From turbines to tee times
After years in engineering, Kieran Stark followed a long-held passion into a new career in golf through the Foundation Degree in Professional Golf Studies
For those who knew Kieran Stark, it was a decision which took some of them by surprise. With a First Class Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering and more than four years working in industry, he had the sort of career many of us spend years trying to build.
It was “an interesting job”, the 31-year-old explained of his role carrying out thermal analysis on gas engine turbines.
But during the Covid pandemic his outlook began to change. And golf had always been in the back of his mind.
So he switched tack completely, swapping turbines for tee times. Stark has recently graduated as a PGA Professional after taking the Foundation Degree in Professional Golf Studies and works at Cawder GC, in Glasgow.
“I always had an interest in science, physics and maths but I still had an eye on doing something in golf,” he said, speaking ahead of an in-person Open Day at The PGA National Training Academy on May 27, which gives people the chance to learn more about the career opportunities offered by The PGA.
“Back when I was 17, I wasn’t a good enough player to feel I could go down the golf route. I only saw the option, if I went into golf, of it being purely from a playing perspective.
“I went to University, studied engineering, did my five years and then came out and worked in industry for just over four and a half years.”
Stark added: “There were a few different things that were the catalyst for me switching. The first was Covid. Now that almost feels like a cliché to blame Covid for some sort of change, but there was a lot of restructuring. A lot of the stuff I was doing in that time I just really didn’t like.
“A big part was I was almost exclusively working from home, which I absolutely hated. There were elements where I was just cooped up in the house all the time and even if I decided to go into the office, almost everyone else was working from home. There was very little face-to-face interaction with people.”
At the same time, Stark was also dealing with the loss of his father, prompting him to look at what he wanted to work.
“I fell back on the thing I actually enjoyed the most, which is golf,” he said. “I quite quickly decided, ‘this is what I’m going to do’.”
The move into the PGA Training Programme still raised some eyebrows. But conversations with his cousin and close friend, Cawder PGA Professional Nick Gardiner, convinced him of the opportunity that awaited.
“When I spoke to him about all the different aspects of what I was doing, and the potentials of what you can do within golf, we thought it was a bit of a no-brainer,” he explained.
“I was taking quite a bit of a step back in terms of money, but you’re going through your training while pretty much being in full-time work meant you’re still able to earn money. You’re not going back to full-time education where you’re really scraping by.
“I thought, ‘it’s a three-year course and if all else fails I’ve still got my degree and four-and-a-half years’ experience in industry to fall back on’.”
Stark quickly appreciated the variety of subjects on the Foundation Degree – from coaching to custom fitting and sport science.
What surprised him, though, was the value of the business modules.
He said: “Once I got into it, I found there are so many useful things off the back of that which you probably only realise once you get to this stage – whether that’s trying to run your own coaching business, from tax purposes, or from a marketing standpoint.
“You learn all these skills that might not necessarily be the first thing that jumps out at you when you go in to become a golf professional.”
Now committed to coaching – after a training stint that saw him receive the PGA Business & Management Award, as well as being recognised as Scottish PGA Trainee of the Year and runner up in the PGA Trainee of the Year Award – Stark encouraged anyone considering PGA Training to not be afraid to take the next step.
“The biggest thing for me is that if you’re really passionate about the game, and almost to the point where you’re obsessed about it, then I think just go for it,” he said.
“There are so many different opportunities within the industry. It doesn’t need to be the obvious thing of playing.
“Whether you want to go down a coaching route, a fitting route, a director of golf, there's countless different opportunities out there where you can make a great living and just genuinely be around something you actually enjoy on a daily basis.”
Kieran Stark was talking ahead of the PGA In-person Open Day, which will be held at The PGA National Training Academy on Wednesday, May 27. To book your place, and to see the dates for other Open Days this year, click here.
https://www.qualifications.pga.info/open-days