Cost/Investment for Mini-tour player

[NCheel]

I'm about to start law school in the fall and I'm spending the summer working for a landscaping company and teeing it up.

 

I've put up a few good numbers, which of course get my mind wandering to the "what if's". I played in college, but was never a lock to go pro thus trading in the sticks for law books.

 

My question has two parts:

 

1) assuming someone got through Q-school and had Nationwide Tour status, how much money/investment does it cost for the year?

 

2) the same question but assuming someone plays the Hooters Tour?

 

Not that I'm going to give up the legal career before it starts, but you never know...

 

NCheel

[SadTrombone]

How much money does it take to golf?

 

Why, all of it, of course.

 

-mini

[shortnstraight69]

Don't waste your time or money. It is not half foot in half out. To be the best, it is full dedication; anything else is a complete waste. Get a loan, go putt, play tournaments, and learn how to shoot 59.

Once you think you can do it:

If you want to do it right, it will take $50,000 a year for a mini tour player playing regional tours. Add about 10k if you are doing international (ie. candian tour) due to travel expenses and a tour that mandates you take a caddy. Nationwide tour and pga guys will spend 50-100k. Bit of advice, get your own hotel room or one roommate for the season. One thats willing to find another place to stay after you found the waitress at outback. Play well!

[mhccap]

Hooters, Canadian, Gateway and I am sure others entry fees have approached the $1000 per event mark, i think $50k is living on ramen and processed cheese...the key is to set yourself up and sell stock in yourself to some investors that arent afraid to lose money. Im honestly not quite sure why more americans arent persueing the sunshine tour in south africa, and the australasian tour and the developmental tours in japan and europe(cant remember their names)...key is you better have enough game to sell some investors on throwing some money out the window for a few years...

[thejosh31]

mhccap got it right. You can always sell short and tell investors you can bare bones it for 30 just to get the ball rolling, but that covers entry fees and no matter how good you are it always sucks to have in the back of your mind you need to win quick cash instead of just going and playing. But 45-50 is about right to truly pursue it.

[Grimace45]

We had two guys from my club play the Hooters Tour last year and had an eye opening experience. Both were exceptional players (indexes around +2.5) and thought they had the game to play. They each made one cut in about 8 events that they played and the cuts they missed were by a long shot. The one cut they made (both in the same event) one shot 71 and the other 70. The leaders shot 60 in round 1.

[SadTrombone]

After one attempt, I can tell you I'm very happy being a good Am or maybe some day a teaching/club professional. No need to go back out and try to pay the rent off of golf.

 

-mini

[NPVWhiz]

A good friend of mine played the Gateway Desert full time, along with a few Canadian tour events/State Opens. In his best year he made about $85,000 and had about $55,000 in expenses.

[maguy1970]

How many members here have taken a shot at making it as touring pro? What are the guidelines for having your amatuer status reinstated? Isn't that the big kick in the nuts, if you take a shot and do well enough for long enough to not really make a living, so you give it up, but obviously love the game, then can not even play in your own courses member guest.... that sucks!

 

But really, how many guys took a real good shot at making it?

[Bill2e]

I have no idea about the money, but I say this:

 

You have a law degree to fall back on. You can afford to take a chance and run up some debt. Take one year and go balls out. You will never regret trying. However, you may regret not.

 

Take it for what it's worth. Good luck either way.

[sync71]

I'm not sure on costs but I'm sure the other guys have it right. But you need to either go all our or not do it because but 50% into it doesn't work for anything.

[jscw]

If you got $$$ to spend, go for it. Try one year. If it didn't work out (that's quite possible, based on other members' replies), just think the $$$ is for one-year golf vacation. If you make it, then you got the vacation all of your lifetime, in theory.

However if $$$ for one year is a concern, you got to plan the vacation more carefully. Set the amount of $$$ and time to lose, then go for it.

Life is short, do something fun.

Another way to think. Think 55K is the tuition for the life experience degree of a 1 yr golf program.

[imsocrabby]

actually i think most clubs allow you to play in your member/guest even if you are pro.

 

 

tom watson always played in his at KCCC. and they always won...i might add.

 

 

i say go for it.

[thejosh31]

Yeah the pro's can play at the club championship at Whisper Rock (Scottsdale). But if you really want to do it and don't wanna/can't raise the full amount; get a basic schedule that you want to play, figure out what it'll cost, and go for it. I don't regret my limited playing, and look forward towards more in the near future.

[villa]

I played for 3 years on the Europro Tour and the European Challenge Tour. I've been to European Tour Qualifying School 3 times now and only really come close to qualifying once.

 

It might be completely different in Europe compared to the States and i'm talking about 4 years ago now so maybe things have changed but this is my experience.

 

The entry fee varied massively from tournament to tournament. Anything from £200 to £1500. Getting sponsorship was critical. I approached hotel chains and large financial organisations and found a couple of sympathetic M.D's who were big golf fans. The hotel chain was vital as i'd get free accommodation in most major cities in the U.K and Europe. My room was often filled with various other players, caddies, golf bags and suitcases though. A local car dealership gave me a new car which was also vital because I couldn't pay the air fare's to the various countries these tours are played on (it was also used as a bedroom if there wasn't a hotel at any particular town or city)

 

You have to realise though that as soon as you get sponsorship and someone else is funding your dream, you add a certain amount of pressure on to yourself to achieve.

 

I couldn't say how much a years worth of play cost me and my sponsors but it must have been somewhere in the region of £25 - £30k.

[thenextnumber1]

Go for it for a year,

 

You dont wna be old and think WHAT IF?

 

1 year aint a long time, go for it.

[nobody61]

I play professional golf and I jump around to different tours, do some monday qualifying, hooters toru events, some smaller local mini tours, the travel is tough. I stay by myself, eat decent, I go as I want too, eat at outbacks and quiznos, I spent $65,000 last year. i would say that i played 35 tournaments. that includes Q school expenses which average 7-8 Gs. I have been searching for a sponsor for 4 years and havnet had any luck, I have been fortunate to making a little bit of money, I have won on every tour in the past, i won 16 times last year and barely broke even and made my truck and house payments for the year. its a tough go at it, but I wouldnt trade it for anything.