Pursing a Career in Professional Golf

Sup Guys,

As I sit here on this gorgeous Friday afternoon, I am sitting here in the office at my cubicle doing absolutely nothing so I figured I would start a new thread.

Prior to the current office job I have now, I used to work as an assistant golf pro for a semi private facility just outside of Baltimore. I always had a passion for the game so it only made sense for me to work at a golf course as my first ever job. What I quickly learned throughout my adolescence was that if I continued to stay in this line of work the opportunity for advancement would ultimately dwindle especially at the club that I was working at the time. This was the main reason I stopped doing what I was doing. With all of this being said, I am now bored out of mind doing a job that I have zero interest in!

I currently maintain a +4ish handicap at the club I am at and keep having these wild thoughts of going pro and chasing the dream of becoming a successful touring pro. I know its a shot in the dark but I feel like if I dont give it some sort of shot I will spend the rest of my life in regret of not knowing what could happen.

GolfWRX users give it to me straight, I can take it.

You know the answer, don't you. On the other hand, if you don't have a family to support, no long-term debts, and enough money in the bank to finance yourself for a while, why not give it a shot?

I’m speculating obviously, but you’re a +4 at a course you play very often I’m guessing means you are probably a few shots worse when traveling around to different courses. Then factor in the difficulty of tour set ups and that +4 is looking more like a 0. Just curious? What do you do for work? Whatever job let’s you keep a +4 going is a line of work I need to get into

You know the answer, don't you. On the other hand, if you don't have a family to support, no long-term debts, and enough money in the bank to finance yourself for a while, why not give it a shot?

Sometimes people just need a completely unbiased opinion about something they spend a good amount of time thinking about.

I hope this is making sense.

I do appreciate your comment though, this is the whole reason I posted this thing anyway.

Thank you dude

Can you financially support yourself for at least 3 years with your current savings?

Even if you are good enough, it'll take a full year or more to get your game into shape, then a year or 2 of competing to make progress towards a respectable tour.

I say go for it and post your experiences here.

I’m speculating obviously, but you’re a +4 at a course you play very often I’m guessing means you are probably a few shots worse when traveling around to different courses. Then factor in the difficulty of tour set ups and that +4 is looking more like a 0. Just curious? What do you do for work? Whatever job let’s you keep a +4 going is a line of work I need to get into

I am project specialist (9-5er). After work its golf. On weekends its golf. I also have a nurse girlfriend who works obscure hours of the day, which allows me to play more as well.

But yes, I hear what you are saying about the whole traveling around for tournaments and stuff.

Should be someone within 30 - 60 minutes of where you live who could spend a few hours (or less) with you and give you a pretty accurate assessment of your chances.

My advice would to play in as many tournaments as possible. Play in the big AM events and see how you stack up. Assess from there.

Move to a warm climate and find the local money games

I have no idea about golf in MD. If you're a +4 at home, go around to some of the courses in your area and play them to see if your +4 will travel. Or take a vacation and go find a mini tour event or two to play. Play on days when it's not a nice day. A +4 is very, very good, even elite, but tour pros are almost magical.

PM iTeach, Monte or BNGL. They all played professionally and could offer some insight.

This might be an obscure view, but, if you are asking, questioning etc rather than doing ... We'll, you've already failed.

If you're going to make it, YOU have to be 100% committed with rock solid belief in yourself. If you've got that, go for it.

If not, start playing in harder tournaments away from your area, force yourself to travel, play tough courses with good players and get a dose of reality.

If you like the travel, costs you fund yourself and still play well, win a few, then maybe you'll find that rock solid belief in yourself.

I say go for it. No reason not to.

i mean.. all golf is is a putting contest. But you have to drive it 300 yards (avg) to play the game at the pga level. If you do not have the required prerequisite (swing speed of 110+) then it is not worth your time/energy to try. Once you pass the prerequisite then its all about putting and if you think you have the potential to be among the top putters then go for it. There are a ton of athletic/coordinated people that are amazing putters and can compete against anyone in putting but cannot play the game simply because they cannot get to the green in 2 vs a 480 par 444444

Ah yes. The ole “I’ve had it with this poop and I’m going pro” thread. Yep, we’ve all been there. When I was in school Johnny Paycheck wrote a song about what you’re feeling.

