Q&A: Cameron Milton
Cameron Milton had to go through six years of testing before becoming a golf pro.
The Leader sat down with golf pro Cameron Milton to talk about his unique job.
What does a golf pro do?
A lot of people get confused. They always think all we do is play golf. There are club professionals and PGA professionals. With club professionals, playing is definitely a part of their job, but it encompasses a lot of other things including teaching, merchandising, junior golf, running charity events, and basically the day-to-day operations of a golf course.
How do you become a golf pro?
The PGA is the organization that we're all a part of. They have a program called the Golf Professional Training Program (GPTP) which they allow you six years to complete. There are two years for each level and each level has various subjects where you need to hand in work experience activities and go down and take a test. Once you're done with those three levels then you can be elected to membership as a PGA professional.
How did you end up in Polson?
I went to school at the University of Montana. I went to the Bay Area right after college to get experience at various facilities. I worked at a 36-hole resort facility called Half-Moon Bay Golf Links. I also worked a private facility just outside of San Francisco that was the Aranda County Club while I was going through the GPTP. I absolutely love this area, I love this golf course and the opportunity to work under Roger Wallace combined with being near the lake was too much to pass up.
Have you run into anyone famous while being a golf pro?
Chris Long, the NFL No. 1 draft pick out of Virginia and Howie Long's son. I also ran into Jerry Rice multiple times in California.
When teaching people how to golf, what's the most common mistake?
Everyone over swings. Everyone believes the harder they swing the farther the ball is going to go, and that is the thing you struggle with the most. Everyone wants to hit it far. It's getting people to understand it's the technique over the brute force of trying to just hit the ball as hard as they can.
What's your proudest golf moment?
Every fall there's a golf tournament called the Montana Open and I had my best showing this past year in the fall with my pregnant wife (Brittany) as my caddy.
She was almost five to six months pregnant. She was with me all three days, and I finished in the top six and after day two, I was in fourth. That's against all the best players in the state. That weekend was my proudest moment.