In a roundabout way, Sara Dickson can credit an ACL tear and a yard sale for kick-starting her career as an accomplished PGA professional.
Dickson grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, as a talented multi-sport athlete. Golf was a relatively late addition to her extensive list of sports. As a lefty, it wasn’t until she stumbled upon a southpaw set of clubs at a neighbor’s yard sale that she picked up the game.
“I was probably 12 years old and couldn’t even lift up the bag,” she recalled.
Dickson was immediately captivated. While she naturally excelled at most of her other athletic pursuits, she was both humbled and hooked by the game’s steep learning curve.
“Up until that point, as strange as it sounds, I couldn’t understand why people weren’t good at sports,” Dickson said with a chuckle. “It was a humbling thing … golf, for me, was one of those where it took me a very long time to catch up to my peers.”
While hours spent working and playing at a local executive course closed the skill gap, basketball remained Dickson’s primary pursuit. Her mother held a longtime job at nearby Brown University, a school for which Dickson had dreamed of playing college hoops. However, an ill-timed ACL tear during her senior year of high school dashed any hopes of Ivy League athletics.
Despite the setback, Dickson remained positive. Even at the time, she recognized the hidden opportunity that lay behind the injury.
“It was probably the best thing that could have happened,” she reflected. “Within 2.3 seconds, I’m like, ‘This has happened for a reason.’”
With the freedom to follow a new path, Dickson went all in on golf. She enrolled in Methodist University’s Professional Golf Management program and earned a spot on the college’s Division III women’s golf team. Her internships over the four-year curriculum included stints at Newport Country Club and Pinehurst, positions she cited as invaluable in her professional development.
“You learn things that you appreciate and things that you don’t,” Dickson said. “You learn how you personally want to treat people or organize your own operation.”
“I actually said, ‘I don’t think the job will ever open, but a place like Wilderness would be perfect for me,’” Dickson said. “Then within six months the job was available.”
Graduating in December 2009 as a newly minted PGA member, Dickson spent almost a decade participating in the traditional north-south migration of golf professionals. She became a veteran seasonal assistant, with winters spent in Naples, Florida, while her summers became a rotation of major metro areas such as Boston, New York, and Chicago.
Dickson’s list of past employers is a testament to her breadth of experience. She logged tenures under renowned professionals such as Tim O’Neal at North Shore Country Club near Chicago, Mike Summa at the Stanwich Club in Connecticut, and Brendan Walsh at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. All three are recipients of the Bill Strausbaugh Award, the PGA’s highest honor for peer mentorship. Through firsthand experience in these positions, Dickson internalized the vital importance of guiding and developing fellow professionals – a practice she would become renowned for in her own career.
Having gathered a robust list of accolades and feeling prepared to exit the seasonal lifestyle, Dickson began searching for a full-time role in Florida. In a way, she called her shot with her current position as director of golf at Wilderness Country Club in Naples.
“I actually said, ‘I don’t think the job will ever open, but a place like Wilderness would be perfect for me,’” Dickson said. “Then within six months the job was available.”
Now entering her sixth year at the helm, Dickson has accumulated an impressive roster of awards while at Wilderness. In the South Florida PGA’s Southwest Chapter, she’s been recognized as the Private Merchandiser of the Year and Golf Professional of the Year. Dickson has also won the Bill Strausbaugh Award twice, both at the chapter and section level. Dickson’s penchant for mentorship is integral to her role as director of golf and has become one of her most recognized qualities.
“[Mentoring] is a primary role of the pro in my world, because I was the recipient of great mentoring,” said Dickson. “If you can love the mentoring side that’s going to sustain you through maybe some ups and downs.”
Dickson’s best practice
In her role as peer mentor, Dickson dons many hats. She offers career guidance, shares operational knowledge, and connects industry members across regional lines. However, for Dickson, all of these facets are predicated on knowing someone’s career goals – a step that is often neglected by aspiring professionals.
“You can be the best assistant in the entire world, but if no one knows you want to become a head pro, they’re not going to think of you when a job comes up,” Dickson said. “I think it’s really crucial to actually share your goals with others.”
While the practice may seem minor, Dickson’s approach to mentorship is firmly in the details. To her, being a successful mentor can be as simple as lending an ear.
“It’s the little things that can just help someone so much,” said Dickson. “You don’t have to be a miracle worker – sometimes you just have to listen.”