There will always be many telling you it can never happen. They may be right. Then again maybe not. The fact is if I had no obligations at your age(and I didn’t), and had the talent to shoot a +4, I would have tried to compete as long as my finances held out.

There are so many opportunities to compete today. Listen to the suggestions of the posters above and give it a try. It’s a longshot. So what. Don’t sell yourself short. Let the realities of your skills determine the outcome. You can live with that.

My advice would to play in as many tournaments as possible. Play in the big AM events and see how you stack up. Assess from there.

He can’t play Amatuer events if he actually worked as a registered assistant pro. He needs to reapply for am status first.

Been there, done that....$150 bucks to USGA to “investigate me” and officially tell me I’m not a pro anymore. Crooks.

Given you don't seem to have any responsibilities that you'd be shirking, you should go for it. Regret avoidance. A failure might set you back a few years on other goals, but it would be worse to spend the rest of your life wondering "what if?"

Have you entered a Q-School Qualifier?

Have you tried your luck at a mini tour event as a professional or an amateur?

Have you made it out of local U.S. Amateur qualifying? Have you entered a U.S. Amateur Qualifier?

Have you made it out of local U.S. Mid-Am qualifying? Have you entered a U.S. Mid-Am Qualifier?

How many State level tournaments have you won, played in the final group. had a top 5, or top 10 finish?

How many Regional competitions have you won, played in final group, had a top 5, or top 10 finish?

Have you won your City Championship?

Have you ever been Club Champion.

Do you play money games against really good players? Do you take their money of give them money?

Did you play College golf? If so, what was your best finish/scoring average?

Did you play AJGA at the Regional or National level?

How many official tournaments have you won?

How many official tournaments 's have you played in?

These things are what separates professional golfers from everyone else. The reality is that the guys you have to beat to reach your goal have done, and are doing these things consistently. A +4 that only plays on an average 6800 yard muni or local soft edged CC is not a traveling +4. They are not going to shoot the scores required to win tournaments on long and difficult golf courses against battle hardened players that have been doing it for years. Even the mini-tour fields are full of ex-Tour players, ex-Web.Com players, ex-college players from major and minor universities, U.S Open Regional Finalists, U.S. Mid-Am Finalists, State Am and State Mid-Am Champions, Regional Champions, City Champions, Club Champions, AJGA National Champions, an on and on. These are the guys you have to beat and you have to beat them over an entire season. Every time you tee it up, you have to think you're the best player on the property, and you have to be to beat them. There is no hiding behind a scramble partner, or goofing around with your friends, taking mulligans and gimme's. Every stroke is counted by people that don't care if you succeed or not. Mini-tours are where you find out if you're actually any good over an entire season on a different golf course every week. That's where professional golf dreams go to die and where the good ones separate themselves from the pack.

I am in no way suggesting you can't do it. But take it from a guy that tried, and tried, and tried. You have to be brutally honest with yourself and with the state of your game. Not only that, you have to be brutally honest with the depth of your financial ability and your emotional and physical dedication to the almost endless hours of work and travel required to make an actual living playing competitive golf. It can be demoralizing at a level few can imagine. One stroke here, one stroke there can mean the difference between one more week of trying, or a long trip home with no money and no hope for the rest of the season. It's not easy telling your friends and family that you have already run through $20K and the season isn't half over.

Good Luck to you if you make the leap. It's like cocaine cashing that first check...even if it's only for $310.

People who ask if a handicap travels don't understand how the handicap system works.

Golf is not a putting contest.

Go for it. Never know if you don’t try. Work will be there for you as plan b.

Congrats on being brave enough to try something!

Tell us more about your game? What’s best part? What’s worst part?

People who ask if a handicap travels don't understand how the handicap system works.

 

Golf is not a putting contest.

I don't understand the response. If you only play on one course there is certainly a possibility that any golfer's game does not fit well on (at least some) other courses. Or maybe his/her home course actually is one that doesn't fit. And then there is the inevitable variability of ratings between courses. And what does the role of putting have to do with this question?

dave

And what is +4 "ish"? Sounds like it may be a little optimistic.

Still stick by my original post, but sounds like you just need a real job that captures your interest/passion if you are sitting around daydreaming about pro golf - that's probably the root issue. Maybe work on that if worrying about being a pro golfer is really a serious distraction.

But it's a message board and everyone says "go for it" to be nice and supportive, but like someone else said, you already know the answer to the question.

