Mini Tour Perspective

We have a tendency to see the benefits and glamour of playing golf at the highest level. However, for those on the mini tours golf can be a lot more stressful. Here is an interesting article that looks at the topic in more depth:

http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/18857159/life-far-glamorous-golfers-trying-scrape-sport-lower-levels

There's no question that even if I was a +4 handicap and had a dream of playing on the PGA Tour, I would quit if I was going through the mini tours. I don't have the mental fortitude to get through that type of existence.

I have all the respect in the world for those who can. They have something special in them beyond golfing ability.

Is there any sponsor money at that level?

Really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing.

Reminds me of when I played with a mini tour pro at TPC Myrtle Beach last summer. He had played the previous year on the Canadian Tour, but didn't make enough money to stay. He was playing on a southeast mini tour last year. We were both there as singles and got paired up. I'd say it was one of my most enjoyable golfing experiences. Learning about the sacrifices required and the day-to-day life of someone pursuing professional golf was interesting and it gave me a whole new sense of respect for how good the pros are. This guy wasn't having a great day and still shot even par.

This certainly hits home. I'm fortunate enough to play the minis with a couple of these guys, and this is spot on. What's not really mentioned is that if you're not finishing consistently in the top 5 in mini tour events, you're not making money. As an example, in last years season, I played 12 events, made 9 cuts, and lost around $4k. It can certainly drive a player mad if he/she is only thinking about the money, but unfortunately that's the reality for a lot of mini tour pros. A lot of events draw in players with a $30k winners share, but they fail to mention that second place only gets around $6k, and it tends to drop considerably after that.

There's a lot of negatives that come from the mini tours, but as the article said, there's a lot of positives. With all the travel, a player really learns a lot about himself. Fortunately, players tend to stay together when they're traveling, and it makes it a lot more manageable. Sharing hotel rooms, taking one vehicle and splitting gas, and eating dollar menu McDonald's are all realities of the mini tour life. The friendships that are made seem to be even stronger though, as players are battling together in the long run, even though they are competitive on the course. And, of course, it's pretty cool to be able to play golf for a living.

Although it's stressful pretty much all the time, I wouldn't trade it for anything. The highs can be really high, and the lows can be really low, and it's the players that balance the highs and lows that make it work the best. This year will be a make or break year for my golf career, but I do realize that there are hundreds more just like me that are in the same boat. This article was very cool to read, as it offers perspectives from players who are taking different routes to reach the ultimate goal. I hope my story/rant doesn't take away from this topic. Thanks for sharing!

Many generations ago, I was playing the Golden State Tour as a startup professional.

I did a decent job of breaking even for a couple years, learning how to compete all that time.

What was interesting was after qualifying for the tour as a rookie, and if I can say, being absolutely terrible that year,

It was a confusing thing to come back and play the same mini tour, and constantly be in contention

Shoot good scores in a two day event, make some cash,

Go to a tour event and miss another cut....repeat, repeat

Mini tours are brutal, and too often there are guys who HAVE to make enough to survive, and it's just really not there for the majority, even if a decent player.

Nobody said it'd be easy, but man, minis are a tough go!

Great write-up cfreeman!

I currently have several friends that are trying their hand on the mini tours. Several friends are currently on the PGA latino circuit and got lucky to get through that q school first try. It can be maddening, but it is also something that I know they wouldn't trade it for anything. Best of luck this year, best advice is to get out of your own way. There's a reason you're out there and I'm at a desk :) Go enjoy the experience.

Very cool article

We have a tendency to see the benefits and glamour of playing golf at the highest level. However, for those on the mini tours golf can be a lot more stressful. Here is an interesting article that looks at the topic in more depth:

 

http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/18857159/life-far-glamorous-golfers-trying-scrape-sport-lower-levels

Zack is a close friend of mine, I get to play golf with him on a regular basis.

It is unbelievable seeing the level of golf he can play every time he tees it up and yet he's still grinding as hard as anyone out there. Guy just needs to catch his break out there.

