Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating African American’s from a PGA Golf Management Program

Abstract

With this unprecedented growth, the PGA of America began the process of an honest and deliberate evaluation of diversity and inclusion issues within the industry. This evaluation led the PGA of America to the conclusion that if the game was going to continue to grow then there needs to be greater representation of people of color within the game and industry. In 2008, the PGA took a bold step and added the PGA Golf Management Program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). This strategic move showed the world that the PGA was taking an aggressive approach in improving the number of African American members in the association. The underlying mission of the PGA Golf Management Program at UMES is to assist the PGA in raising the overall membership numbers of African Americans within the association.