PGA President Rea Jr. visits UCO to inspire next generation of golf professionals

By John Rohde

The University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond is one of only 16 accredited schools nationwide offering a PGA Golf Management (PGM), which provides extensive classroom courses, internship experience and opportunities in player development for aspiring PGA Professionals.

Led by Director Dr. Anthony “Tony” Luczak, UCO offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A) degree in PGM. It is designed to integrate hands-on experiences to prepare students for careers in the golf industry in hopes of producing experts in areas such as golf operations, player development, tournament management and hospitality. Students also have access to advanced training technologies. Graduation requires passing the PGA of America’s Playing Ability Test (PAT).

PGM assistant director Farmer Schaeffer coined the term, “Make golf your major,” which has since become somewhat of a rallying cry for the program.

On Wednesday, UCO welcomed PGA of America President Don Rea, Jr. to campus in an event hosted by UCO President Todd G. Lamb. Rea shared remarks and celebrated the school’s PGM program and its impact on the next generation of golf industry leaders.

In conjunction, the PGA of America also launched the PGA Coach website (pga.coach).

“Don has found what works best,” Luczak said. “First, he’s going directly to the PGM schools. You introduce them to PGA Coach and get them excited about teaching and coaching and really playing the game with the customers and stop just being in the shop all the time. The second component is to see how well the universities are doing and figure out what is the best practice to get PGA professionals to think differently. It’s a combination of education and pitching PGA Coach. Don wanted to get to all the universities personally while he was president because generally the (PGA) president doesn’t do that.”

Luczak said Rea joined forces with inspirational speaker and coach Will Robins to help spread the initiative. “It’s getting students to realize, ‘Hey, it’s not just golf swing lessons. It’s golf game lessons,’ ” Luczak explained. “Teaching the golf swing is important, but it’s also that relationship you build with that individual. It’s more of a holistic approach, more of a coach aspect.”

The PGM program began at UCO in 2001 and became accredited by the PGA of America in 2008. At its peak (between 2012-15), the program had 65-70 students. In 2017, an interim dean for the College of Business decided the program was not wanted, director Bob Phelps left and its enrollment plummeted. In April of 2021, Jeremy Oller became the permanent dean. Oller, along with management department chair Dr. Holly Osburn, hired Luczak on Aug. 1, 2023.

“When we started, we had 19 students in the program,” Luczak said. “The PGA of America was not happy with the university. This was the last chance to get it right.”

The culture swiftly changed with Luczak. “It’s not just because of me,” Luczak said. “It has to do with having all the right people and spreading the word. ‘You want this program? Hey, this is something special at UCO. We’re the only (PGM) entity in the state.’ ”

There are now 75 people in the program, an increase of 300 percent since Luczak’s arrival.

New equipment soon was purchased. Fundraising tournaments led to purchasing more equipment. Nearing completion is a 25-by-35-foot room added onto the College of Business building featuring a 20-foot ceiling, glass windows and cameras mounted above.

Also available will be three simulators and high-tech GEARS Sports, which provides an advanced optical 3D motion capture system designed to analyze and optimize athletic movements in real-time. “As far as I know, we’re the only entity that has the GEARS system in Oklahoma,” Luczak said.

 The uber-educated Luczak brings an impressive resume that includes the following degrees: B.B.A. – Marketing, Professional Golf Management (1986); M.S. – Exercise Science, Department of Kinesiology (2015-17); Ph.D. – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Human Factors & Ergonomics (2017-20).

“But I turn around all the technology provided and try to teach that in a very simple way,” Luczak said. “It allows you to take away some of those cliché golf tips that really don’t work.”

Luczak said the scheduled move-in date for UCO’s new “Golf Lab” is April 6. “We’re a little bit in the DYI phase with the new lab,” Luczak said with a chuckle, “but now we’re going to get things cleaned up and it’s going to be really, really special.”

Rea’s visit also included a field trip to 3bird Golf Park (371 NE 70^th St.) in Oklahoma City. Among the 50-plus who attended were UCO team members Ty Hyatt, Faith Principato and Reagan Plank.

3bird is an innovative 20-acre practice facility designed to hone the skills of every level of golfer, from professionals to beginners. It will be featured in the upcoming April-May issue of Golf Oklahoma Magazine.

The PGM program and the uniquely designed 3bird facility complement each other perfectly.

Luczak became aware of 3bird through its Director of Golf Landon Hendrix, a former Southern Nazarene golfer who previously took lessons from Luczak.

“What 3bird has is amazing,” Luczak said.