By Ernie Lanford

Students at FSU began their exodus for spring break on March 1. By Friday afternoon they were well on their way home or to the beach to work on a tan, relax and drink a little Kool Aid.

All except the Professional Golf Management (PGM) students. The PGM students stayed at FSU for four days of testing and seminars by the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) faculty. Some students were taking their level one checkpoint, others level two.

They are required to complete 627 hours of study for the PGA and pass three checkpoints during the four-year program.

Upon graduation, FSU's PGM students receive a business degree (FSU's College of Business is ranked in the top 25 nationally) with a hospitality major (The College's Dedman School of Hospitality is ranked in the top 10 nationally).

Once they pass their three checkpoints, pass the player ability test and complete 16 months of internships, they apply for and are elected as "Class A" members of the PGA.

The PGM students are juggling a lot of time-consuming plates. However, when they finish they have become some of the most well-rounded individuals produced at FSU. The business degree, hospitality major and "Class A" membership in the PGA provide the students with a compelling set of credentials.

Bill Cioffoletti, PGA master professional and director of recruiting, provides awareness about career opportunities in the $62 billion golf industry. He points out that 100-percent of the PGM university graduates who wish to work in the golf business are placed in jobs immediately after graduation. FSU students who successfully completed the PGM requirements have all had three to five top job choices upon graduation.

The 16-months of internships are completed during three consecutive summers, and after finishing academic requirements, they intern for seven months. All are salaried internship and provide excellent networking opportunities.

David Williams, as an intern with Dave Pelz Golf, noticed a familiar name on the roster of his short game clinic: Rudy Giuliani. The presidential candidate is one in a long list of influential golfers whom students meet during their internships.

Williams is now the head professional at Cane Garden Country at the Villages.

If you are a traveling golfer, you will find FSU/PGM students and PGA members at interesting places:

PGA members: Cyrus Janssen, teaching pro at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at Shanghai, China; Chris Crouch, Nicole McCormack and James Lynn, all PGA members, are professionals at Pinehurst, N.C.; Alison Curdt, PGA and LPGA, Palm Desert, Calif.; Brett Sherman, PGA, The Villages; Ryan Mattox, Kinloch, Richmond, Va.; Jaxon Hardy, Cane Creek, Panama City; Trey Childs, Kelly Plantation, Destin; Gaylord Fridley, Acushnet/Titleist, Bedford, Mass.

Interns: Stacy Barwick and Jimmy Tucker, Red Sky, Colo.; Kyle Stefek, Medinah, Chicago; Brad McDonald, Broadmoor, Colo.; Marcello Sanscritto, Jim Mclean Golf School, Doral, Miami; Erika Smith, Congressional CC, Bethesda, Md.; Lauren Brubaker, Muirfield, Columbus, Ohio; Lauren Coursart, Sea Island, St. Simons, Ga.; Ryan Garcia, Isleworth, Windemere; Nick Marlow, The Cliffs, S.C.

For more information on the PGM program visit the following websites:
www.pgalinks.com and www.fsupgm.com

For more information about the College of Business, please go to www.cob.fsu.edu.