Pull for him in SA, he's a great dude

Reminds me of when I played with a mini tour pro at TPC Myrtle Beach last summer. He had played the previous year on the Canadian Tour, but didn't make enough money to stay. He was playing on a southeast mini tour last year. We were both there as singles and got paired up. I'd say it was one of my most enjoyable golfing experiences. Learning about the sacrifices required and the day-to-day life of someone pursuing professional golf was interesting and it gave me a whole new sense of respect for how good the pros are. This guy wasn't having a great day and still shot even par.

You play with Thad? Or Ricky?

Is there any sponsor money at that level?

I don't know. They may get equipment for free, but I am just not sure.

Really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome. :-)

This certainly hits home. I'm fortunate enough to play the minis with a couple of these guys, and this is spot on. What's not really mentioned is that if you're not finishing consistently in the top 5 in mini tour events, you're not making money. As an example, in last years season, I played 12 events, made 9 cuts, and lost around $4k. It can certainly drive a player mad if he/she is only thinking about the money, but unfortunately that's the reality for a lot of mini tour pros. A lot of events draw in players with a $30k winners share, but they fail to mention that second place only gets around $6k, and it tends to drop considerably after that.

 

There's a lot of negatives that come from the mini tours, but as the article said, there's a lot of positives. With all the travel, a player really learns a lot about himself. Fortunately, players tend to stay together when they're traveling, and it makes it a lot more manageable. Sharing hotel rooms, taking one vehicle and splitting gas, and eating dollar menu McDonald's are all realities of the mini tour life. The friendships that are made seem to be even stronger though, as players are battling together in the long run, even though they are competitive on the course. And, of course, it's pretty cool to be able to play golf for a living.

 

Although it's stressful pretty much all the time, I wouldn't trade it for anything. The highs can be really high, and the lows can be really low, and it's the players that balance the highs and lows that make it work the best. This year will be a make or break year for my golf career, but I do realize that there are hundreds more just like me that are in the same boat. This article was very cool to read, as it offers perspectives from players who are taking different routes to reach the ultimate goal. I hope my story/rant doesn't take away from this topic. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Making 9 cuts out of 12 and still out of pocket. Sheesh. I wish you only the very best of luck this year!

Many generations ago, I was playing the Golden State Tour as a startup professional.

I did a decent job of breaking even for a couple years, learning how to compete all that time.

 

What was interesting was after qualifying for the tour as a rookie, and if I can say, being absolutely terrible that year,

It was a confusing thing to come back and play the same mini tour, and constantly be in contention

 

Shoot good scores in a two day event, make some cash,

Go to a tour event and miss another cut....repeat, repeat

 

Mini tours are brutal, and too often there are guys who HAVE to make enough to survive, and it's just really not there for the majority, even if a decent player.

 

Nobody said it'd be easy, but man, minis are a tough go!

It sounds like it. I admire those on the mini-tours...they are chasing their dream despite the hardships. Whatever happens down the road, they can at least say they gave it a shot.

We have a tendency to see the benefits and glamour of playing golf at the highest level. However, for those on the mini tours golf can be a lot more stressful. Here is an interesting article that looks at the topic in more depth:

 

http://www.espn.com/...rt-lower-levels

 

Zack is a close friend of mine, I get to play golf with him on a regular basis.

 

It is unbelievable seeing the level of golf he can play every time he tees it up and yet he's still grinding as hard as anyone out there. Guy just needs to catch his break out there.

 

Pull for him in SA, he's a great dude

 

Reminds me of when I played with a mini tour pro at TPC Myrtle Beach last summer. He had played the previous year on the Canadian Tour, but didn't make enough money to stay. He was playing on a southeast mini tour last year. We were both there as singles and got paired up. I'd say it was one of my most enjoyable golfing experiences. Learning about the sacrifices required and the day-to-day life of someone pursuing professional golf was interesting and it gave me a whole new sense of respect for how good the pros are. This guy wasn't having a great day and still shot even par.

 

You play with Thad? Or Ricky?

Best of luck to your friend! :-)

It all seems like an elaborate scam to me. Even the web.com tour. What a joke, $1000+ to enter, and they still have to pay greens fees for practice rounds. And why in hell is there a web.com event in Santiago, Chile? Are they trying to grow the game down there.

Excellent article!!

Stu, Isaac & Ratspros can tell enough stories to write a hell of a book!!

Hell, I'd pay double for Stu's stories, lmao

And I'm not talkin about on the course?

