CAITLYN M. TASNEY

 Caitlyn m. tasney

Department of Horticulture and Crop Science
Professional Golf Management 
Columbus, OH

Caitlyn Tasney began her undergraduate career playing golf for a different university before finding her Professional Golf Management major at Ohio State. Her nominator notes she “wishes she would have started at Ohio State;” she has been an asset to the program since her arrival. Caitlyn has maintained a 3.8 GPA while working full time and taking full-time college classwork. She believes learning how to live on her own while managing her time and keeping her grades up, has been her most valuable learning experience while at Ohio State. She has really appreciated meeting other students and networking with golf professionals who have the same aspirations she has. “I have found lifelong friends and people that I would consider family,” she said.

Caitlyn completed five semesters of internships at the New Albany Country Club (NACC) in New Albany, Ohio. She started at NACC working with outside operations. She greeted golfers as they arrived, helped them with their golf clubs, picked up practice balls on the driving range, and assisted golfers as they finished their rounds of golf. During her internships, Caitlyn’s hard work and excellent customer service helped propel her to the inside operations of the golf shop. In the shop, she assisted the golf professionals with running golf tournaments, worked with equipment and apparel sales, helped with junior golf programs, and taught private lessons. She had never been part of tournament operations, and she appreciated learning how events are organized. Her nominator noted, “Her many excellent reviews commend her punctuality, dependability, thoroughness, professional demeanor, collegiality, and responsibility.”

On campus, Caitlyn volunteered and hosted high school students who were interested in the Professional Golf Management major. She gave tours of the college and university, and answered questions. According to her nominator, Caitlyn was “always willing to go the extra mile to help recruit students for the college. Other students in the program look up to her because of her professionalism and friendliness.”

Caitlyn praises program directors Chris Walsh and Tim Kerr for being great mentors. They supported her through scheduling classes, her job search and guiding her with networking. “They made the learning process so much easier,” she said.

An excellent golfer, Caitlyn participated in a golf outing with Department of Horticulture and Crop Science Chair Doug Karcher. She also participated in tournaments put on by the PGM program. Each year, they host nine golf tournaments at the OSU Golf Club and three tournaments on a PGA Tour golf simulator in Howlett Hall. Thanks to her skills and participation in the tournaments, Caitlyn has already passed the PGA’s Playing Ability Test. This test is a required first step towards becoming a member of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), one of Caitlyn’s life goals. Her nominator notes, “Caitlyn’s hard work and excellent customer service helped her secure a well-deserved position to begin her career in the golf industry.”

Caitlyn will continue her professional golfing career as Assistant Golf Professional at the NACC after graduation.

Service, involvement, and accolades: PGM Ambassador | Dean’s List