Listen To The Podcast
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Boots Farley for episode 11 of the On The Green Podcast, and I’m still thinking back to all of the incredible insight Boots shared with me that day.
For those who don’t know, Boots has quite the list of golfing credentials: He’s a Class A member of the PGA of America, a member of PGA North Florida Section Hall of Fame, and a golf instructor at the University of North Florida’s Golf Complex right here in Jacksonville.
Boots has over 40 years of instructing experience, so he knows a thing or two about having a career in the golf industry, but Boots’ success as a golf professional didn’t happen overnight.
Re-Entering the World of Golf
In 2008, Boots left the Jacksonville area (and the world of golf) to make money selling GPS devices, which wasn’t exactly his calling in life. He wasn’t a salesman by nature, and his wife could tell that he was unhappy in his career. He ended up selling a GPS system to Quail Heights Country Club in Lake City, FL and noticed that they were looking to hire a head pro. Boots took a risk and asked about the open position, and to his surprise, he was basically hired on the spot.
One opportunity leads to the next
Boots had a great time working at Quail Heights, which at the time was a family-owned operation. About three years in, the North Florida Junior Golf Foundation, a competitive junior golf tour, approached Boots about an open position as the executive director. Boots accepted their offer and worked as the executive director, but he slowly started to realize that all the administrative work wasn’t a great fit for him –– he missed teaching golf.
Finding happiness can sometimes mean taking a risk
With gentle encouragement from Boots’ wife, he was ready to take the plunge and start teaching again. Since then, Boots has been teaching at the University of North Florida, and in the process, has racked up an incredible number of awards – including being named the Junior Golf Leader of the Year a total of nine times by the PGA of America.
In episode 11 of the podcast, Boots shares more about his career, tips and tricks of the game, advice for seasoned players and so much more. Give it a listen today!