PGA WORKS Fellowship Program Adds Five Positions, Alumni Thriving in Golf & Sports Industry

The PGA of America REACH Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America, has announced that the PGA WORKS Fellowship program has added five new positions in 2024, reaching a total of 28 different PGA of America Sections along with the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA Tour) and Intersport Detroit.

The new PGA WORKS Fellowships for 2024 will be added in the PGA of America’s Sun Country, New England, Gulf States and Central New York PGA Sections, further enhancing one of the Association’s most successful career development programs. Fellowship recipients will be announced this summer.

Additionally, the Nebraska Section added a PGA WORKS Fellowship for 2024. The Fellowship is funded by Dormie Network Foundation, charitable arm of Dormie Network, a Nebraska-based company that provides a national network of private destination golf clubs. The Dormie Network Foundation, provides in-kind and cash grants to benefit organizations within the Foundation’s four giving pillars: youth golf, environmental initiatives, military/first responder organizations and healthcare/humanitarian efforts. The new position has been filled for the 2024 season.

Available in 28 of the PGA of America’s 41 Sections nationwide, the PGA WORKS Fellowship, established in 2017, provides the opportunity for a one-year paid immersion in a PGA Section’s Foundation operations. PGA Sections oversee the 41 regions of the PGA of America across the United States and help create the network of communication and community for PGA of America Golf Professionals and amateur golfers nationwide.

The PGA WORKS Fellowship is one of the most valuable, entry-level opportunities for individuals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to gain experience in all facets of the golf industry, offering an over 80% job placement rate. The Fellowship gives recent college and university graduates a first-hand look at everything that a career in the $102 billion golf industry can provide. 

“We’re incredibly proud of the job placement rate we’ve seen PGA WORKS Fellows achieve after successfully completing their Fellowships across the country,” said PGA of America REACH Foundation Senior Director of Impact Kennie Sims, PGA. “Our PGA WORKS Fellowships not only open doors to career opportunities within the thriving golf industry, but also provides a platform for our Fellows to make an immediate impact within the communities they serve.”

To complement the experience gained through the Fellowship, the PGA WORKS staff stays closely connected to alumni from the program, while offering valuable programs and panels to share knowledge and experiences. At the 2024 PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., golf’s longest running and largest global business gathering, the most recent class of PGA WORKS Fellows had the opportunity to take part in a PGA WORKS Fellows Alumni Panel, hearing from previous Fellows who have since gained full-time positions in the golf industry.  

PGA WORKS Fellows Alumni Benjamin Vasquez, Event Coordinator, PGA TOUR First Tee; Danielle Monas, Foundation Director, Northern Ohio PGA Section; Rachel Nowak, Programs Coordinator, PGA TOUR First Tee; and Ximena Davila, Foundation Coordinator, Southern Texas PGA Section, discussed the experiences they had during their respective Fellowships and answered questions from current Fellows. 

During the event, Davila shared, “I was around golf growing up, but had never played. I had never imagined a career in golf until I came across the PGA WORKS Fellowship. It opened me up to so many different opportunities within the game, and I am now happily employed.”

Additionally, five PGA WORKS Fellows have landed jobs working for the Association at the Home of the PGA of America in Frisco, Texas: Cameron Dinkins, PGA WORKS Leader; Iyannei Miranda, PGA WORKS Program Coordinator; Telvin Walker, PGA Jr. League Lead; Caroline Riggs, PGA REACH Events Coordinator; and Rachel Goetz, Championship Volunteer Operations Coordinator.