Program Policies

The PGA Training Academy is based off world-leading industry research on the needs, roles, and expectations of golf professionals in Canada from stakeholders, employers, and members themselves. 

All courses, policies, learning outcomes, and the structure of the PGA of Canada Training Academy are a direct result of this extensive research – all in an effort to better align member training with the realities of the golf industry and to provide a relevant and learner-centred approach.

• 18 years old 
• Highschool diploma 
• Employed in golf industry 
• Pass Playing Ability Test (PAT) 
• Sterling Background Check 

The Play Ability Test is administered by PGA of Canada Zone Offices across the country. 

One of the following must be completed to register as a Candidate for Membership with the PGA of Canada:

Pass the CFM PAT Target Score: 36 holes (two 18-hole rounds) of stroke play golf. The PAT Target Score to register as a Candidate for Membership is two (2) times the course rating plus 20 strokes.

OR

Pass the Class “A” PAT Target Score (two (2) times the course rating plus 15 strokes)

All applicants who pass the PAT Target Score to register as a Candidate for Membership (see below) will be able to join the PGA of Canada and begin working on his or her core competencies to become a PGA of Canada Class “A” member. In order to become a Class “A” member, the Candidate must then pass the Class “A” PAT score on another attempt.

Associate Professional – are individuals who have successfully applied for membership with the PGA of Canada and are in the training stages in the PGA of Canada Training Academy to achieve their Class “A” status. 
*Associate - a person with limited or subordinate membership of an organization.

Class “A” – Class “A” status signifies the completion of all required training. Once Class “A” is achieved, members no longer have deadlines or mandatory continuing education points and credits required. 
Specialization – specializations can be achieved by Class “A” members in one of four categories: 

1) Teaching 
2) Coaching 
3) Golf Operations 
4) Management and Leadership. 

These specializations are aimed at supporting PGA members, through collaboration with hiring managers, the NGCOA – Canada, and the PGA of Canada’s Right Fit project to encourage ongoing professional development by PGA of Canada Class “A” members and to provide the platform for the right PGA professional in the right job. Specializations, although completely optional, are subject to re-certification over a five-year time period. Refer to Re-Specialization tab for information on maintaining specialization.

Specializations are achieved by obtaining a minimum of 10 Training Academy credits in that respective specialization area.

New members are not required to meet any deadlines for education during the year they become an Associate Professional. The first deadline will be December 1st of the following year.

For example, if an individual passed the PAT in May 2020 and completed all application criteria, the first deadline will be December 1st, 2021.

To maintain active status, Associate Professionals in the PGA Training Academy must complete a minimum of five credits each year. The deadline to complete a minimum of five credits is December 1st.

If an active member completes 9 credits in one year, those will count towards the following year, and only one additional credit will be necessary to maintain active status in the following year.

A maximum of six years will be allotted for an Associate to achieve Class “A” status. 

The following graphic provides the number of credits that must be completed in order to reach Class “A” status in the number of years listed above. 

To reach Class “A” status, members must complete a total of 30 credits over a maximum of six years. 
The 15 Core Credits are mandatory for all PGA of Canada Associate Professionals to reach Class “A” status.

In the first year, the following courses are required:
Instructor of Beginner Golfers Workshop
Respect in Sport Activity Leader
History & Background/ Why the PGA of Canada
Career Literacy Part 1: Map Your Career Path

The additional 10 Core Credits can be achieved at any point over the six-year tenure for the Associate Professional.
The remaining 15 credits are electives. Associate Professionals can choose any courses within the PGA Training Academy to achieve their Class “A” status. 

The program highly recommends individuals who do not have a specific career path to take a generalized training program to gain experience and knowledge in a variety of topics relevant to the roles of a PGA of Canada professional. 

Membership will remain active until one of the following deadlines is not met.

Candidates for Membership (CFM) already working towards their requirements in PACE will be automatically transitioned into the PGA of Canada Training Academy. They will be given legacy credits that are of equal value to the weight they carried in PACE. 

Credits from PACE to PGA of Canada Training Academy will be as follows:

Formal education – 5 credits
PGA module – 3 credits/module 
Instructor of Beginner Golfers workshop and evaluation – 4 credits (3+1 for evaluation)
Instructor of Intermediate Golfers workshop and evaluation – 4 credits   (3+1 for evaluation)
Coach of New Competitors workshop and evaluation – 4 credits  (3+1 for evaluation)
Coach of Developing Competitors workshop and evaluation – 6 credits  (4+2 for evaluation)
Equipment Fitting workshop and evaluation – 2 credits (1+1 for evaluation)
Rules of Golf - 1 credit
Respect in Sport (Activity Leader) - .5 credit

Any (former) CFM who has achieved under seven legacy credits will be required to complete Core Credits as part of their 30 credits.  

