Alumni Spotlight: Shane Wurzbach , B.S. Agribusiness

Shane Wurzbach is an alumnus of the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness Professional Golf Management program. Upon graduating, he accepted an opportunity to teach golf in China at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province. Mission Hills was the site of the recent Omega World Cup. In the short time that he was in China, Wurzbach trained with a top golf pro, conducted golf clinics and wrote an article for Golf Digest - China that was published in September 2007. Wurzbach is currently working at Mirabel Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Following is his story of how his experience at ASU has shaped his life as a PGA professional.

Whether big or small, the decisions we make all combine to create the story of our lives. At one point in my life, I used to say that moving from Texas to Arizona to attend ASU and enroll in the Professional Golf Management Program was the best decision I ever made. Before that, the greatest decision I made was to leave every other sport behind and focus strictly on golf.

During my senior year at ASU, I was offered a job that would prove to be one of the best decisions of my life. This job offer also would confirm that every other hard decision I made in my past was right because my first job offer out of college was to move to China to start a golf academy at the world’s No. 1 golf club.

I didn’t hesitate for a second to take this job. I focused on the opportunities: learning another culture and language, enjoying the perks of working as an expatriate, studying under the world’s best female instructor and experiencing more than I ever imagined.

I was fortunate to have the experience I gained from ASU’s Professional Golf Management program. I credit the program 100% for where I am with my career and where I’m going. The program surrounds you with exceptional directors and other students who are driven by success and common goals. “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future” could define my graduating class. Nearly all of us graduated in four years with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness and Class A PGA Professional membership.

From the first class my freshman year, the importance of “networking” was ingrained in our minds. Over the course of four years we all realized that it truly is about “who you know and not necessarily what you know.” The program is unique in the sense that it can transform a group of total strangers into lifelong friends. I don’t know of any other degree program that can create this type of camaraderie between fellow classmates.

Being a part of this program opens students up to great internship opportunities at many of the nation’s best golf facilities. The PGM program has become a main source for the golf industry’s work force. Employers from all over the country come to the campus to present their internship opportunities and recruit students for positions that normally become long-term staff.

As an inexperienced freshman, I met and followed up with the head professional of a Top 100/Five Star Golf Club. After talking with him and answering some questions, he shook my hand and offered me my very first internship. The following summer I returned to the same club with a promotion and more responsibility.

With 16 required months of internship, I finished my last 10 months of employment with a company respected as the world’s leader in custom club fitting. This job is where I met the person who would later refer me to the director of instruction at the PGA Tour Headquarters. I made contact with her simply to “talk golf” and ask for advice on golf instruction. She told me about the position in China at her new golf academy. After an interview with her in Florida, the rest is history, and the lesson in the importance of “networking” proved to be invaluable.

The sum of all our decisions make up our life. One great deciding moment will lead to the next and so on.

-Shane Wurzbach