Golf Course Job Descriptions

The staff at the golf shop has a wide variety of responsibilities, most of which center around assisting golfers before their rounds begin. Depending on the course, the staffers are responsible for taking tee times and making sure golfers stick to them, registering golfers before their round, selling merchandise and more. Customer service is a key component of working in a golf shop, as are strong communication skills.

The starter is responsible for making sure golfers tee off when they are supposed to. It is an important job, especially at busy courses, since one late tee-off can have a cascading effect for the remainder of the day. Starters maintain a tee sheet and call golfers to the tee when they should begin their round. They make sure the proper groups are teeing off and that all members of the group have paid for their round. If there are lone golfers, starters also help place those golfers with a group of golfers to create a foursome.

Rangers spend much of their time in golf carts, traveling around the course to make sure the pace of play is fast enough so that golfers do not have to wait long periods of time between their shots. In addition to directing the play of the golfers, rangers also help out if there are emergencies on the course, for example.

Many golf courses rent motorized golf carts to golfers. These machines require regular maintenance and repair to keep them running properly. Employees who occupy such maintenance positions must be mechanically inclined and ready to maintain the cleanliness and safety of the course's golf carts. These mechanics also maintain a regular maintenance schedule to make sure the golf carts remain fully operational.

Many golf courses have locker rooms in which golfers can put their clothing in a locker, shower and change. Some also include saunas, hot tubs or steam rooms. Locker room attendants are in charge of making sure that all parts of the locker rooms are clean and fully stocked with towels and other items.

The people who work golf course maintenance generally are those who can rise early in the morning and operate with minimal supervision. They generally get to the course long before any of the golfers do, and they are gone by the early or middle part of the afternoon. Golf course maintenance personnel use equipment such as lawn mowers or trimmers to trim the grass. Some maintenance workers also work on the course's irrigation system, sod as necessary and apply fertilizer and pesticides.

While the sport of golf is the cornerstone of any golf course, many of them also have dining rooms, restaurants, bars and grills or snack bars. The people playing golf often make use of these facilities before or after their rounds, or even during their rounds if there is an employee who drives around the course in a cart, selling drinks and snacks. Golf courses are also popular locations for events like weddings, anniversaries and other festive events. Because of the varying demand for their services, food and beverage staff are involved in waiting tables, planning menus, running the kitchen and more.

Many golf courses sell memberships. Others host events designed to attract people to the course. In both instances, the object is to get as many people to the course as possible. This responsibility falls on the marketing staff, members of which are responsible for creating promotions that attract interest to the golf course or club and turning that interest into something tangible, whether it be new members or participation in a tournament or event.