Nice thread Sean!!

All the Best,

RP

It all seems like an elaborate scam to me. Even the web.com tour. What a joke, $1000+ to enter, and they still have to pay greens fees for practice rounds. And why in hell is there a web.com event in Santiago, Chile? Are they trying to grow the game down there.

Web.com events don't have entry or practice round fees. This is because the events have sponsors that fund the events. The true mini tour events (below PGA Canada and PGA Latino America) typically start at about $700 to enter and the highest I've seen is about $1300. These tournaments have high entry fees because the players fund the purse and the tournament organizer takes a cut. They're basically just organized gambling games.

Its a shame that if an American wants to try and reach the web.com tour, he has to go outside of the country. I understand growing the game, but considering the web and pga are based in America, they would have a tour (like Canada or Latin America level) that would give top five on the money list web.com status. I understand q school is still around for the web, but give some of these guys a break. Americans who go play in Latin America or Canada, do it for one reason, to try and get to the web. Its a shame that the PGA has made it so hard for Americans to advance.

I read this this morning and man was it eye opening. I feel for those guy, they are sacrificing so much to follow their dream. I'm pulling for all of them....

Its a shame that if an American wants to try and reach the web.com tour, he has to go outside of the country. I understand growing the game, but considering the web and pga are based in America, they would have a tour (like Canada or Latin America level) that would give top five on the money list web.com status. I understand q school is still around for the web, but give some of these guys a break. Americans who go play in Latin America or Canada, do it for one reason, to try and get to the web. Its a shame that the PGA has made it so hard for Americans to advance.

They can always try the Euro or Asian tour...any experience is good experience

Its a shame that if an American wants to try and reach the web.com tour, he has to go outside of the country. I understand growing the game, but considering the web and pga are based in America, they would have a tour (like Canada or Latin America level) that would give top five on the money list web.com status. I understand q school is still around for the web, but give some of these guys a break. Americans who go play in Latin America or Canada, do it for one reason, to try and get to the web. Its a shame that the PGA has made it so hard for Americans to advance.

 

They can always try the Euro or Asian tour...any experience is good experience

The experience with those tours is great. The problem is just the associated costs. Asian tour is a great Q school to do as even last place at first stage gets status on the Asian development tour. The problem is Asian tour has no direct link to status in Europe or America so it's almost a dead end except for those who parlay Asian tour success into World Ranking points and WGC events. I don't know too many Americans who are willing to play in Asia for their entire career.

Europe and Challenge Tour is great too obviously, but how are you going to afford it. Where would an American live? (Excluding top end talent, obviously).

The web.com tour (and champions tour) are heavily subsidized by the PGATour. Neither Tour (at least a few years ago when Buy.com) generates

Enough to support the full purses they play for without the subsidy from the regular tour.

Is there any sponsor money at that level?

Free equipment but thats about it. Unless you personally know someone that has too much money....and likes you. ;-)

I'll kinda throw my take on in here as well. This will be my second year on the mini tours and like cfreeman, I'll say that it's a lot of time. I'm actually between sets of 100 ten foot putts in my basement using the eyeline mirror lol.

100% of everything you do costs money. We use more golf balls, more gloves, more tees, more hotels, more Wendy's 4 for $4 meals and hotel bagels than you can ever imagine and it all costs money. Getting the schedule for your year down is really tough and like, for instance in my case, if I get to Canada this year, that makes the travel even crazier because then you have to add in flights and rental cars on a very small budget. I believe last year I made around $4 grand on the course playing in various tournaments and collected about $5 grand in losses.

The level of sponsorship is so small btw. You see some guys on staff with people like titleist or callaway mostly. These are the guys with some web status that just don't get many starts. It's so hard how they have it structured out to get thru everything. But these are the guys running around with the Circle T putters and the new raw Apex MB irons.

Some of the tours now are really poorly structured at the mini tour level. Not sure if I can say specifically but one tour I refuse to play because of their notoriously slow payment types and in our profession, if we make a check we may need it to play the next week, so waiting 6 weeks to get the check isn't feasible at this level.

