It was on the first day of class that University of Idaho senior, Eric Sjogren said he realized professional golf management was what he really wanted to do.
Sjogren grew up in Vancouver, Washington, with his parents and three siblings and was introduced to golf at a young age. Both his mother and father were avid golfers, especially his father, Sjogren said. His father was a self-taught and began teaching Sjogren when he was about 3 years old.
“Which is fairly unique I guess,” Sjogren said. “Not too many people pick it up from when they’re 3 years old. Most people pick it up when they’re 10 or 12.”
Yishan Chen | Argonaut
Freshman Shane Wood tees off during practice at the UI Golf Course on Aug. 18.
Sjogren began his college career at Washington State University because of the less expensive in-state tuition. Sjogren said he had fun at WSU and made lots of friends, but at the end of his second year he seriously started considering what he wanted to do with his life.
“All I wanted to do was be around golf,” Sjogren said.
Sjogren said he is lucky that there was a school that offered a golf management program only six miles away, but the out-of-state tuition was expensive.
Because of the cost, Sjogren works and had to take out student loans to pay for his schooling, but it is worth it, he said. He said he would rather make the sacrifice if it meant he would be happier later on.
The professional golf management program at UI has a lot to offer students Sjogren said.
The major is a marketing degree, which prepares students for the business aspect of a golf course, he said. Students can become directors or general managers of golf, where they work the business operations as well as teach the sport. They can also become head professionals where they teach and sell merchandise.
If students decide they don’t like the golf aspect of the major, Sjogren said, they still have the marketing degree and can work with that for their career.
Sjogren said students with the major are required to complete 16 months of internships. This is divided into three internships that last three months and one that lasts seven months.
Students can go anywhere in the world that they want for internships, Sjogren said. He chose to be an intern in Colorado, Florida and Oregon.
Through these internships, Sjogren said he was able to get a better idea of what he wanted to do with his major as well as step out of his comfort zone to gain new experiences.
When Sjogren interned in Florida, it was for a corporate aspect of golf management at the Professional Golf Association Headquarters, which was different from his other two internships. This allowed him to see if he enjoyed working in an office, Sjogren said.
Sjogren encourages students, in and out of the professional golf management program, to step out of their comfort zones to see what they’re made of and to take any chance at an internship they’re interested in.
Marisa Casella
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