On Campus: PGA Golf Management
Koby Head, a junior studying PGA Golf Management, is spending more time on the course than anywhere else these days. Koby landed a once-in-a-lifetime internship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota last spring and jumped at the opportunity. His combined internship experience and excellence in the classroom have set Koby up for future success.
Talk about why you decided to apply to Nebraska and what propelled you to become involved in the PGA Golf Management program.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln always felt like the place for me. Growing up a diehard Cornhusker, it was a school that had my attention from day one. Nebraska is also one of only eighteen schools across the country that offer PGA Golf Management as a program for students. This made my decision that much easier. I discovered the PGA Golf Management program through family friends and a PGA professional who all expressed to me the benefits and endless opportunities the program has to offer someone who is passionate about the game of golf.
What is your favorite part of the PGA Golf Management program?
While it is hard to boil the PGA Golf Management program into a single favorite part, I think one aspect of the program that sticks out is relationships. It is important for all young individuals to surround themselves with like-minded individuals and the PGA program at UNL provides students like me with just that. It is rewarding to see your peers and the life-long friends you make within the program have success in the golf industry. The PGA Golf Management program also allows students the opportunity to seek mentorship from other students within the program and staff at the university, as well as golf professionals who currently work in the industry. The relationships that can be built through the UNL PGA Golf Management program are second to none.
Explain your internship roles and responsibilities with Hazeltine National Golf Club. What has the internship taught you?
A unique and exciting opportunity students get being a part of the program is the requirement to complete 16 months of internship before graduation. These internships shape students into the professional they want to be through hands-on experience.
I have been blessed to be a part of Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN for my extended 7-month internship. While at Hazeltine National, I have been immersed in all aspects of the golf operation. This includes tournament operations, facility operations, teaching and coaching, merchandising and more. I have continued to build my strong passion for the game of golf at Hazeltine National Golf Club and have developed my skills in all these areas.
I learned so much through this internship and have created many memories. The biggest teaching moment of this year for me was when our Head Golf Professional, Kyle Brandt, expressed to our team during a meeting that “it’s just golf.” While everything we do as a staff is pushed to be the best and we expect perfection as a team, we are creating an experience for members and guests that is solely just golf. We all got into this career because we love the game and want to help others in their love of the game along the way.
Do you have a favorite moment or memory since starting your internship at Hazeltine? If so, please explain.
Hazeltine National Golf Club is an exceptional facility and is well respected across the country. The club has been able to achieve this status because of their commitment to their mission statement of “a golf club rich in tradition, dedicated to hosting championship golf, and delivering exceptional experiences.” Most businesses have mission statements but usually these statements just look cool on a wall or in an employee handbook. Hazeltine truly believes in this statement and all staff members push themselves to meet this statement every day. Hazeltine celebrates their tradition with items all around the club, they are constantly pushing to host the biggest golf championships in the world and all members and guests are given exceptional experiences the second they step foot on property.
I will never forget and will forever be looking to be a part of facilities that define a mission statement unique to their operation and employ a staff who believes in carrying out that statement. That is what allows Hazeltine National Golf Club to be the facility it is, and the memories created while carrying out this mission statement are what I will remember the most.
How will the experiences, internships and lessons learned in and out of the classroom impact your future in golf?
The past shapes who we are today and what we want our future to be. I try to take everything in my life and reflect on it. I am in a program that continually provides learning experiences for all students, and I would be silly not to use these experiences in my future. The PGA Golf Management program provides a great blend of hands-on work, bookwork, and observing others. With all of these put together, any student has the opportunity to graduate as a well-rounded individual and professional.
Who has impacted your time at Nebraska?
I have spent time with a lot of great people during my time at Nebraska but there is one individual that I will never be able to thank enough. This individual is Mike Schuchart, PGA, who is the director of golf at Wilderness Ridge Country Club in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mike and I met while I was in high school when I started taking lessons from him. Mike shaped my love for the game of golf and the golf industry. While at the university, I have been blessed to gain mentorship in golf and life from Mike. I completed my first internship working at Wilderness Ridge with Mike and learned what the golf industry is all about. Mike showed me by example, how to lead, serve, and be a golf professional. I have been so blessed to have a strong mentor whom I can count on for anything, both in work and in life. Circling back to an earlier answer about the best part of the PGA program, I highlighted relationships. I can provide firsthand experience that relationships are everything. My relationship with Mike Schuchart has propelled me to be where I am today and has instilled in me the desire to be the best PGA golf professional I can be.
What led you to pursue golf as opposed to other sports? When did you find that golf became a passion?
Oddly enough, I found golf when I decided I wasn’t going to be a star track athlete (which didn’t take much time to decide). I knew I wanted to play a spring sport and golf was my only other option. I went out for the golf team with some buddies as a freshman and I was, well, terrible. However, my freshman year is where I found my love for the game. I became obsessed with it; the game became my passion. I quickly found out how much I enjoyed the challenge of the game and all the areas to improve on. Nearly every day during my freshman season, I was on the golf course until dark or slightly after. I set goals to improve and made a practice plan to get there. From there I kept improving and finding ways to get better. Now, I find myself helping others find their love for the game in an industry that I am extremely passionate about. Thank goodness I was not a track star.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
Upon my graduation, I aspire to start out as an assistant golf professional at a private facility in the United States where I can have a positive impact with the goal of one day becoming a head golf professional or general manager at one of these facilities.
What is one piece of advice you would give a student looking to join the PGA Golf Management program?
Look for helpers. They are in every corner of the PGA Golf Management program. This can be students, alumni, staff, or current professionals. The PGA Golf Management program is surrounded by so many great individuals. They want to see the industry continue to grow and they believe in the PGA Golf Management program at the University of Nebraska. Find the helpers and listen to them.
What is something you’ve learned that will stick with you after you graduate?
Learning and growing are both things that I believe strongly in and something I try to do every day. There are so many lessons I have learned along the way but there is a quote on a wall at Hazeltine National Golf Club for staff members to read that really means a lot to me. “Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those two simple prepositions — for and to — express it all.” This message has stuck with me for some time now and I try to apply it in all aspects of my life. This can be at the workplace, with friends, family or with a stranger. I have been trying to do things for people and not to people. A desire to serve others is what I have, therefore, it gives me great joy to do things for people, with no desire to expect anything in return.
To stay up to date, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
