Campus Spotlight: Hilton Head, South Carolina
Posted on July 10, 2018
The Professional Golfers Career College has campuses on both coasts to better serve you. On the East Coast is our Hilton Head campus, located in Bluffton, South Carolina. The campus has many features including a computer lab, library, club repair facility, fitness area, pro-shop, classrooms and 2,000 square foot indoor golf studio. The campus provides the ideal learning environment with the perfect blend of technology and history. The faculty is comprised of many experts within their field, meet a few of our Hilton Head instructors in this Campus Spotlight.
Dr. Charles Kessler
The students at our Hilton Head campus are guided in their personal development by an expert in the field, Dr. Charles Kessler. Kessler is the instructor for our Personal Growth series, where students are taught the principles to help them be successful in life. Kessler imparts the principles of attitude, motivation, positive thinking, tools to handle life’s situations, how to avoid making excuses and attain a good self-image.
Dr. Charles Kessler has a passion for both perspectives in education, as a student and a teacher. Throughout the years Kessler accumulated five college degrees. His first was a B.A. in Religion from Centre College of Kentucky in 1973, second was a Masters of Divinity in 1976 from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he later continued his pursuit of knowledge to earn a Doctor of Ministry in 1985. After earning his Doctor of Ministry, Kessler became a chaplain in the U.S. Navy.
Kessler offers students of the Professional Golfers Career College “over forty years of ministerial experience and twenty-eight years of dealing with young adults as a chaplain in the Navy.” He uses his depth of knowledge to help our students grow in their personal and professional life. Kessler found his way to PGCC first as a student himself in 2013. He graduated in 2015 as the Valedictorian and received the Old Tom Morris Award.
Kessler’s journey into golf began at the age of 30. His entry into the golf industry started during his time at the Professional Golfers Career College. His excellent academic performance led to a position as an instructor with PGCC. As an instructor, Kessler enjoys “having the potential to impact young golf professionals in a positive way.” He’s been a member of the faculty at our Hilton Head campus since 2015.
“Never stop learning and never stop setting goals. There is always more you can learn and always more you can accomplish.” Is some of the wisdom Kessler shares with PGCC students. He leads by example too. In 2017, Kessler expanded his knowledgebase even further. He received his fifth degree a M.A. in Military History from Norwich University.
To those considering getting into the golf business, Kessler believes the Professional Golfers Career College is an “excellent opportunity to develop oneself as a Golf Professional that is unmatched anywhere else!”
Brian Lape
Brian Lape is a golf instructor for our Hilton Head campus and brings 22 years of golf experience. He holds a B.A. from Spring Arbor University. Prior to his tenure as a golf instructor, Lape was a student himself at the Professional Golfers Career College. He came to the college seeking a new career path in golf, shifting from being a technology administrator for Michigan County School District.
During his time as a student at the Professional Golfers Career College he worked in his first position in the golf profession at May River Golf Club as a caddie. “As a student attending the school it was important for me to take advantage of every opportunity.” Lape worked while in school to support his family, but he “also found time to gain knowledge from volunteering and studying mentors that were in the positions I desired to achieve.” During his time in school he took advantage of all the chances to network with golf professionals in the community.
“The personal and professional friendships that I gained from attending the school are invaluable for my career.” Lape emphasizes for all current and future students they “should make it a point to take advantage of every opportunity that the school offers.” He was impressed with the professionalism of all the instructors at PGCC. “Each one of these individuals are highly qualified in their field of study and I can honestly say I gained a tremendous amount of information from each one of them.”
The expertise of the faculty and staff at the Professional Golfers Career College influenced Lape joining the team as a golf instructor. He now enjoys helping current students, in either starting a new path or shifting career paths like himself, grow. “My favorite part of working at PGCC is watching the development of students in more than just golf but in life.” Lape strengthens the Hilton Head campus further with his “ability to help students achieve goals that they are unable to reach on their own.”
David Littleton
It is important for the Professional Golfers Career College to provide our students with the most comprehensive education about the golf industry. Focusing not only about the golf side, but the business aspects as well. That’s where David Littleton comes in. Littleton is the instructor for our Business, Marketing, Human Resources, and Personal Finance courses at our Hilton Head campus. He’s got a B.S. in Resource Economics from the University of Vermont and an impressive resume with a strong business background.
Prior to his ten-year tenure at the Professional Golfers Career College, Littleton had three different careers. “I owned a restaurant for 3 years in the Vermont college town of Middlebury,” Littleton shares. “I then joined the original team in sales and marketing at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (now Keurig Green Mountain, Inc),” he continues, “and spent the last part of my working career in the commodities business and as the managing partner of a mutual bond fund.”
From his past careers Littleton feels fortunate for “having a ringside seat watching Green Mountain Coffee evolve from a $100,000 company to a multi-billion-dollar company.” Recently Green Mountain Coffee expanded further and acquired the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Littleton offers his wealth of experience and “unique outlook on business that has been built on measured risk and reward” to our students at PGCC.
While Littleton enjoys viewing his past company’s success, he’s further rewarded through his teaching “and seeing the success of ‘my students’.” He believes PGCC offers a “well-rounded golf education from a truly world class faculty that honestly cares about you as a student more than would seem possible.” Littleton himself learned from his fellow faculty, “They teach here for the joy of teaching which is something I did not know existed until I joined this faculty.”
For those seeking to be successful, Littleton has these simple yet strong words of advice, “Show up early. Pay attention.”
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