Imagine transforming the sport you love into a paying profession. Well, you don’t have to dream about it any more because getting a golf education is more accessible than ever. How do you make a career out of the game you love? The best way is with a 2-year golf associate degree.

Unbelievably, you can get an associates degree that is geared toward the over 100 careers that exist in golf. Positions like Golf Resort Manager, Golf Course Developer, Golf Tournament Manager and Golf Equipment Tester are just a few of the positions that could have you out on the links as much as you want.

While it may sound like a fantasy, there is a demand for golf enthusiasts of every talent and experience level in the job market. With the wide expansion of golf over the past few decades into just about every corner of the globe, there is an increasing demand among all ages, ethnicities and income levels for the skills that you possess.

Just stop and consider the idea of travelling the world in your new career as a Golf Course Developer, Course Architect, Photographer, Facility Food and Beverage Manager or Artist? There are golf jobs that match just about every personality type and golfing style, but it all starts with a career-based golf associate’s degree. While no coursework can take the place of your experience on the green, the degree harnesses your talents and passion for the game into a successful career.

When you consider how much golf is expanding in Asia and Europe, the possibilities are limitless. For instance, India has one-sixth of the world’s population and a growing middle class that has more disposable income and more leisure time. Combine this with India’s ties to the UK—where the game of golf was born—and you have a massive number of people creating demand for your skills.

But if staying on the North American continent is your preference, you don’t have to look very far to find golf equipment makers, communities, clubs and merchandisers—to name a few—that are looking for a degreed, professional and passionate golfer to help them make a profit. Not only are they expanding the game, but they are willing to pay you to help do it!

Just imagine the smell of the freshly-cut grass and the gentle breeze flowing as you stroll by the green. The quiet calm of the scene is decorated with the distinctive ‘whack’ of a three-iron driving a golf ball toward a distant hole. Birds chirp as you walk toward the clubhouse. The distant chatter of golfers exchanging stories brings back memories that put a smile on your face. Or maybe the smile because you have a well-paying career in the game you love.

Instead of spending the bulk of your professional life in a boring office with a golf calendar on the wall, consider what it would be like to trade in the office politics and the incessant gossip for a putter and a daily tee time. The smooth hum of golf carts instead of the monotonous clanking of copy machines and laser printers could be the career change that you’ve been dreaming of. Thousands of golf industry professionals have done it with the help of a two-year golf associate degree, which put them on par to get the golf job they’ve always wanted.

Of course, we all dream of being the next Anika Sorenstam or Tiger Woods. And, with the contacts you make in your education and new career, you might just find yourself in professional tournaments before you know it. Just think about walking in the footsteps of Ben Hogan, Nancy Lopez, VJ Singh, Betsey Rawls, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer or Jack Nickalus as you compete for the prize in the game you love. The possibilities are unlimited when you combine your passion for the game, a career-oriented golf associate degree and a well-paying golf job as foundation for your new golf career.