State College, PA - It's 7 a.m. on any day in the United States. Millions of Americans roll out of bed, into their cars and into a monsoon of work at the office. Not Rick Martel - one day, he may arrive early, hit a bucket of balls at the driving range, tidy up the clubhouse and begin his day at the golf course. It's the dream of many, but for the Penn State senior-to-be, it's very nearly a dream come true.

Rick Martel of Hampton Bays twice earned All-County accolades as part of the Baymen golf team before enrolling at Penn State.

Martel, a graduate of Hampton Bays, is one of 150 students in the Nittany Lions prestigious golf management program, just a matter of credits - and a stroke here or there on the course itself - from graduating to become a club pro. An idyllic location not unlike Bethpage State Park's Black Course, site of this week's United States Open, awaits him. The former Bayman can't help but grin.

"A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at the office," Martel said, stating a sentiment that many golfers coast to coast would second, no matter their handicap or salary.

The sport has been a part of Martel's life since he first picked up a club at age 7. His uncle belonged to Southampton Golf Club and Martel took junior lessons on mornings over the summer. He continued attending clinics each summer, and by the time he reached seventh grade, he tried out for and made the Hampton Bays golf team. By the time he was finished playing for the Baymen, he twice earned All-County honors and was also named team MVP on two occasions as well. Throughout that time, his goals were set; once it became clear he wasn't quite PGA Tour material, immersing himself in the sport was the next best thing.

"I realized it's something I wanted to do for the rest of my life," Martel said. "I realized that this was something that I love and I could make money while doing it. It's a great way to give back to a great game – teaching golf, managing golf shop operations, budgeting, retailing – it's all a part of the business that I really enjoy."

By achieving a certain score on the links and grade as part of the Penn State golf management program, Rick Martel will be in position to serve as an assistant club pro at some of the country's most famous courses.

He enrolled at Penn State, one of 20 universities the PGA accredits in the country. Classes range from merchandising and buying to setting up a clubhouse. He's a business minor so accounting and finance classes are built in too, and of course he's enrolled in player development classes as well. A state-of-the-art office for golf majors comes equipped with a putting lab, swing lab and full complement of swing computers.

Penn State especially has established a pipeline between its program at some of the most prominent golf clubs in the country, including on the East End. Martel himself began a six-month stint last month at a private club in Southampton. In addition, his roommate and others in the program are interning out east as well. "We're all over out here, and we plan to keep it that way," Martel said.

Making The Grade
To become a club pro, students mustn't only make the grade in terms of golf management but must also meet PGA requirements on the golf course. In the PGA playing ability test at Penn State, players must shoot a 153 in back-to-back rounds at the Penn State White Course during their tenure at the school. Alternatively, they can try their hand at another designated test course. To this point, Martel has tested three times at the White Course, missing the mark by one strike twice and two strokes once. If he doesn't pass, he cannot graduate from Penn State as a golf management major but rather commercial recreation. Martel likened it to being an accountant by not a CPA.

"To land a big job, you have to be PGA accredited; you have to have that on your badge," said Martel, who indicated a player can test four times a year if he plans ahead and is willing to travel. "It's a lot of pressure when you go out there. You start playing the numbers game in your head and it's very difficult. If you bogey a hole and you say 'OK, 10 more strokes I can mess up.' "

Rick Martel began playing golf at age 7 and once he realized he might not be Tour material, he turned his sights to the course management aspect of the game.

Martel is certainly capable of shooting a low enough number. His best round ever was a 2-under 70. "I played out of my mind," he said. "Everything was clicking. It was certainly a great day."

Upon clearance, the door is wide open for Martel to serve as a PGA Class A golf professional, particularly because of the widespread Penn State network. As a pro, he would handle all the instruction at the golf facility as well as management of the golf shop. In time, he hopes to manage a private club. Martel has already cut his teeth working at some of the world's most prestigious courses. In the summer of 2007, he interned at a club in Southampton, and Martel spent last summer on the southwest coast of Oregon at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a venue with three courses. Two of them, Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes, have been ranked among America's top 10 public courses by Golf Digest. He insists that no region can compare to the East End of Long Island, however.

"I've seen San Francisco, played golf in Oregon, I no desire to be in Arizona, I've seen golf down south, but really the section that is the place for me is the east coast," Martel said. "The fast-pace life, the prestige, it's unreal. It would be a waste for me to grow up in this wonderful area and not aspire to be a professional at one of the courses."