Scott Hebert may have graduated from the IAA in May 2016, but he hasn’t stopped learning. In fact, he’s in an applied graduate program of sorts for golf industry leaders, the Quail Institute Fellowship program, which is sponsored jointly by Quail Hollow Club and John Deere.
Hebert, who was selected from a group of over 100 competitive applicants, says the fellowship is “fun, exciting, and provides crazy cross exposure.” At his home course, Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC, Hebert is leaning about “really high end golf and the infrastructure needed to host major tournaments” as the club prepares for its annual Wells Fargo Championship, as well as the 2021 Presidents Cup. But, the fellowship also includes a lot of travel, access to major tournaments, trade shows, cross training in all areas of golf club management, and according to Hebert a greatly increased “rolodex of networks and mentors to help your career.”
Much like the IAA, the Quail Institute strives to provide its fellows with real-world experiences to grow their careers. “It’s giving me exposure to other aspects of the club, allowing me to see how big the golf industry really is, and will help me decide whether I may want to take the General Manager route or tournament agronomy,” says Hebert.
He describes the fellowship as “the fast-track view of golf club management.” Hebert explains that it may have otherwise taken him a decade of working to gain this perspective, working his way up “as an Assistant Superintendent, to Superintendent, and then possibly to a GM.”
Hebert’s year-long fellowship began in September 2018 and he says he “could not be happier about it.” He credits IAA Instructor Ken Ingram with helping him get through the intensive selection process. Hebert had solid credentials going into the process, but Ingram wrote a strong letter of recommendation and reached out to others in the in golf industry on Hebert’s behalf.
“It’s a post-college experience like graduate school,” says Hebert, “but it comes with career mentoring and advising.”