I'll also agree that it's the greatest experience ever. Like I can't explain to somebody what it's like playing the last three holes knowing you have a chance to win a professional event, it's just freaking awesome. But, play bad three weeks in a row and there isn't a hole deep enough that you can crawl in.

I have a good buddy I play with basically every day at home who retained status on the Canadian tour for this year who is a member here, but he is a lurker. Hopefully he will see this and chime in on that experience because from what I gathered it's a wild ride.

I had a front-row seat at this show. A couple of my college buddies are on the PGA Tour now and some are still on the mini's (after almost 12 years). I had been a good player at every level until the professional ranks. It only took me two years to realize that I needed to go back to school/a different career because those guys are ridiculously good!

It all seems like an elaborate scam to me. Even the web.com tour. What a joke, $1000+ to enter, and they still have to pay greens fees for practice rounds. And why in hell is there a web.com event in Santiago, Chile? Are they trying to grow the game down there.

There is a Web.com event in Santiago, Chile and many other Latin American countries because they are willing to put the money up for a tournament. The first quarter (or slightly more) of the Web.com season is played throughout Latin America and (this year) the Bahamas. The money that the PGA tour puts into the Web.com tour is paltry compared to what they put into the Champions tour. Last I knew, it's 5:1, or more, in favor of the Champions tour. The harsh reality is that no one cares about the Web.com tour. The events are barely televised anymore. People like us care because we are way into golf, know someone who is playing out there, or are chasing it ourselves.

The PGA Tour does not really care about the Web.com tour in the grand scheme, or the players who are out there. It sucks, the system is totally flawed, but I can't really blame them. They don't make any money from it, and they are running a business. I think it's a complete farce that players have to go to Latin America and Canada to try to play their way onto the Web.com tour, or pony up the $4500 entry fee plus the other countless thousands in expenses to try to go through Q School. If they play well enough to advance to the final stage of Q School, they will then compete for1 (yes, ONE) fully exempt card on the Web.com tour for the following season. After that, everyone else receives exempt status through a certain number of re-shuffles, depending on where they finish. It's brutal.

The Tour could easily subsidize a U.S.-based third tier (or developmental, whatever you want to call it) tour and award Web.com status through that, if they desired. They don't have the desire, unfortunately. The beauty of professional golf is that it almost completely merit-based. If you play well, you will have success. If you play poorly, you won't. However, the path to the PGA Tour (and Web.com) is now incredibly difficult to even figure out, let alone progress through. There are more and more outstanding players every day and they are playing for a very finite amount of seats at the table.

One of the big problems, in my eyes, is that the guys who gut it out through the mini tours and Web.com tour are usually just so happy and relieved to be done with it that they never speak up about how broken the system is. I really think that one of the only ways for it to change is for current PGA Tour players to make it known that the system is very flawed and they want to see changes. It won't happen, though. It's an individual game, and once they're out of it, it's no longer their problem. I can't really fault them, either. By that point, they've paid their dues and are ready to enjoy some of the fruits of their labor

I'll kinda throw my take on in here as well. This will be my second year on the mini tours and like cfreeman, I'll say that it's a lot of time. I'm actually between sets of 100 ten foot putts in my basement using the eyeline mirror lol.

 

100% of everything you do costs money. We use more golf balls, more gloves, more tees, more hotels, more Wendy's 4 for $4 meals and hotel bagels than you can ever imagine and it all costs money. Getting the schedule for your year down is really tough and like, for instance in my case, if I get to Canada this year, that makes the travel even crazier because then you have to add in flights and rental cars on a very small budget. I believe last year I made around $4 grand on the course playing in various tournaments and collected about $5 grand in losses.

 

The level of sponsorship is so small btw. You see some guys on staff with people like titleist or callaway mostly. These are the guys with some web status that just don't get many starts. It's so hard how they have it structured out to get thru everything. But these are the guys running around with the Circle T putters and the new raw Apex MB irons.

 

Some of the tours now are really poorly structured at the mini tour level. Not sure if I can say specifically but one tour I refuse to play because of their notoriously slow payment types and in our profession, if we make a check we may need it to play the next week, so waiting 6 weeks to get the check isn't feasible at this level.

 

I'll also agree that it's the greatest experience ever. Like I can't explain to somebody what it's like playing the last three holes knowing you have a chance to win a professional event, it's just freaking awesome. But, play bad three weeks in a row and there isn't a hole deep enough that you can crawl in.

