Shady Oaks Country Club
Fort Worth, Texas
Director of Instruction
Shady Oaks Country Club
Fort Worth, Texas
Director of Instruction
FORT WORTH, TX | Shady Oaks Country Club’s founder is Mr. Marvin Leonard. Mr. Leonard was one of Fort Worth’s best-known businessmen, known as the Texas Merchant. With the advice from his doctor to get out of the office and enjoy the outdoors and fresh air, Mr. Leonard took up the game of golf. During his rounds of golf at Glen Garden Country Club, Mr. Leonard crossed paths with a young caddy named Ben Hogan. This began a lifetime friendship for both. His love for the game of golf, particularly building golf courses, occupied much of his time. In 1934 he purchased 157 acres on the southwest side of Fort Worth and began to build a golf course. Colonial Golf Club officially opened on January 29, 1936. After redesigning the course, Leonard persuaded the United States Golf Association to hold the 1941 United States Open at Colonial. From this tournament grew the Colonial National Invitational, with which Leonard was long associated. In December 1942, he sold Colonial to its members. With the success of Colonial, Mr. Leonard became restless to build a new country club; his goal was to build one of the finest courses in the world. He knew exactly what he had in mind for his new club and in 1955, he found 1,220 acres of farmland in the Westover Hills residential area, just seven miles from downtown Fort Worth.
Before the papers were signed, Mr. Leonard had Mr. Hogan walk the course with him and listen to his plans. Mr. Hogan begged Mr. Leonard not to build his course on that track of land. He thought the site was much too hilly and rugged to make a playable and interesting course.
Mr. Leonard did not agree and signed the papers regardless. He called in architect Robert Trent Jones and clubhouse architects Hedrick & Stanley, and then commandeered half the bulldozers in West Texas and set them to work on one of the greatest earth-moving and leveling-off projects any golf course has ever known.
Not only did he know what he wanted, he refused to rest until he had it just as he pictured. Some holes were laid out two and three times before Mr. Leonard declared it right. On the third hole, for instance, the final green was shifted 175 yards from its place on the original design before Mr. Leonard was satisfied.
The cost of perfection ran high – probably two or three times that of an average course at that time – but the results more than justified the pains that were taken, and the extra investment required. Shady Oaks today is one of the most lavish and magnificent membership courses in the country. With back tees added in, it could easily be converted into a first-class tournament course, as well.
Mr. Leonard wanted to build the ideal club where the member would be king; this he achieved and more. So meticulous was he in meeting the standards he wanted that he ran the Club for a full year at his own expense before inviting a single member to join. The membership now consists of the cream of Fort Worth golfers; most of whom belong to at least one of the city’s other country clubs. The Club has also become one of Fort Worth’s favorite dining and entertaining venues.
“Anyone who is building a golf course anywhere in the world and doesn't come down to see what has been done at Shady Oaks will be making a big mistake,” said Mr. Hogan.
Keeping our membership small, Shady Oaks has maintained a reputation of matchless quality year after year. We possess an atmosphere reminiscent of an era when courtesy, privacy and dignity were hallmarks of distinction. The club has 450 resident members, 300 associate members, 60 junior members, and 50 non-resident members.
18-hole championship golf course with no tee times.
Driving range, short game area, Little Nine short course, & indoor instruction room.
Full-service golf shop.
Three indoor & four outdoor tennis courts and two pickleball courts.
State of the art fitness facility with the latest workout equipment.
25-meter swimming pool with lap lane, deck service and patio for poolside entertaining.
Family-friendly activities
55,000 square foot clubhouse with three dining rooms, two banquet rooms, spacious men’s & women’s locker rooms & beautiful views of the golf course and downtown.
The Shady Oaks golf operations team consists of 7 PGA Members and 3 PGA Associates. Mike Wright, PGA serves as the Senior Golf Advisor. Chad English, PGA is the Head Golf Professional. Assistant Professionals include Clay Montgomery, PGA, Jordan Marlow, PGA, Corbin Renner, PGA, Kenny Davis, PGA Associate, Brian Baker, PGA Associate and Logan Merchant PGA Associate. There are two Teaching Professionals, Charlie Mack, PGA and Lindy Miller, PGA. The staff at Shady Oaks has over 100 years’ combined experience at the club. The staff gave over 1,000 lessons in 2022 and currently has a spring and fall junior program.
As a member of the Golf Operations team, the Director of Instruction at Shady Oaks Country Club will be responsible for all facets of golf instruction including, but not limited to, seasonal adult programming, private instruction, junior golf programs, club fitting services and conducting any golf instruction functions for members and guests. Working with the Head Golf Professional, the Director of Instruction will seek to learn the members' needs to develop successful programs, foster a high level of golf instruction with consistency in private instruction by all staff, ensure high-quality service levels on property. He or she will build a culture of growing the game of golf for all abilities at the club, while being an industry leader for best practices in golf instruction.
