I was thinking the same thing myself.
As I understand it the retainer paid to the average club pro is in the order of £10,000 - £15,0000. For the hours that the pro is expected to provide the services for the club outlined by Jon above, this works out at rather less than the statutory minimum wage.
Just how does a club dispensing with its pro expect to save money? By asking seniors to volunteer their time to man the shop in rota?
It seems to me that a good pro actually provides excellent value for money for his club.
Duncan,
In the long run, for the pros that survive this, it will be a good thing in that clubs will find out "no pro" may cost more than having a pro, particularly when you factor in the inexperience and boneheaded golf related decisions that will be made by administrative nongolf
bureacrats.
I've said all along the pro should be teaching, playing,running tournaments and clubfitting. It's when pros become fancy merchandisers and start wearing shirts and ties (and selling gifts, neckties, and women's accessories) that they allow themselves to be replaced by someone else who will work for a lower wage than a good pro could scour up freelancing teaching, playing, and promoting.
The mediocre pro has become what most people think of as a PGA pro.
For God's sake the bartender can dispense the golf balls and gloves that the players might need-the rest they can go the mall for.
The American PGA doesn't help by giving out 3 "merchandisers of the year" for its' 41 PGA sections as well as 3 more on a national level.
When I hired my assistant I instructed him that it would be his job to deal with the merchandise, explaining to him that I didn't fold shirts---his response?
" Why don't we hang them?"
needless to say he got the job, and now he doesn't fold shirts either (and someone else hangs them)