Jason Diaz still remembers the three key principles instilled in him roughly 20 years ago: pride, standard of excellence, and mentoring.
Diaz, now executive director of golf at the Hawthorns Golf & Country Club, collected these and other values during his time in the PGA Professional Golf Management Program (PGM) with the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management (RPTM) in the College of Health and Human Development (HHD).
“As a Penn State PGM student, the program taught me numerous lessons about the golf industry, being a student, and future life lessons,” Diaz said. “Having graduated 17 years ago, I have a better perspective of what PGM taught me: take pride in all that you do in your personal and professional life; motivate, push, and expect to excel at all that you do; and inspire, help, and support others you interact with in life.”
As the PGM program celebrates its 25th year in 2015, Diaz and fellow alumni recognize the significance the program played in each of their lives. Alumni will celebrate the anniversary Jan. 22 at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida during a reception hosted by PGM Director Burch Wilkes and with a special appearance by Frank Guadagnolo, who served as professor-in-charge of PGM from its inception in 1990 until 2005.
“The experience I received while a student at Penn State and in the Professional Golf Management Program is a significant part of who I am today,” Diaz said. “A program that is highly specialized with students who share the common bond in the game of golf has resulted in something very special at Penn State.”
For Diaz, the lessons and memories are still clear. He can recall his first student society meeting in the fall of 1994 where he observed passion and a sense of ownership to the program formed by the upperclassmen, which gave Diaz an immediate sense of pride.
“Being a specialized program we took the same classes, played golf together daily, and socialized as college students do. We were and still are a family with a very special bond,” Diaz said. “Almost 20 years later, I remain in contact with a large number of PGM alumni. When we get together, it’s like time has stood still and we pick up right where we left off when we left school.”
Looking back, Mike Gardner, who graduated in 1996 and is now COO and general manager at the Bridgewater Club, said the PGM program is extremely well-rounded.
Like a lot of things in life, I appreciate it more now than when I was there,” Gardner said. “The diversity of classes, continuing education, internships, volunteer opportunities, tournaments, faculty support and most importantly camaraderie made for a program that truly prepares a student for the real world. Due to the diversity of the program I really started to understand how all the pieces fit together within a year to make you a better person, professional and leader. I see too many programs that just focus on the book work and leave little opportunity for real world experiences.”
For Jason Marciniec, who graduated in 2004 and is now PGA head professional at St. Clair Country Club, enrolling in the PGM program was not the original plan. Originally, he was accepted into the engineering program. Later, he received a letter from the PGM program related to Penn State’s golf team. Until then, Marciniec had never heard of the PGM program. The decision to enroll started him on a new and exciting career path.
“The golf industry is a unique one. In PGM, they give you the information and knowledge that you’re going to use going forward,” Marciniec said. “Penn State, and the people there, they value you and give you the ability to take that knowledge and apply it, which is what is so important in our industry. You can memorize a textbook, but if you need to be able to take that material and interact with it.”
Marciniec feels fortunate to be president of the PGM Alumni Association as the program celebrates its 25th anniversary.
“The people in the office making sure students are prepared, they would never let us leave campus not being prepared,” Marciniec said. “They made sure we did the right thing, which speaks to the dedication that they have and to the output of quality people.”
One of those folks Marciniec is referring to is Wilkes, who has served as the PGM director since 2005. Wilkes says the anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the PGM family, especially the students.
“The most rewarding part for the faculty is the short stage we have in each student's story. The maturation process is amazing to watch and experience as they progress towards their goals of graduation and PGA Membership,” Wilkes said. “We serve not only as dedicated educators, but also serve as mentors and role models shaping the character of our students. Our goal is to help our students develop character, embrace a sense of community, and refine their etiquette and personal values.”
The PGM program has developed over the last 25 years with an incoming class of 12 in 1990. Today, there are more than 500 alumni. The most recent milestone for the program is the development of the Golf Teaching and Research Center (GTRC). Since 2009, PGM has taken a multi-faceted approach to exploring and transforming golf instruction and research.
Additionally, the GTRC allows PGM to continue its Player Development program during the winter months. With the collaborative support from RPTM and the Department of Kinesiology, Wilkes believes there are great opportunities for the future, which will position PGM as a leader in the industry.
“Guadagnolo had incredible vision to create a program that focuses on the importance of student engagement and being student centered,” Wilkes said. “The alumni have created a tradition of success within the golf industry and beyond. We have 100 percent job placement, as well as internship placement. Much of the credit goes to the alumni who are extremely loyal and contact us if they have any available opportunities.”