 

I have a good buddy I play with basically every day at home who retained status on the Canadian tour for this year who is a member here, but he is a lurker. Hopefully he will see this and chime in on that experience because from what I gathered it's a wild ride.

Oh, he'll see it. Tell your ginger-haired buddy (he's my buddy, too) to PICK ONE PUTTER, stop lurking, and come tell everyone what it's like. He has a great perspective to share, he just don't believe that he does

Ginger-haired on Canadian Tour, u guys talking about AW?

It all seems like an elaborate scam to me. Even the web.com tour. What a joke, $1000+ to enter, and they still have to pay greens fees for practice rounds. And why in hell is there a web.com event in Santiago, Chile? Are they trying to grow the game down there.

 

There is a Web.com event in Santiago, Chile and many other Latin American countries because they are willing to put the money up for a tournament. The first quarter (or slightly more) of the Web.com season is played throughout Latin America and (this year) the Bahamas. The money that the PGA tour puts into the Web.com tour is paltry compared to what they put into the Champions tour. Last I knew, it's 5:1, or more, in favor of the Champions tour. The harsh reality is that no one cares about the Web.com tour. The events are barely televised anymore. People like us care because we are way into golf, know someone who is playing out there, or are chasing it ourselves.

 

The PGA Tour does not really care about the Web.com tour in the grand scheme, or the players who are out there. It sucks, the system is totally flawed, but I can't really blame them. They don't make any money from it, and they are running a business. I think it's a complete farce that players have to go to Latin America and Canada to try to play their way onto the Web.com tour, or pony up the $4500 entry fee plus the other countless thousands in expenses to try to go through Q School. If they play well enough to advance to the final stage of Q School, they will then compete for1 (yes, ONE) fully exempt card on the Web.com tour for the following season. After that, everyone else receives exempt status through a certain number of re-shuffles, depending on where they finish. It's brutal.

 

The Tour could easily subsidize a U.S.-based third tier (or developmental, whatever you want to call it) tour and award Web.com status through that, if they desired. They don't have the desire, unfortunately. The beauty of professional golf is that it almost completely merit-based. If you play well, you will have success. If you play poorly, you won't. However, the path to the PGA Tour (and Web.com) is now incredibly difficult to even figure out, let alone progress through. There are more and more outstanding players every day and they are playing for a very finite amount of seats at the table.

 

One of the big problems, in my eyes, is that the guys who gut it out through the mini tours and Web.com tour are usually just so happy and relieved to be done with it that they never speak up about how broken the system is. I really think that one of the only ways for it to change is for current PGA Tour players to make it known that the system is very flawed and they want to see changes. It won't happen, though. It's an individual game, and once they're out of it, it's no longer their problem. I can't really fault them, either. By that point, they've paid their dues and are ready to enjoy some of the fruits of their labor

Excellent post.

Beneath the web.com it's a complete free for all. Many guys get burnt or disheartened.

We have a tendency to see the benefits and glamour of playing golf at the highest level. However, for those on the mini tours golf can be a lot more stressful. Here is an interesting article that looks at the topic in more depth:

 

http://www.espn.com/...rt-lower-levels

 

Zack is a close friend of mine, I get to play golf with him on a regular basis.

 

It is unbelievable seeing the level of golf he can play every time he tees it up and yet he's still grinding as hard as anyone out there. Guy just needs to catch his break out there.

 

Pull for him in SA, he's a great dude

 

Reminds me of when I played with a mini tour pro at TPC Myrtle Beach last summer. He had played the previous year on the Canadian Tour, but didn't make enough money to stay. He was playing on a southeast mini tour last year. We were both there as singles and got paired up. I'd say it was one of my most enjoyable golfing experiences. Learning about the sacrifices required and the day-to-day life of someone pursuing professional golf was interesting and it gave me a whole new sense of respect for how good the pros are. This guy wasn't having a great day and still shot even par.

 

You play with Thad? Or Ricky?

Thad! You know him? Tell him hello for me if you see him. We actually exchanged numbers and I told him to let me know if he ever needed someone to carry his bag in a tournament. :)