It takes much more than a great golf swing to be a golf professional. That’s why Professional Golfers Career College was established—to meet the worldwide need for professionals trained both in the sport of golf and its management.

The founders of PGCC set out more than 14 years ago in search of an ideal environment for educating the future leaders in the world of golf. They soon discovered the perfect setting. East of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and north of San Diego, the city of Temecula provides warm, nearly perfect playing conditions throughout the year—and a 90 mile proximity to more than 200 of the country’s finest golf facilities.

Located in a beautiful valley, Temecula enjoys a classic Southern California climate where it rarely rains and never snows. This peaceful, but thriving area is home to numerous championship courses, guaranteeing ready access to play at almost any time. In addition, golf fans have ample opportunity to witness golf as it’s played at the highest levels. Each year, the PGA Tour’s “West Coast Swing” brings tournament golf to four locations that are just a short drive away. The Senior PGA and LPGA Tours also host annual events nearby, including the Kraft/Nabisco championship, the LPGA’s first major of each season. It’s little wonder that this region produces some of the world’s most passionate and successful golfers.

Having settled into the Temecula Valley, PGCC was incorporated in November 1990, and opened its doors to an inaugural class of 30 students the following September. Since that time, hundreds of motivated individuals have graduated from the college and gone on to successful, rewarding careers in every corner of the golf world.

However, having a campus only in California meant that many of our prospective students over the years have been unable to attend due to family commitments or travel issues that made it difficult to come to the west coast. So, with that in mind, PGCC sought approval and accreditation for a brand new campus in Florida—home to more golf courses per capita than any other state in the country. The approval from ACICS (PGCC’s accrediting body) came in late August, 2004, and now PGCC offers classes on both coasts!

PGCC’s Orlando Campus is situated in the heart of Florida’s golfing Mecca on the grounds of the Orange Country National Golf Resort & Lodge, which boasts two championship courses, an executive course, and one of the finest practice facilities in the entire world.

Dr. Somerville, President and Founder of PGCC, believes that a campus should never grow to more than 200 students. Because the Orlando campus has grown so rapidly Dr. Somerville has obtained approval to start a third campus in Hilton Head, South Carolina. This campus will open in January 2008. Hilton Head gives us another great location where students can enjoy campus experiences and play the best courses in the Hilton Head area.

The degree granting program at the college is intended for the serious-minded person willing to immerse themselves in preparation for a career in the game they love. At PGCC, a sophisticated golf business curriculum is combined with rigorous work on one’s golf game to provide a thorough and well-rounded experience. Students here have committed to building the knowledge, skills, and character needed to meet the challenges of being a professional in today’s competitive golf industry. And the facilities at their disposal are designed to help them do just that.

In addition to traditional academic facilities, the college also maintains a club design and repair facility, a student pro shop, and a golf instruction studio complete with sophisticated video analysis equipment. The college also has its own fitness facility. Classes are held from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. each weekday, with afternoons reserved for game improvement, instruction and tournament play. All aspects of the program—green fees, range balls, and private lessons with the college’s PGA and LPGA professionals—are included in your tuition.

Upon completion of the four-semester, 16-month program, graduates earn an accredited Specialized Associate’s Degree in Professional Golf Management. Perhaps more importantly though, students are provided with a personalized introduction into the tightly-knit golf industry. With a placement rate that compares favorably with vocational schools of all kinds, no institution is better equipped than Professional Golfers Career College to help you network your way to a rewarding career in golf.

As you’ll see in our 'Placement' section, PGCC graduates have found challenging and rewarding employment around the world, at country clubs and other fine golf facilities, equipment manufacturers, and with many of the associations that organize and oversee the greatest game in the world.

And you can too!

Classes til Noon, Golf til Dusk

The Professional Golfers Career College (PGCC) is more than a golf academy and more than a golf school, it is golf education in the fullest sense of the term. Certainly, the PGCC program includes golf training, golf instruction, golf lessons, golf teaching, golf classes and all the components that, ideally, you would expect to find in a golf college that offers a broad-based program. However, even a cursory review of the PGCC program will reveal an academically expansive curriculum leading to the awarding of a specialized golf degree as an entry credential into the golf business as a true golf professional  prepared for a wide variety of golf careers.