Create, budget, schedule and coordinate all adult and junior golfer development programs at Shady Oaks.
Develop attractive seasonal men’s and women’s golf instruction programming to foster both a recreational and competitive environment as appropriate for each market segment.
Work with Head Golf Professional and Director of Communications to ensure marketing, emails and club’s social media are regularly updated with program information and instructional videos.
Create a fun, learning and playing environment for ladies’ programs at Shady Oaks.
Manage and assist with all facets of the junior golf program, including, but not limited to: Spring and Fall programs, summer junior camps, creating an elite junior program encouraging a competitive environment and providing college career guidance for aspiring youth.
Perform regular weekly private instruction with organized records of students’ goals, lesson notes, and results.
Develop, implement, and promote club fittings and program equipment sales.
Supervise upkeep of the practice facility and learning center to ensure that safe, clean, organized, and professional conditions exist throughout the day.
Maintain teaching aids, instruction equipment, and ensure fitting carts are prepared and organized daily.
Utilize state-of-the-art teaching aids and learning theories and be able to integrate the use of all technologies that aid in the learning of golf.
Foster a learning culture by attending education seminars and providing new ideas and information to members and staff on golf instruction.
Create instructional programs that will provide additional revenue for Shady Oaks Assistant Golf Professionals.
Oversee the creation and posting of educational video media instruction content for the members.
Work with Head Golf Professional to foster a fun, healthy work environment, while upholding the excellence and virtues of Shady Oaks policies.
Play golf with members, making certain to do so with all ages and skill levels.
Train Shady Oaks staff golf professionals on golf instruction, teaching philosophies, and the management of programs to include clinics, juniors, group, private lessons, player development and special needs lessons.
Possess a personality trait that will make people feel welcome, reflecting favorably on Shady Oaks, whether on or off property.
Represent the Golf Staff at major functions at Shady Oaks as deemed appropriate by the Head Golf Professional.
Represent Shady Oaks in local and sectional tournaments when possible.
Posses good interpersonal skills and ability to make people feel welcome.
The candidate should be energetic, highly personable, self-motivated, with a passion and willingness to go above and beyond to enhance the member experience.
Ability to communicate in high intensity work environments.
High aptitude in current trends and best practices for golf instruction.
Well versed in latest industry leading technologies such as Trackman, SAM PuttLab, etc.
Maintain a credible golf game and compete in section tournaments
Fundamental knowledge of the game of golf, rules of golf, golf instruction and teaching methodology.
Act as a role model for all employees by demonstrating the behavior and work ethic expected of all employees.
Strong organizational, planning, and prioritization skills.
Self-motivated with desire to create, promote, and market programs effectively.
Ability to work as a team member, cultivating teamwork with other staff members.
Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and tournament software.
Attend conferences, workshops, meetings, and trade shows to keep abreast of current trends in the industry.
Education:
Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Experience:
Class A PGA Member in good standing preferred.
Minimum 5 years of experience as a Teaching Professional developing instructional programs at a high level.
Proven playing ability with tournament experience.
Mentorship and education under industry leading golf instructors or schools preferred.
Private Club experience preferred.
Lifting, pushing, pulling, loading, or carrying 40 lbs. or more.
Moving/driving equipment or motorized golf carts.
Bending, squatting, stooping, scrubbing, pushing, pulling, stirring, reaching, lifting, sitting, and twisting.
Outside or exposed to weather conditions over a long period of time.
Long periods of standing or walking
Other
May be required to work varying schedules to reflect the business needs of the club. Must be able to work a flexible schedule to include weekends and holidays.
90% of private golf instruction.
Flat Salary Rate based on experience.
Performance Bonus
Health, Dental and Vision Paid Time Off
Clothing Allowance Education Allowance
PGA Dues Allowance Tournament Allowance
Club Staff Agreement Meals on Duty
401K – Savings Playing & Practice Privileges
The application deadline is June 15th, 2023
Combine your cover letter, resume and any additional materials into one (1) PDF file and attach the document below. Please use the following file naming convention: "Last Name, First Name, Shady Oaks Country Club / Director of Instruction"
When applying, your "Resume Materials" should include a cover letter addressed to - Mr. Chad English, PGA - Head Golf Professional
Kelly Gilley, PGA is the lead Career Consultant for this opportunity. For additional information and questions, please contact Kelly directly.
Email: kgilley@pgahq.com
The employer does not wish to be contacted at this time
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