VICTORIA, British Columbia (BVM) — Richard (Rich) Chlopan has been a professional golfer in Canada for some 32 years. No, he never played on the PGA Tour nor has he been on the PGA Champions Tour – rather, he cast his line into the world of club professional and he has never looked back or regretted it.

“I ‘chased’ the Monday qualifying route at some of the mini tour events for a time when I was younger, but I soon realized that living out of a suitcase is certainly not glamorous and being on the road as much as you need to be was not for me,” Chlopan said.

Being newly married with a young family, home life was more important to Chlopan than playing golf on any tour, so he opted to become a club pro. To many, a club professional is the very heart and soul of any golf club. They are employed by a club for the purpose of running the operation, teaching, directing tournament operations, selling merchandise or any other duties the club requires. This is in stark difference to the life of a touring professional who is an “independent contractor” whose sole concern is their game and are dedicated entirely to practicing and playing golf in order to compete in big money events most every week.

The life of a club pro suits Chlopan just fine. Although he can spend between 45 and 60 hours a week at the pro shop at the Royal Colwood Golf Club in Victoria, where he is head professional, he gets to go home at a reasonable time pretty much every night and be with his wife and family.

“My wife says my job is that of the head of an ‘adult daycare centre,’” Chlopan said with a laugh. “And in a way, she’s probably right. While the job entails a lot of different things, one of the more important aspects for me is taking care of our members and keeping them excited about the game of golf.”

Chlopan’s journey in the golf world got its start at 12 years old when he joined the Wascana Golf Club in Regina, Saskatchewan, where his father was a member. He recalls those days with great fondness.

“I was well taught back then,” Chlopan said.

He learned golf and life lessons from the legendary Len Harvey, who was the head pro at the Wascana Golf Club at that time. These lessons have stuck with him to this day.

When he graduated from high school, Chlopan’s parents insisted that he go to university to further his education, despite his prowess as a golfer. As such, he attended the University of Saskatchewan where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics. But golf was still calling him, and the lure was too great to ignore. So, following graduation in 1986, Chlopan enrolled in the San Diego Golf Academy, a diploma golf complex operations and management facility where he graduated in the fall of 1989.

From that point forward, he worked as assistant professional at various clubs in British Columbia, including Kelowna Golf and Country Club, Predator Ridge Golf Resort and Quail Ridge Golf Club. In 2006, he became PGA of British Columbia head golf professional and assistant general manager at Kelowna Springs Golf Club.

Chlopan recalls some of the golfing luminaries that he has worked with over the years: Irvin Taylor, Sandy Kurceba, Hall Thomlinson, Wayne Vollmer, Doug Herron and David O’Connor.

He moved to Victoria in June 2015 where he became an associate professional at the Royal Colwood Golf Club, becoming head professional 18 months ago.

“These past five years at Royal Colwood have been a real blast,” Chlopan said. “Because the job entails such a variety of things, every day is different. It ranges from budgeting to human resources and staffing to merchandising.”

He especially enjoys the retail aspect of the job.

“I have a real passion for retail,” Chlopan said. “This comes from my father, as he owned several pharmacies in Saskatchewan and Alberta for many years and he was a master at retailing.”

The life of a club pro is like running a business, Chlopan noted.

“While we are here to serve our members, to teach and pass along whatever knowledge we have about golf, we must continue to grow the game if we are to remain successful,” he said.

There was a thought that this might prove to be difficult in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it turns out that “business has been booming” at Royal Colwood these past few months.

“The game has grown exponentially since the start of the virus,” Chlopan said. “I think it is due mainly to the fact that people now have more time for golf and have come to realize that they also need some relaxation in their lives as well and are willing to spend the money for it.”

So, while the life of a golf club professional may not be as glamorous or exciting as that of a touring pro, it’s pretty darn good. Just ask Rich Chlopan.