Birmingham, England: Former Hong Kong national team coach Jonathan Wallett is among the latest PGA of Great Britain & Ireland members who have achieved a new membership designation through the Professional Golf Association’s PGA Excel framework.

Launched in October last year to replace the previous APAL system, PGA Excel enables PGA Members to demonstrate their impact, achievements and value to employers, golfers and the wider industry.

Through a new digital platform, PGA Members are able to submit an online application with the aim of moving up through the membership designations, allowing them to differentiate themselves from their peers.

PGA Excel awards are presented every quarter and, following another extended period of assessing and marking submission, this month The PGA announced 12 PGA Members who have been awarded a new designation which demonstrates their impact and achievement within their specialist membership category (PGA Professional, PGA Coach and PGA Manager).

Commenting on the success of the third batch of PGA Excel awardees, Tristan Crew, PGA Executive Director – Membership, said: “Congratulations to all 12 PGA Members for being awarded new PGA designations through PGA Excel.

“These PGA Members have been through a rigorous application process where they have successfully demonstrated, in detail, their impact and achievement across their career in the golf industry. They have met the progression criteria that underpins PGA Excel and are therefore succeeding in their chosen fields.

“We are continuing to see more PGA Members each month start their PGA Excel application and the golf industry too is starting to understand the importance of PGA Excel and the importance of PGA Members advancing their designation status upwards to Advanced, Fellow, Advanced Fellow and Master.”

On becoming only the 62nd PGA Member to achieve ‘Master’ status, Wallett said: “It’s very humbling. I grew up living next to the 13th green of Kingsdown Golf Club near Bath and I never wanted to do anything other than be involved with golf.

“I’m grateful for the career and travel opportunities that the PGA qualification has given me. The more you involve yourself with The PGA, its initiatives and support structure, the more opportunities that will come to you.

“When you are an employee, to some degree your career and skill development is often mapped out for you, as an employer will send you on courses and career-wise the next step is often one of steady promotions.

“But if, like me, and so many PGA Members, you’re self-employed, the career pathway is not so clear. So, to have something like PGA Excel, that provides a clear framework, combined with the different pathways The PGA has created in PGA Manager, PGA Professional and PGA Coach, has been an excellent move and offers great support to PGA members in giving them a structure to career development.”

During his time with the Hong Kong Golf Association from 2016 to 2018, Wallett was instrumental in the development of Taichi Kho, who this year became the first Hong Kong player to win an Asian Tour event.

Reflecting on her new PGA Fellow Professional status, Alex Mollin, a former PGA Assistant of the Year, and a coach at the Royal Jersey Golf Club, said: “It’s a fantastic recognition. I’m a really proud PGA Member and to have achieved PGA Fellow Professional status is really important because it’s that recognition within the industry and also brings that feeling of achievement. 

“The opportunities to be able to achieve these designations through PGA Excel helps give your career structure. It provides that opportunity for progression and it allows you to benchmark your progress and see what is needed to move forward on a personal and professional level.

“PGA Excel is important for everyone within the golf industry to understand how PGA Professionals have invested in themselves, how they’ve progressed within their careers and also having that recognition helps raise the profile of those PGA Members who have invested more and worked hard to achieve a particular designation.”

The PGA of Great Britain & Ireland is an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.