JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – The Air Force Services Center recently established a new trainee program to boost patron enjoyment and the sustainability of installation golf courses.
The AFSVC began looking into a solution when its business branch team recognized installations were having difficulty hiring qualified golf course managers.
“Because of the hiring challenges, bases without an experienced manager were struggling financially,” said Shandy Scott, AFSVC Business and Recreation Division chief.
They weren’t developing or offering new programs, proactively building their program or generating needed income, she said.
The center had been recruiting with niche markets like universities who graduate golf professionals and the Professional Golf Association, but those hired, although qualified in golf, didn’t have the skills needed to manage a Department of the Air Force golf program.
“We teamed with other branches in AFSVC to develop a comprehensive training program where trainees will work at one of our successful DAF golf courses, under the direction of a seasoned manager, while following a curriculum that will teach them financials, marketing, programming and other important areas,” Scott said.
The curriculum is broken into three phases: orientation and concept, primary golf management training and secondary golf experience training.
“After two years, they’ll be outplaced to manage one of our courses,” Scott said.
To ensure they have the knowledge and experience needed to run a successful golf course, the newly placed managers will continue to engage weekly with AFSVC subject matter experts for their first six months to ensure they have the knowledge and experience needed to run a successful golf operation, she said.
Trainee positions are being advertised on USAJobs.gov with a goal of having the first trainees in place before the end of the year.
Because of their successful programs, Golf Manager and PGA Master Professional Andy Weissinger at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and Golf Course Superintendent Brian Brown at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, are expected to receive the first trainees.
“This program has a lot of potential to turn out golf managers who prioritize running a top-notch golf facility,” Weissinger said. “By placing someone with a top manager or superintendent, we can ensure the proper hands-on training that will allow experience to be built over the term of the program. It’s encouraging to see the Air Force acting on forward-thinking ideas to strengthen our pool of golf managers to ensure a bright future for Air Force golf.”
It will also “allow a qualified candidate the opportunity to not only learn the agronomic side of the business but also the unique challenges and rewards of working for a government installation,” Brown said.
Both are looking forward to getting someone on board to share their knowledge and answer any questions trainees might have.
At the top of Brown’s list for new trainees is time management and planning.
Time management is a priority for Weissinger too, along with proper prioritizing of tasks, event management, tee sheet management, project management, financial management, strategic planning, how to develop staff and how to build a positive culture.
Additionally, he said innovative and forward-thinking golf operations are key to sustained success.
Offering golf at installations is one more spoke to help Air Force Services build ready and resilient Airmen, Guardians and families and, by extension, strengthen our nation’s military forces.
“A golf course fits in wonderfully with an installation’s ability to build resilient Airmen, Guardians and families,” Weissinger said. “Services provides many programs on and off the golf course that help improve quality of life. If we take care of them and their families, that care is part of re-enlistment planning where they assess their quality of life and determine their lives are better, in part, because of what is done and offered at golf courses.”
Scott said she expects the new training program will ensure well-trained and qualified golf managers and superintendents are at installations to enhance “our overall golf portfolio and ensure Airmen, Guardians and families can enjoy an excellent golf experience on our installations for years to come.”