Wojciechowski Named Career Advancement Scholarship Recipient-
Riverside, Iowa – Jaclyn Wojciechowski of Elmcrest Country Club has been named the 2023 Iowa PGA Career Advancement Scholarship winner by the Iowa PGA Scholarship Committee.
The Iowa PGA Section Foundation annually awards a career advancement scholarship to assist individuals in furthering their education toward career development. Applicants who are interested in pursuing a career in the golf industry or other career requiring educational training are welcome to apply for a one year $1,000 scholarship.
When asked on what this means to win, Wojciechowski responded with, “”Winning this award means a lot to me. It is my long term goal to work in the golf industry and make a positive impact on as many people as I can. This scholarship will help me further my career aspirations in the industry, and it will assist with the PGA Associate program costs. The golf industry has always been a big support system to me, and I am thankful for the continued support and this gift!”
Wojciechowski is originally from Toledo, Ohio, she would have never guessed that she would eventually call Iowa home. She moved to Iowa four years ago to attend William Penn University and purse her dream of playing golf at the collegiate level.
Golf is her biggest passion and she knew she wanted to pursue a full-time career in golf from an early age. She started working at Oak Harbor Golf Club when she turned 15 and helped with basic golf course operations which included pro shop, cart barn, maintenance, and helping in the kitchen. She worked at Oak Harbor Golf Club for four years. In addition, she had over 300 volunteer hours working with The First Tee of Lake Erie, Ernie Els for Autism Program, and Bittersweet Farms Golf Programs as a volunteer golf coach.
The summer after her freshman year of college she worked at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Norwalk, Ohio. She helped with basic golf course operations similar to what she did at Oak Harbor Golf Club, but she wanted to expand her experience in the industry and see how golf operations can differ. Eagle Creek was about an hour drive from her home, making it a two-hour round-trip commute about five times a week. The following summer, she worked her first internship in golf as a tournament operations intern at the Northern Ohio PGA Golf Association. During this time, she also continued to work at Eagle Creek because of the great experience and relationships she had there. Wojciechowski spent most of her summer traveling up to three hours to tournaments across Northern Ohio. Some mornings she would wake up at 3am, drive two hours to the tournament site, spend twelve hours at the tournament, drive back home, and do it all over again the next day. It was a very demanding summer, but it was worth it for the experience.
The following summer, she decided to live in Iowa full time. Wojciechowski applied for and accepted an internship with the Iowa Golf Association as a USGA P.J. Boatwright Intern. She worked specifically with handicapping and course rating, but also assisted with tournament operations and office duties. This was another demanding summer as the IGA office was over an hour from where she was living. She was making the drive 5/7 days of the week and although demanding, it was once again rewarding. At the end of her six-month internship, she was hired on for an additional two months as a Youth on Course intern for the Iowa Golf Association. During this internship she contacted over 40 different golf courses and visited over 15 golf courses between Oskaloosa and Iowa City area to grow the Youth on Course Program. As a result she acquired 6 new Youth on Course member courses during her two-month internship.
With all of Wojciechowski’s work experiences, she also enjoys playing the game and was a member of the
William Penn Women’s Varsity Golf Team all four years of college. She helped make her impact on the school by being an All-Conference selection, winning two conference championships withthe team and making it to the national championship twice. Not only did she make an impact onthe program, but the program made a significant impact on her She had 15 teammates who are allvery close friends. They helped her solidify her love for the game and why it means so much to Wojciechowski. She just graduated in May with her bachelor’s degree in business management and minors in economics and kinesiology. All of these experiences together have led her to Elmcrest Country Club which is where she has been for the last three months as an Assistant Golf Professional and Level 1 PGA Associate.
Wojciechowski hopes are to get through the PGA program within 2.5 years. Her ultimate goal is to continue working in the golf industry as a head golf professional and motivate as many people, especially women, as she has fallen in love with the game of golf. She wants to share her love for the game with others so they can fall in love with it in the same way that she has. She is very passionate about golf, as it has helped her through many hard times in her life. Golf has always given her a place and people to go to and that is why she appreciates the game so much.
Brian Buerman, PGA Director of Golf at Elmcrest Country Club has these nice words to say, “Jaclyn’s dedication to continual improvement has been evident by the quick progression through the qualifying level of the PGM. She has an engaging/positive personality and a willingness to dive right into all situations to help others.”
This is Wojciechowski’s first Iowa PGA Section Award.
The Iowa PGA Congratulates Jaclyn Wojciechowski as our 2023 Iowa PGA Career Advancement Scholarship.
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