Mark had worked in banking for almost three decades, but the impending birth of his first child was the trigger he needed to shake things up.

“I had reached a point in my life where for me, it was about finding something where work wouldn’t be a drag,” he recalls. “I wanted for work to be something I enjoyed every day and there is no doubt that golf was number one on that list.”

A single-digit handicapper for almost forty years, Mark first picked up a club as an eight-year-old, igniting a lifelong passion and one that he is excited to turn into a career.

Mark is currently a golf member at the Sandhurst Club – the base of the PGA Golf Learning Hub – but with playing experience around Victoria, he was inspired to enrol in the Diploma of Golf Management by those already working in the industry.

“I got to know the General Managers at clubs like Riversdale, The Heritage, Gardiners Run and Cape Schanck,” Mark explains. “In talking with them, they said the Diploma of Golf Management was a great way to get into the industry, so I took their feedback on board and went for it.”

Initially a big transition, Mark enrolled in the online learning option and found that the added flexibility made studying possible even with the challenges of caring for a young family, as well as persistent COVID lockdowns, presented themselves.

“Of the two years it took to complete the course, there were always things that got in the way, but not having to go into the campus certainly gave me more flexibility when windows to study did arise,” he remembers. “Parts of it (distanced learning) always have their challenges, but it was a great option for me.”

A big fan of the modules on sustainability, hospitality and events management, Mark was impressed at the breadth of the course content, recognising that it caters for someone looking for their first job, or someone like him with extensive professional experience.

“There’s no doubt that the material is really useful.”

In addition to the Diploma, Mark completed his Community Instructor Course with Golf Australia to further enhance his career prospects, as well as working at Gardiners Run Golf Course for the duration of his study.

“It was a great chance for me, and I loved having the opportunity to get my name out there and be part of that world,” he says.

Now, Mark continues to advance his career, working part time at Golf Athletics in Melbourne’s East.

Working a blended role between customer service as well as some junior and group sessions as a community instructor, Mark couldn’t be happier.

“It’s great, it really is,” he smiles. “I love that I get to be in there and talk golf all day, it’s fantastic for me.”

Equally excited to have a qualification at a time when the golf industry more broadly is booming, Mark knows that he has given himself the best possible chance.

“I think it’s an amazing time to be in golf. There are so many opportunities and now it’s just a matter of choosing the right one.”

Although he maintains there isn’t one “dream role” that he is working towards, Mark is happy to take the future as it comes, cognisant that when the right opportunity does present itself, his grounding with the PGA Institute will hold him in good stead.

“I think that’s the best thing about it – it doesn’t pigeonhole you into any one part of the industry.

“Instead, it opens up a range of career opportunities and that wide open aspect is what appealed to me the most.”

For more information on PGA Institute courses, to enquire or apply, click here