Opportunity knocks? It certainly can when you’re a PGA Professional. For Kenny Monaghan, the club pro at Stirling, a recent, week-long educational trip with equipment manufacturer Titleist made his eyes pop like cherry tomatoes on a barbecue.
“Without a doubt, it was the best golf experience I’ve had in my life and none if it would’ve been available if I hadn’t been a PGA Pro,” he said.
Monaghan was one of eight PGA Professionals, and Team Titleist Staff Ambassadors, who were invited to the USA to immerse themselves in the Titleist brand, its ethos and its products.
From the famed Manchester Lane test facility in Massachusetts to the state-of-the-art Titleist Performance Institute in California, Monaghan travelled from east to west on a journey of golfing discovery.
The all-encompassing experience has certainly given Monaghan fresh insight and renewed vigour. “As soon as I got back, I sent emails to all the executives telling them how much they had inspired me,” said the Scot.
Over the course of this enlightening expedition, Monaghan and his PGA colleagues were welcomed into the inner sanctum of the Titleist operation and mingled with mighty industry figures such as Steve Pelisek and the trail-blazing wedge guru Bob Vokey. The group also spent time with Acushnet CEO David Maher, President Titleist Golf Balls Mary Lou Bohn and FootJoy President Chris Lindner.
They were shown intricate details of the various research, development and production phases that go into bringing clubs and balls to market and had front row seats for Titleist’s various high-tech processes that make the work of NASA look about as cutting edge as the hand cranked mangle.
While the main movers and shakers of Titleist passed on their pearls of wisdom, they were also eager to hear, and take on board, ideas and opinions from Monaghan and his fellow Professionals.
The PGA Pros, after all, are on the front line of the wider Titleist operation through retail and club fitting.
“They really want to work with PGA Pros to make us better, more educated and help to support what we do,” added Monaghan, who has passed on his coaching expertise to DP World Tour winners, Stephen Gallacher and Ewen Ferguson down the seasons.
“In many ways, we are the hub of their business. We had a lot of round table meetings during the trip and they wanted our ideas. They wanted to gain more insight into how their business affects us. They talked about Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas hitting certain clubs but they also asked me what it means for a 20-handicapper at Stirling and what they could do to make it better for them. They are constantly looking to improve their products.
“They want to deal with people who are willing to learn. The eight PGA pros were there for a reason. You need to invest in yourself and put yourself out there. These brands are there to support us and we can learn so much from each other.
“The biggest thing about the trip was the education. It was mind blowing. I’ve been selling balls for over 10 years now but the week with Titleist made me think, ‘my God, I’m not getting the message out properly’.
“When people pull a golf ball out of the bag, they don’t think about the story behind it, what’s gone into it, the testing, the quality control, everything. I know all that now and hopefully that benefits my customers.”
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Energised and informed by his trip, Monaghan is now eager to pass on his newly acquired knowledge to those he deals with on a day-to-day basis as a PGA Pro.
“I’m much more motivated after that trip,” said Monaghan, who has held posts at Bothwell Castle, Linlithgow and Kingsbarns, as well as enjoying a spell in Dubai, during his career. “When the likes of Bob Vokey or Steve Pelisek speak, it’s golden. They tell you what you need to know. That’s something we as PGA Pros can do too. We don’t need to bamboozle the punter. We just need to give them the right information and deliver it correctly and that will improve our business, whether as coaches, club fitters, whatever.
“I want to keep elevating myself. During the Covid pandemic, we had a great boom and maybe it came too easy in a way? People were desperate to play golf, they had a bit more money too and they were buying. The people at Titleist told me they had huge spikes in manufacturing, and they couldn’t make it quickly enough. But there’s been a return to normality and, as PGA Pros, we all must be proactive as that will be reflected in sales.
“The PGA have some amazing education platforms out there for us to use. They have invested in it massively. I’d encourage everyone to use them. I’m a far more educated professional after the trip with Titleist and I want to keep learning.”
In this game, you never stop doing that.
