New Assistant Pro Brings Maturity, Plus Good Name To Cottonwood G&CC
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-10-01
By GORD MONTGOMERY, Inside Golf
CALGARY, Alberta — This truly is a case of ‘Better Late Than Never,’ for Alvaro Vasquez.
When his occupation in the oil industry was shanked into the rough, or perhaps more correctly driven out of bounds, Vasquez found that he wasn’t cut out to be a stay-at-home guy. But what to do at the tender age of 50, after spending his entire working life as a petroleum engineer?
“For all my life I have been a golf fanatic!” he proclaimed. So, after some thoughtful deliberation, he decided on what he wanted to do. His family on the other hand wasn’t quite so sure of his newly hatched plans.
You see, Vasquez decided that given his love for the game of golf he’d become an assistant golf pro — at the ripe old age of 50!
“I had some conversations with my family, with my wife, and they were, ‘What are you doing? Why?’ ”
Speaking on the phone from Calgary, after he’d obtained his PGA professional status and had landed a job at Cottonwood G&CC as an assistant pro, Vasquez outlined the challenges he faced in launching his new career.
Even though he was a skillful amateur, Vasquez discovered going after a pro card where you’re under a tremendous amount of pressure shot after shot in order to card a specific score on a specific day isn’t all that easy. In fact, he found that out quickly enough, as it took him three different attempts to hit the magic number, And then, he did that only by the skin of his teeth.
Vasquez grew up in Argentina and moved to Canada in 2003 where he holds landed immigrant status. He noted that the cold winters in Calgary left him lots of idle time so he decided, on his own initiative and long before his oil industry job vanished, to do online studies in Golf Management through McMaster University. He held onto that, never knowing if the lessons he learned would come into play. They eventually did, and for him, they proved to be beneficial in landing his first pro job.
“I only did that program to keep myself busy in the wintertimes!” he explained. “It was something related to golf and something to learn more about the golf industry. Now, I can actually put it to use!”
The man who hired Vasquez, Sean Thompson who is the head professioinal at Cottonwood, said he knew of Vasquez and felt given the praise he received from others in the industry that his age wasn’t really a concern. It was far from the usual sort of first-year pro he sees however. “To have somebody with his kind of life situation and for him to interested in coming into golf, I would say it is quite unusual.”
The connection between the head pro and his new hire is interesting. Thompson formerly worked at the Calgary Golf and Country Club, where Vasquez was well known by a number of club members, for whom he had worked in his former profession. They all vouched for the character and work ethic of Vasquez and that was enough for Thompson bring him on board.
Asked about what he thought when he first saw the job application from a guy a little older than the normal first-year pro looking for work, Thompson replied, “Just to be clear, we weren't posting for a job (when he was hired). We kind of made a place for him in our pro shop. We have quite a young team here at Cottonwood so it’s always good to have a bit of diversity, people with different skill sets. He really complimented what we had here. You could really sense his passion straightaway. He has all the right attributes and all the right skills to be in the golf industry.”
Even With A Smooth Swing And A 1-Handicap, Vasquez Discovered Earning Professional Status In The PGA Of Alberta Isn't An Easy Thing. It Took Him Three Separate Attempts To Shoot The Required Score To Earn That Status.
Of course, to land one’s pro status one needs to play like a pro. Or at least score like one when faced with the mandatory PAT (Playing Ability Test) where a certain score must be met to qualify. At one time Vasquez held a handicap of one, but recreational golf and golf to land a living are two different animals.
Talking about the journey to pass the PAT, Vasquez pointed out it wasn’t easy. “I did not do well,” he emphasized about his first two tries. “The feeling was horrible,” he related of his play on those days, adding, “I knew that was not me. It was not easy. It was torture!”
As it turned out even his last qualifying attempt was a nail-biter. “On (number) 16 at Valley Ridge (his third qualifying attempt) I was actually on the number (to make the grade). Then I come to Number 17 and I bogey that, so I’m out of it. So, I have to birdie 18 to make it. My second shot on 18 was the best of my life! I’ll never forget that shot,” which led to birdie and him making the number on the number.
At 50, one would think a newly minted golf pro faces some hurdles, including doing work that may seem a little below one’s skills not to mention the long hours and low pay. Thompson though sees no such issues ahead for Vasquez.
“I don’t think Alvaro is doing this for any financial reasons. This is purely for his passion for the game. Thankfully, a fair amount of his education through McMaster, a lot of that transfers toward his Class A status, so he won’t have to do too much more education for further certification. Obstacles he may encounter at this stage? To be honest, I don’t think there’s too much holding him back. I have no doubt he’ll progress quickly through the ranks.”
As for Vasquez’s view of starting at the bottom in a brand new industry, he noted, “I’m going to be making $15 and hour and working with a bunch of kids and I’m all for it! This can be my career from 50, to I don’t know, 70.”
While there is the hope by many the oil industry may once again blossom in Alberta, there is one former petroleum engineer who says he’s had enough of that life. Because, he’s got a new life in front of him in the golf industry.
“I won’t be going back to the oil patch,” Vasquez stated, “because golf is what I love.”
About the Writer
Gord Montgomery is a member in good standing of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his 12th year of writing for Inside Golf.
He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. He’s also on Twitter at @Gordinsidegolf and on Instagram at gordinsidegolf2.