CHARLOTTE — A new apprenticeship program backed by the U.S. Golf Association is bringing tuition-free training for aspiring golf course maintenance professionals to Charlotte.
Quail Hollow Club, the USGA and Central Piedmont Community College announced the one-year Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program on Tuesday, October 20.
The program combines hands-on training at Quail Hollow and other area golf courses with classroom instruction at CPCC, according to the Charlotte Business Journal.
Students will learn skills in turfgrass management, soil and plant science, irrigation, water conservation, and pest management — preparing them for careers in an industry facing a persistent shortage of skilled workers.
The first cohort begins in January, with 16 students enrolled so far.
Golf course superintendents face ongoing challenges finding and retaining workers to maintain fairways, greens, bunkers and landscaping. With the average golf course spanning about 150 acres, maintaining those properties requires specialized knowledge and a sizable workforce.
Quail Hollow President Johnny Harris pointed to the club’s investment in a $10 million maintenance center and its 42-person full-time course management team as examples of the industry’s demand for skilled professionals. During the Truist Championship, maintaining the course requires about 120 people.
The program is designed to introduce more people to career opportunities in golf course maintenance while helping existing industry workers advance.
The program pairs classroom instruction with paid, hands-on experience, allowing students to earn while they learn. CPCC President Kandi Deitemeyer said work-based learning opportunities can help employers retain trained employees, noting that more than 90% of CPCC students who participate in apprenticeships or similar opportunities are retained by an employer beyond the program.
The Charlotte initiative builds on the USGA’s Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program, which launched in 2023 in partnership with Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst. A second location opened in Myrtle Beach in 2024.
By the end of the current academic year, more than 100 students are expected to have graduated from the program across its existing locations.
Organizers say the Charlotte program will involve multiple area golf courses, expanding access to training and helping build a stronger workforce for the region’s golf industry.
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