*All CFMs are required to complete Instructor of Beginner Golfers certification.
Any CFM who wishes to stay in PACE to complete their training can contact education@pgaofcanada.com.   

Part of any professional designation and career comes responsibility and commitment to meeting deadlines. The PGA of Canada Class “A” status is renowned both globally and domestically as ‘best in class.’ This designation opens career opportunities unique to PGA of Canada members because of the association’s world class education program and exhaustive research to understand the responsibilities of a PGA Class “A” member. While we understand Associate Professionals are busy and manage many different responsibilities, only medical and extreme extenuating circumstances will be considered.  

Each course within the PGA Training Academy will be delivered in a different and unique learning platform. A passing grade within the PGA Training Academy will be a minimum 70%, or in some cases, 100% for specific click through modules. This form of evaluation may be different for each course and learners are encouraged to review the learning outcomes and evaluation methods before registering to ensure it aligns with their time commitments, methods of preferred learning, and priorities at the given time. 

Associate Professionals failing to meet the minimum credit value in a given year will become an inactive member, not in good standing. As an inactive member you will not have access to the website beyond the Training Academy login and will not have access to any member benefits other than insurance. You will also be ineligible for all PGA of Canada National and Zone tournaments, and you will not appear on the PGA of Canada’s public database of members (Find a Pro). You will continue to pay dues, as you are still a member, and there is no fee associated with getting back to active status.
To return to active, you must complete the minimum of five credits from the previous year. The additional five credits for the current year’s deadline are still required. 

If an Associate Professional fails to return to an active status within one year as an inactive member, they will become suspended.

Once suspended, the Associate Professional is no longer considered a member of the PGA of Canada and will be required to reinstate their membership to return to the association with additional fees subject to reinstatement.

Individuals reinstating back into the association will be subject to an individual course audit and may be subject to the loss of credits previously attained for any courses that have been updated since the individual left the association.

Any individual who has been a former Apprentice or Candidate for Membership but never enrolled in the Training Academy is eligible for an internal audit of previously completed training plus the submission of previous workplace experience and education to reinstate their membership into the PGA of Canada. The submission will be $300 and conducted by a task-force committee.

After six years, if the Associate Professional has not completed their 30 credits and achieved Class “A” status, their membership will be suspended. This deadline is final, and there is no inactive membership period following the six-year completion deadline.

To achieve a Class “A” specialization in one of the elective categories, 10 credits must be achieved in that specified category.
Specializations are valid once Class “A” status is achieved.

The Specialization in Management and Leadership is only available once an individual has achieved their Specialization in Golf Operations. 

As of February 28th, 2019, Class “A” members will be grandfathered based on the below member categories. Any Class “A” member who believes they should be considered for additional Certifications are eligible to complete the form on the Specialization Request page by July 1st for consideration. Please contact matt@pgaofcanada.com if you have any questions.

Class “A” members can apply for specialization until July 1st. Please click HERE to fill in the request form. 

Head Professional – Golf Operations
Head Teaching Professional/Teaching Professional – Teaching 
Any member with NCCP Certification in the Competition Stream - Coaching
Executive Professional/Master Professional – Golf Operations and Management and Leadership.

Class “A” members who have achieved one (or more) of the four specializations will be required to re-specialize in the given area given the below parameters. The purpose of re-specialization is to ensure Class “A” professionals who have a specialization have committed themselves to ongoing development in that field and to ensure employers and stakeholders hiring for a given area are hiring individuals committed to that field. 
To re-specialize, a Class “A” member will be required to achieve the following professional development points over a five year time period, from the date they achieved their specialization:
Teaching 20 points 
Coaching 20 points
Golf Operations 20 points
Management and Leadership & Golf Operations  30 points

Online Courses – Asynchronous:
Within 7 days of registration – full refund 
Within 30 days of registration – half refund of the course 
After 30 days of registration - $0 refund

Online Facilitated Courses:
Within 7 days of registration – full refund (minus $25 administrative fee)
Within 30 days of registration – half refund of the course (minus $25 administrative fee)
After 30 days of registration - $0 refund

Live Instructed Course:
After registration – full refund (minus $25 administrative fee)
After the first class – half refund of the course (minus $25 administrative fee)
After second class – $0 refund

Mentorship Program:
After registration – full refund (minus $25 administrative fee)
After the first touchpoint – half refund of the course (minus $25 administrative fee)
After second touchpoint – $0 refund

Workshops:
Cancellations before the registration deadline will receive a full refund, no cancellation fee.
Cancellations after the registration deadline but before the first day of the workshop will receive half the refund of their registration fee and minus a $75 cancellation fee.
Cancellations on day one of the workshop (or absentees) will not receive any refund of their registration fee.

