Sunday, November 27, 2005
BOARDMAN -- Taking another and perhaps better road toward his objective, Ari Papadopoulos of Boardman is on his way to becoming a head golf professional at a private golf club thanks to an innovative college program.
Papadopoulos, a junior at Penn State University enrolled in a special program to become a PGA golf pro, has passed the PGA's 36-hole Players Ability Test at the Penn State Golf Course on Sept. 20 by shooting 77-68--145 (1-over par).
The minimum acceptable score for the test was 9-over 154, but that standard varies depending on the golf course used for the test.
"I cruised through the last 18 holes and I passed it by nine strokes," said Papadopoulos, a 2003 Boardman High graduate and four-year golfer for the Spartans under coach Bill Orr.
Papadopoulos, the son of Patty and Tom Papadopoulos, said that passing the Players Ability Test is one of the most challenging parts of the Penn State Recreation and Park Management program in which he is enrolled to obtain a collegiate degree.
He is pursuing the Professional Golf Management Option, which is one of four options available in the program that includes a minor in business, and he has a 3.4 grade-point average.
50 students per year
Penn State is one of 15 colleges in America that offers the RPM course that includes the PGA professional option with a four-year degree. The school accepts 50 students per year in the course.
Also with him at Penn State in the PGA program is John Rushin, a junior from the Warren area.
"You have available options when you get out [of college but] I'd like to be a golf pro at a country club," said Papadopoulos, who believes that combining PGA qualification with a college degree is a simpler and ideal way to qualify for that kind of job.
"You could do it without even going to school, but [the college program] combined everything so that you can get your degree and PGA card at the same time."
Whereas, "Players who want to get their PGA card without going to college would have to take the Players Ability Test and pass it and take three levels of book work."
Internships
Papadopoulos is required to complete four internships, one each summer, as part of his degree. He did his first one at New Castle Country Club after his freshman year, and his second at Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield, Mich., last summer.
He has one more three-month internship left next summer, and then a final six-month internship the following summer.
"I am graduating in 31/2 years. I will graduate next fall," said Papadopoulos, noting that the program is "a real structured program and they have advisors and everything is scheduled."
He said he also likes the access he has to the PGM Department where he can talk to advisers, get information and socialize.
Mother showed the way
Papadopoulos credits his mother for suggesting that he explore the Penn State PGA program when he was a senior and looking for a college to attend and career.
"At 18 years old, I don't know of anyone who knows what they want to be. My mother threw out this idea when I was looking for colleges to attend. I have been golfing since I was 5 years old," Papadopoulos said.
He said he established a record of golf performance while at Boardman and in tournaments to help him get accepted into the Penn State program. He averaged about 39 while at Boardman and helped his team qualify for the state tournament his senior year.
"You have to have a certified PGA professional sign a form. When I got into it, you had to have an 8-handicap but now I think you have to have a 12 handicap," said Papadopoulos, who was accepted with his 77 average or a 5-handicap, meaning 5-over an average par 72.
He doesn't know why the standard may have been lowered to 12-handicap (84), but thinks it was "to get more kids into the program," and then leave it up to them to improve enough to pass the Players Ability Test before they graduate.
"There are less than 200 kids in the program [at Penn State] because some don't pass the test [and] drop out," he said.