What Does a Golf Course Manager Do?
Whether golfers play once a summer or every weekend, most judge a course by the same signs: true greens, tee times that run on schedule and staff who know their names. The key to a good season, then, is keeping the grounds crew, pro shop and booking desk pulling together, and that is the golf course manager's job at city-run courses, private clubs, resorts and universities.
Also known as: Assistant Golf Course Manager
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Camp and Recreation Manager, Camp Director, Events and Competitions Director, Events Manager, Experiences Manager, Park Manager, Recreation Director, Recreation Superintendent.
Golf Course Manager Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a golf course manager include:
- Set green fees, membership rates and the yearly operating budget with the owners or board.
- Run the tee sheet and booking system; block out times for leagues, outings and course work.
- Coordinate mowing, aeration and irrigation schedules with the course superintendent so greens stay playable.
- Hire, schedule and train starters, marshals, pro shop clerks and seasonal grounds workers.
- Plan tournaments, charity outings and junior clinics, from pairings and prizes to catering.
- Order pro shop merchandise and track sales, stock and margins in the point-of-sale system.
- Walk the course daily to check bunkers, cart paths, pin positions and storm damage.
- Keep the golf cart fleet charged, serviced and logged with help from the equipment mechanic.
- Answer member and guest complaints about pace of play, course conditions or double bookings.
- Report rounds played, revenue and labor costs to the owners at the end of each month.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a golf course manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Tee sheet and point-of-sale software such as foreUP
- Budgeting, pricing and labor scheduling
- Working knowledge of turfgrass, irrigation and mowing equipment
- Tournament and outing planning
- Rules of golf and pace-of-play policies
- Leadership of seasonal and part-time crews
- Patience with members, guests and league captains
- Merchandising and inventory control
Education and Training
Bachelor's degrees in recreation, hospitality or business management are the most common background for this post. Many managers also put in time in the pro shop or on the grounds crew, where they learn how a course runs day to day. Turfgrass classes are worth adding. Assistant managers who do well can go on to run a larger club or take a director of golf post at a resort.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $61,060 - $104,770 per year, with a median of $79,520.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling.
BLS projects employment of entertainment and recreation managers, the wider group that includes golf course managers, to grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. The same projections point to roughly 5,100 openings a year across that group, most of them from managers who retire or change careers. Golf hires in waves. The best time to chase an assistant manager post is late winter, when courses staff up for the season.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling.
Golf Course Manager Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $46,270 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $61,060 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $79,520 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $104,770 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $139,110 |
Highest-Paying States for Golf Course Managers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are District of Columbia ($113,930), Minnesota ($107,660), New York ($98,390), Colorado ($97,000), Washington ($96,790). Pay is lowest in Ohio ($58,440), Arkansas ($49,640), West Virginia ($47,310).
Median pay in all 47 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,540 |
| Alaska | $70,700 |
| Arizona | $76,550 |
| Arkansas | $49,640 |
| California | $79,550 |
| Colorado | $97,000 |
| Connecticut | $78,010 |
| District of Columbia | $113,930 |
| Florida | $83,520 |
| Georgia | $83,470 |
| Hawaii | $81,160 |
| Idaho | $95,020 |
| Illinois | $77,310 |
| Indiana | $62,760 |
| Iowa | $68,320 |
| Kansas | $69,990 |
| Kentucky | $80,130 |
| Louisiana | $62,390 |
| Maine | $82,780 |
| Maryland | $81,220 |
| Massachusetts | $89,450 |
| Michigan | $65,890 |
| Minnesota | $107,660 |
| Mississippi | $67,670 |
| Missouri | $83,620 |
| Nebraska | $63,270 |
| Nevada | $82,370 |
| New Hampshire | $80,090 |
| New Jersey | $89,590 |
| New York | $98,390 |
| North Carolina | $77,990 |
| Ohio | $58,440 |
| Oklahoma | $78,420 |
| Oregon | $78,200 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,990 |
| Rhode Island | $88,750 |
| South Carolina | $79,110 |
| South Dakota | $76,000 |
| Tennessee | $70,530 |
| Texas | $78,500 |
| Utah | $79,400 |
| Vermont | $92,320 |
| Virginia | $74,800 |
| Washington | $96,790 |
| West Virginia | $47,310 |
| Wisconsin | $77,140 |
| Wyoming | $88,790 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% use email every day
- 100% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 78% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 50% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 52% |
| Some college | 23% |
| Associate's degree | 17% |
| Master's degree | 7% |
Tools and Software Golf Course Managers Use
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.
Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, English Language, Administration and Management, Computers and Electronics.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Golf Course Manager Job
- Job application letter sample
- Resume or CV: which to send
- How to describe your work experience
- Job interview tips
- Interview thank-you note
The Job Explorer never charges candidates any money. If someone asks you to pay to apply for a golf course manager job or to get hired, treat it as a warning sign.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 11-9072.00 (Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.