Playing professionals that did not have successful junior careers, nor play in college?

[jholz]

33 minutes ago, Hkovo17 said:

Family friend from Bucknell just cashed a $20K check on the MLGT's biggest payout to date. I believe it was a two-dayer. 

 

Wow. That's a decent payout. I haven't really followed the mini tours since the late aughts - so can't be considered an authority on the current state of things - plus I'm from out west and OP asked about Cali, so was focusing my energies there. I know Florida, Gulf Coast, and Carolinas have mini tours as well.

 

But 20k for the winner...what did 2nd get? Any idea on entry fees or field size?

 

All I know is that mini tours tend to change ownership often and sometimes can't pay the prizes or hold the tournaments they promise. 

 

Running a mini tour seems about as difficult as making the legit tour starting at age 27.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2023 by jholz

[ChipNRun]

On 1/19/2023 at 2:01 PM, Hkovo17 said:

Do you guys know / know of anyone on Tour, Korn Ferry, etc. that made it to that level with essentially a xxxx resume prior? I'm talking your average +hdcp amateur golfer that maybe fired a couple rounds in the low 70's as a teenager in some quali's / the like (like really no one that memorable).

Sort of unrelated but cool story - had an interesting conversation with Vinny Covello down at the Gator Pro-Am a few weeks ago.... 

Anyways, yes I am thinking of making a run at it at the ripe age of 27, starting on the MLGT or WFGT down in FL. I'm even considering being a playing pro on the mini tours as a side gig. There's just nothing else I really want to do that badly in life except play competitive golf.

 

There have been a few golfers who have gone this route. Calvin Peete started playing golf in his 20s. St. Louis female amateur star Ellen Port likewise, circa age 25. Some guys that starred on the Champions Tour went this route... former steelworker Tom Wargo and Texas farmer Robert Landers who turned literal cow-pasture practicing into some senior tour $$.

 

Statisticians call such performers outliers, sociologists call the unicorns.

 

As for playing mini-tour as a side gig, think again. Reminds me of a high school friend who played mid-major college golf and was conference player of the year. He often shot under par, and decided to try the minitour after graduation. He said he quickly got his come-uppance.

 

"Here I was all-conference, and facing all these no-name guys from Texas and Florida who just kicked my a**." He got a real job at summer's end.

 

And your promise...

On 1/19/2023 at 2:01 PM, Hkovo17 said:

honestly the only thing I'd tell you I'd be able to work at 10+ hours a day 6-7 days/week.

 

Reminds me of a story from the martial arts realm. An American gets a job in Japan, and starts working out at a karate dojo on the side. After a few months, he goes to the sensei and declares he wants to compete and teach professionally in karate.

 

Hopeful: "Sensei, if I come to dojo two hours a day... five days a week, how long would it take me earn a black belt?"

 

Sensei. "If you were diligent, about two years."

 

Hopeful. "Sensei, if I came to dojo fours hours a day... seven days a week, how long would it take to earn a black belt?"

 

Sensei. "Maybe three years. With all that work and strain, you would be slowed by injury, and probably demoralized."

 

----------------------------------------

Hkovo17 said: "I'd be able to work at 10+ hours a day 6-7 days/week."

 

I fear you would burn yourself out. Will you work with a pro? Do you have a realistic assessment of your game? (review sensei parable above)

----------------------------------------

 

What I would suggest:

• Take some lessons, get a good assessment of your games.
• After  playing progress, get fitted for the clubs you need.
• Start playing local and state amateur circuit. There's different levels.
• Each summer, play an occasional national-level amateur event.
• Have fun! (This comes from a former high school coach and athletic director who earned his PGA card pre-retirement, and became a top-notch local golf instructor)
• Consider volunteering with the local First Tee program, help kids get involved in golf. 

Edited January 21, 2023 by ChipNRun
Spelling.

[golfandfishing]

14 hours ago, Strategery said:

Allen Doyle

Wasn't Ian Poulter a late starter?

 

Allen Doyle turned pro late in life but his amateur career was outstanding to put it mildly. 

[aenemated]

On 1/20/2023 at 6:42 PM, ChipNRun said:

Reminds me of a high school friend who played mid-major college golf and was conference player of the year. He often shot under par, and decided to try the minitour after graduation. He said he quickly got his come-uppance.

 

"Here I was all-conference, and facing all these no-name guys from Texas and Florida who just kicked my a**." He got a real job at summer's end.

