Posted on WorkInSports.com: 5/24/2006
By: SportsBusiness Journal Staff
Rick Fehr won’t say never when it comes to playing golf again. After all, the Champions Tour is less than seven years away. But after spending 15 years on the PGA Tour and two years on the Nationwide Tour, Fehr says his playing days are likely behind him. Fehr is now a player manager for Gaylord Sports Management’s golf division, a job that will keep him around the game. Fehr says four years on the tour’s policy board and some time out in the “real world” (he was also director of golf at a Washington state golf club for two years) have prepared him to succeed. If nothing else, he says he can offer advice on what not to do.
Age: 43
New title: Player manager, Gaylord Sports Management
Previous job title: Professional touring golfer
First job: Picking up balls at a driving range
College education: Business finance, BYU (1984)
Resides: Phoenix
Grew up: Seattle
Golfer most admired: Nick Price
Favorite course: Pacific Dunes
Last book read: “25 Ways to Win With People: How to Make Others Feel Like a Million Bucks,” by John Maxwell
Favorite movie: “Rudy”
Favorite musician: Steven Curtis Chapman
Why you for this job?
I certainly understand what a touring pro goes through. A good aspect of this business is relationships, and relationally I’ve got skills. As a professional golfer, I have a decent amount of a business background in that I have held a job before. So maybe the shock of that transition won’t be as big a shock to me as somebody coming straight off of a playing career.
You said you understand what a pro golfer deals with. What do you mean?
From even a golf equipment standpoint, he’s got to balance playing the equipment that would be his first choice versus, maybe, a lucrative financial opportunity to make a change. (I want) to help him through the process, hopefully help him to make the right decision and understand the implications of whichever direction he may go. I don’t want to say protect him, but make sure he stays focused on what got him to wherever he is. And if he has stated goals, at times I’ll guide him and help challenge him.
So you’re not an agent, per se?
I am (an agent). Some may strictly — and I’m relatively new to the business — look at contracts and create business opportunities. But I think a lot of the agencies now are a full-service thing. They help book travel, handle entry to tournaments if that’s required, so that’s the service side of things. There’s the counseling side and maybe a coaching side. If I have clients open to me working with them as a coach or a career guidance guy, I’d be happy to be involved.
What expectations do you have with this position?
If I’m helping people — helping professional golfers, helping businesses achieve their objectives — I’m going to be fine. Obviously, I’d like to make a fair amount of money in this business. But that’s how I feel it’s going to work: letting people know Rick’s going to do what he can to help them reach their objectives.
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