PM August, Monte, Dan, some others who have posted here and in other threads if you don't want to get the answer locally, I'm sure they would be happy to give open and honest advice.

Start small and try to win anything you can locally. If you can’t win WMGA or MSGA amateur events, that should clear things up.

People who ask if a handicap travels don't understand how the handicap system works.

 

Golf is not a putting contest.

 

I don't understand the response. If you only play on one course there is certainly a possibility that any golfer's game does not fit well on (at least some) other courses. Or maybe his/her home course actually is one that doesn't fit. And then there is the inevitable variability of ratings between courses. And what does the role of putting have to do with this question?

 

dave

The whole point of the handicap system is to have a metric to compare people's skill level who play different courses. Yes there could be a disparity with certain courses but the entire goal of the handicap system is to eliminate that.

Putting comment was in reference to someone else who said "golf is a putting contest." I'm pretty sure a +4 knows how to score

And what is +4 "ish"? Sounds like it may be a little optimistic.

 

Still stick by my original post, but sounds like you just need a real job that captures your interest/passion if you are sitting around daydreaming about pro golf - that's probably the root issue. Maybe work on that if worrying about being a pro golfer is really a serious distraction.

 

But it's a message board and everyone says "go for it" to be nice and supportive, but like someone else said, you already know the answer to the question.

 

PM August, Monte, Dan, some others who have posted here and in other threads if you don't want to get the answer locally, I'm sure they would be happy to give open and honest advice.

FWIW, my encouragement comes from the perspective of somewhat who did go for it, and failed. I won some money in mini-tour events but exhausted my savings before I got good enough to make a living of it. It cost me 3 years and about $40k, and I don't regret it.

People who ask if a handicap travels don't understand how the handicap system works.

 

Golf is not a putting contest.

 

I don't understand the response. If you only play on one course there is certainly a possibility that any golfer's game does not fit well on (at least some) other courses. Or maybe his/her home course actually is one that doesn't fit. And then there is the inevitable variability of ratings between courses. And what does the role of putting have to do with this question?

 

dave

 

The whole point of the handicap system is to have a metric to compare people's skill level who play different courses. Yes there could be a disparity with certain courses but the entire goal of the handicap system is to eliminate that.

 

Putting comment was in reference to someone else who said "golf is a putting contest." I'm pretty sure a +4 knows how to score

But if he is playing the same course all the time and its design does not expose the flaws in his game, his +4 doesn't mean the same as a +4 that reflects play at a variety of courses and designs.

And what is +4 "ish"? Sounds like it may be a little optimistic.

 

Still stick by my original post, but sounds like you just need a real job that captures your interest/passion if you are sitting around daydreaming about pro golf - that's probably the root issue. Maybe work on that if worrying about being a pro golfer is really a serious distraction.

 

But it's a message board and everyone says "go for it" to be nice and supportive, but like someone else said, you already know the answer to the question.

 

PM August, Monte, Dan, some others who have posted here and in other threads if you don't want to get the answer locally, I'm sure they would be happy to give open and honest advice.

It’s not being nice when we say go for it. Supportive yes, but most of us need to discover for ourselves. I have had kids 5’2” tell me their goal is to be an NBA star. These same kids can’t make the grade to tryout fir JV. So we talk about realist goals of anyone that is on an NBA path. They soon learn the reality of things.

I’m not implying the OP is as lost or without skills as the above example. I just think he needs to discover for himself. Nothing wrong with that and it doesn’t mean we are pretending to make him feel good about himself. Maybe it’s a form of tough love. If you think you have it, show us.

I did it for years.

Before we even talk about the game there a few things that need to be addressed.

1. Self Belief - This is a must. Period. Be honest with yourself because nobody else knows.

2. Travel - Homebodies need not apply. No matter what anyone tells you traveling and living out of a bag is not glamorous, fun or particularly comfortable.

3. Money - we all know golf is expensive. But traveling is even more expensive.

If you check all three boxes then we can start talking about whether you have the game. Professional golf is not for everyone. There are numerous modern examples of this: Chris Riley comes to mind. Charlie Wi. A buddy of mine whose brother played on tour. Anyone who has played with both would agree my buddy is the more talented. Just loved being home and wanted a family.

Having done it myself I can say I loved every second of it. I didn’t make it but never, not once have I regretted giving it a run.

What do you mean by plus 4 ‘ish’?