PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The PGA Championship shining the game's spotlight on Pittsford this week.
Growing golf beyond the people and places who've always known it is what the PGA does behind the scenes.
In the years when Tiger Woods dominated the game, bringing golf to communities that were not used to being a part of it was a big reason for golf's explosion in popularity. That effort continues to this day, even though Tiger's hold over the game is less than it used to be.
At Oak Hill, a PGA program is continuing that commitment to grow the game.
"PGA Works is all about diversifying the golf industry's business," said Cameron Dinkin, program coordinator for PGA Works. "So making the people that work in it look more like the rest of the world. We do this through a couple different ways. We do it through our fellowships, our scholarships and then our Beyond the Green event that we had here yesterday. And that event is a career exploration event all about giving access and opportunity to high school students in our championship areas to learn more about the different opportunities we have in golf careerwise, whether that's being an engineer, marketing or even in television. And it's also having leaders talk to them who aren't in the golf industry, but have used golf as a way to excel in their careers."
Dinkin says she believes it's important because representation matters and the people they choose for the panels look like the students who are in the audience. They can relate to the students in their experiences and how they can navigate them. She says they can also show the students that there are a plethora of roles they can have in the golf industry.
For more information about PGA Works, click here.