*any member who is 50% or more through a PGA Training Academy course will receive a $0 refund. 
*any failing grade for a course will receive a $0 refund. 

Workshops:
Early departures for in-person workshops are not permitted. To obtain your Training Academy credits, individuals must be present for the entirety of the scheduled agenda. Individuals who depart earlier than the allotted time for a workshop may be subject to re-taking the workshop and not receiving Training Academy credits. 

Live instructed online courses:
Learners will only be permitted one missed class per course. If this total is exceeded, the learner will receive a failing grade for the course.

Formal education is not a mandatory requirement of the PGA of Canada. Formal education is strongly recommended based on the individual’s career path as an outcome in the career literacy course. 
Individuals who have completed their formal education will receive 3 -5 credits towards their Class “A” designation based on the following criteria:

3 credits – 3 year diploma from a recognized college
4 credits -- University degree or 3 year diploma with additional certificate/diploma program
5 credits – Masters or PhD 

Formal education submissions will be reviewed individually and must be related to the individuals’ career path in golf (example - business, commerce, marketing, communications, kinesiology or sport science, sport management). 

All formal education credits are based on completion of the diploma/degree. Official transcripts or proof of degree must be submitted. 

The PGA of Canada has partnered with the following three post-secondary programs.

Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Golf Management) at Georgian College
Golf Facilities Operation Management at Georgian College
Professional Golf Management at Humber College
Business of Golf & Resort Management at McMaster University

Students who are enrolled in any of these programs will be able to complete courses with learning outcomes that match the PGA Training Academy. Upon completion of these courses and a minimum grade of 70%, the student (if a PGA of Canada member) will receive credit in the Training Academy for that course. It is the responsibility of the student to provide the PGA of Canada with updated transcripts annually in order to receive the equivalency credits. 

The PGA of Canada has identified these programs as the only in Canada to provide golf specific training that matches learning outcomes with what is being taught in the PGA of Canada Training Academy. The PGA of Canada will have access to audit course learning outcomes at Georgian College, Humber College, McMaster University.

Degree/diploma programs outside of the programs offered at Georgian College, Humber College, and McMaster University will not receive equivalencies or exemptions for any courses within PGA Training Academy. This is based off industry research from stakeholders and employers to ensure all Associate Professionals have relevant education, training, and experience to what is needed in the ‘real world’.    
Individuals who have experience or education in similar courses to the PGA of Canada Training Academy, are encouraged to take courses in other areas that may be of a benefit or interest to them. 

More information coming soon!

Courses will be reviewed on a one to three-year basis based on the revision cycle to ensure the most up-to-date and relevant content is being delivered to the membership. Once the content of a course has been replaced, credit will no longer be given to non-members wishing to reinstate once six years has passed from the date the course was taken.  

This section is only relevant to members who have been suspended and not met their six-year deadline or have resigned and reinstated after their six-year deadline has passed. This same process is applied to specializations, however, though credits counting towards specializations can expire, your Class “A” status will not be rescinded. 
Courses will be valid for a minimum of six-years once they are completed. If a former member reinstates, all courses that were completed over six-years prior will be audited and if updates have been made to the content and learning outcomes, no credit will be given. All courses with the same content and learning outcomes will remain valid for longer than six-years, until content is updated. 
Once Class “A” status is achieved, the credits will not expire; however, Class “A” members are encouraged to continue taking credits as they pertain to their career, as well as retaking updated courses.

The PGA of Canada will continue to research the industry and identify the most relevant topics to employers. Courses will be added and removed as the ever-evolving golf industry develops new best practices.

Courses proposed for development beyond 2020:

All courses within the PGA Training Academy have a passing grade of 70%. Each course may have different evaluation methods and as such, learners are encouraged to review this before registration. Any learner who does not meet the equivalent of 70%, does not meet the late policy, or contravene the Academy Integrity policy in a given course will receive no credit for that course. No refunds or discounts will be provided for individuals choosing to re-take that course. 
Learners will have a maximum of three resubmissions in order to pass a course or will be subject to a failed grade for that course. 

In accordance with the PGA of Canada Code of Professional Practice, any forms of plagiarism will be managed accordingly and the PGA member may be subject to a “Not Yet” grade in that course with no refund. 
Any breach of Academic Integrity will be managed by the PGA of Canada Education staff and will be communicated with the PGA member individually. 
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

Any discipline as a result of a breach of the PGA of Canada Code of Professional Practice is subject to the PGA of Canada – Appeals policies.