupid like 80% or re-mortgage my house.  I still have the plans somewhere. So that never materialized. 

Decided I wanted to be a Club Pro. Then I found out how much they got paid in the beginning. Not good unless you are young and single. Then I found out that if you did get a role as the club pro you still didn't make any money. ( wife being an office manager for 2 country clubs, I know what they get paid) You have to build a reputation and be PGA certified to move up to a better club. The better the club the harder it is to get in.

I still get job openings for the golf industry from Career Builder once a week. It is still tough to make a living at what they are offering. I keep looking as a thought for after retirement. 

PGA certification takes a couple of years and requires you to work as an apprentice under someone. We have two people at my club going through it. Tests are not hard and the proficiency test is not hard either. I think you have to shoot under 85 for three rounds or something along those lines.

The Ledbetter teaching academy still doesn't give you PGA certification. So you have to at least complete course 1 and 2. $750 for course 1 and $1000 for 2. Then do PGA and pay for that. That will take over four years to finish. I can't remember what they are paying but its not cheap.  I believe they paid $350 and then another $500 so far. I'll ask over the weekend when I see them to verify. 

Since you are in real estate (if I remember correctly) your cart sales might be the best starting point. Then add on simulator bays to the facility and rent them out for play. Get the income rolling and take courses over time then you can teach out of the simulator bays. Then just keep expanding.

I know this was a lot but I think we all get that passion at one time or another to get involved in something we enjoy.  That's why I never unsubscribed from getting golf course job ads. 

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

 

[Josh Parker]

@Tom the Golf Nut

Ideally the golfcart sales is the money maker and is needed out here.  The location we bought ours delivers out here a couple times a week and also handles a town west of here.  The putt putt would also do well.  

The hitting bay/lessons/fittings are more of something I want to do and utilize some of the space.  

[cksurfdude]

Josh love all your ideas and admire your entrepreneurship, buuut... am gonna suggest keep researching other ways to get into teaching / coaching.

When I first got into golfing I went to a 3 day immersive clinic under the Leadbetter brand and .. knowing what I know now about golf and the golf swing .. wish I hadn't. My opinion is their method is one that forces the golfer into their proscribed positions and, again imo, was not the right way for me to learn. 

Just spit balling but maybe something along the lines of a GolfTec center? You'd also need PGA certification - If you yourself were to teach - but maybe there are franchise style opportunities where you could build out and run the place? 

The cart business is a good idea; there's extra money to be made in delivery and pickup/redelivery when people sell to others.

Oh and also suggest to sell electric push carts as I'm partial to that (even tho TX may not be the market for those!).

[Josh Parker]

6 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Josh love all your ideas and admire your entrepreneurship, buuut... am gonna suggest keep researching other ways to get into teaching / coaching.

When I first got into golfing I went to a 3 day immersive clinic under the Leadbetter brand and .. knowing what I know now about golf and the golf swing .. wish I hadn't. My opinion is their method is one that forces the golfer into their proscribed positions and, again imo, was not the right way for me to learn. 

Just spit balling but maybe something along the lines of a GolfTec center? You'd also need PGA certification - If you yourself were to teach - but maybe there are franchise style opportunities where you could build out and run the place? 

The cart business is a good idea; there's extra money to be made in delivery and pickup/redelivery when people sell to others.

Oh and also suggest to sell electric push carts as I'm partial to that (even tho TX may not be the market for those!).

That's why I threw this out there on the school. I couldn't find many reviews on it.  

 

[cksurfdude]

Oh also... read an article somewhere (maybe on the main site?) about Golfzon indoor sim places and how they were huge in Korea (fwiw).

[Josh Parker]

16 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

Oh also... read an article somewhere (maybe on the main site?) about Golfzon indoor sim places and how they were huge in Korea (fwiw).

Yeah they just opened some huge facility.  It's funny how the internet tracks because now I have a bunch of different certification places popping up in the ads. TPI has a ton of reviews