Growing My Social Capital

1: John Stevens - West End Golf Course, First Tee of Gainesville Coach
2: Domain Expert- He is a domain expert because understands how important junior golf is. If I could not start a junior golf tour, being a coach would be another great option for me.
3: I found him by talking to him on the putting green of the Mark Bostick Golf Course. He used to be a ranger for the course but I hadn't really talked to him until this point.
4: He actually gave me some help with my putting. This was a big help because I had a tournament that it really helped me in. This is the sort of thing I would love to have the opportunity to do in my career. I did not have to do anything for him in return for this exchange. It was just a friendly gesture.
5: It would benefit me in getting more experience in the junior golf industry. Yesterday he even asked if I would possibly like to help out in the fall with their classes.

1: Pete Marino - Assistant Golf Course Director at the Mark Bostick Golf Course
2: Market Expert - Pete handles the inventory at the course, including purchasing inventory to sell in the pro shop. He meets with certain brand representatives and makes deals with these companies to sell their product.
3: I know Pete because he is one of our overseeing managers at the Mark Bostick Golf Course where I am a pro shop manager.
4: Pete is another branch of golf that I could get into. I asked him many questions on how of what his job entails, and gave him some ideas of how I could handle some of the work load, as well as increasing activity in the pro shop and golf course. He has since given me more responsibility in handling some of the books in keeping track of certain discounts and inventory.
5: Working in the pro shop and learning some of the nuances of being a manager at a golf course could further benefit me in both my goal of creating a junior golf tour, or also if I decide to manage a golf course one day.

1: Steve Bobe - Srixon/Cleveland Golf Ambassador
2: Supplier - Sold Srixon/Cleveland Golf supplies to club golf teams including UF's.
3: Steve is our supplier for the UF Club Golf team, as well as the North Florida Region. Being the club golf vice president I do business with him in getting the team the apparel we need.
4: Golf equipment is something that interests me so much that I physically can't stop buying the next best club year after year. With Steve, I am able to sell his product after purchasing them in bulk (Polos, Hats, T-Shirts, etc) so that he can make money, as well as help with club golf fundraising.
5: Working with suppliers would be something that benefits me with any branch I go in. With a junior golf tour, you always need sponsors and suppliers. The tour I worked on last year was supplied by Nike, and the tour a played on as a junior golfer was supplied by adidas and TaylorMade. Running a golf course would also yield similar circumstances.

Reflect: Networking is something that I seem to be very good at. Especially being in the golf industry and working at a golf course, there are plenty of people who have strong connections to the field I want to get into. I have learned that there are numerous routes and opportunities to make new connections every day, and that one connection can change the path of your career for the better.