 

Similar experience. Top player on my high school's biggest rival was also top player in the conference; and it wasn't even close. (I did beat him ONE TIME over dozens of tournaments we competed in!) Got recruited by a D1 school and wasn't a SUPER standout but had a damn respectable career.

 

Gave the Nike tour a shot and lasted maybe 4 or 5 tournaments - missed every cut - before he was like "Nope, no chance." 

 

Dude still plays to a like +2 or something. 

[NewToGolf19]

If you have the time, listen to Club Pro Guy’s podcast with Scot Parel. While CPG is a parody, the interview is real. It was fascinating to hear how this guy basically did what you want to do. He was a software engineer with no real competitive golf background who spent 10-15 years on mini tours before finding success on the champions tour. 
 

another common trait of pro golfers and pro athletes is how incredibly competitive they are. 
 

If you have the time, money, no other responsibilities and are realistic about the likely outcome, then why not give it a go? 
 

good luck.

[Port and Starboard]

Trevino had a pretty unique route to the big show.  

 

He went from caddying, to the Marine Corps, to the driving range & hustling, and on to the pro tour.

 

 

[mshills]

Examples I can think of off the top of my head:

 

Calvin Peete started late, and I think he got really good playing money games and hustling at Jacaranda in south FL. 
 

Larry Nelson started late too. 
 

Club Pro Guy — that might be the path to take actually, establish yourself as a Mexican mini tour legend, then take your talents north of the border. 

[Hkovo17]

5 hours ago, NewToGolf19 said:

If you have the time, listen to Club Pro Guy’s podcast with Scot Parel. While CPG is a parody, the interview is real. It was fascinating to hear how this guy basically did what you want to do. He was a software engineer with no real competitive golf background who spent 10-15 years on mini tours before finding success on the champions tour. 
 

another common trait of pro golfers and pro athletes is how incredibly competitive they are. 
 

If you have the time, money, no other responsibilities and are realistic about the likely outcome, then why not give it a go? 
 

good luck.

Just did a deep dive on Scott Parel - never heard of him. What a cool story - thanks for sharing this.

Edited January 22, 2023 by Hkovo17

[Hkovo17]

14 hours ago, aenemated said:

 

Similar experience. Top player on my high school's biggest rival was also top player in the conference; and it wasn't even close. (I did beat him ONE TIME over dozens of tournaments we competed in!) Got recruited by a D1 school and wasn't a SUPER standout but had a damn respectable career.

 

Gave the Nike tour a shot and lasted maybe 4 or 5 tournaments - missed every cut - before he was like "Nope, no chance." 

 

Dude still plays to a like +2 or something. 

It definitely puts a lot into perspective.

Watch some of the stuff Tiger's done at those charity event clinics on the range. I once saw a video where he purposely skulls a ball 30-40 yards out onto the grass, then pulls out a wedge, hits another ball and on the fly, it hits the ball on the ground he skulled moments prior. 
 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Hkovo17

[golferdude54]

To succeed in golf, it takes two things: technique (how you do it) and repetition (how often you do it). This doesn’t just apply to the golf swing or putting stroke or course management, this applies to working out and eating and sleeping as well.
 

This is an everyday thing, can’t be skipping workouts or eating cheat meals or ignore golf swing/putting stroke faults that you HAVE to change to get better.
 

The problem is, swing mechanics and even exercise/nutrition is subjective among every individual, it takes an insanely high IQ to be able to figure out what are the right things to do in golf and in life, and the drive to do them over and over and over… Until you wake up, aim, shoot, and hit your target every time with just a singular thought/focus on the target.

 

There has been a lot of aspiring pro golfers that have done the right things on the course but did the wrong things off the course that stopped them from making it to the next level and vice versa. 
 

It takes having the right body, the right mind, the right swing, the right putting stroke, and also the right clubs to make it. A strong, fast, flexible golfer with completely ingrained proper mechanics and plays fit clubs and knows how to manage a course under pressure can succeed.

[StudentGolfer4]

You don’t even need to join a mini tour to or any of that other expensive nonsense. 
 

Go play in your state golf association events. Can you win your state am? What about mid am? That’s a bit easier because it gets rid of the college kids and those just out. Anyone can sign up for us open qualifying. 
 

I think you will be able to answer your own question pretty easily after a summer or two of playing in these events. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by StudentGolfer4

[MelloYello]

On 1/20/2023 at 5:26 PM, Hkovo17 said:

Well this went well. 
I've played in many tourneys as an am. Best I ever did was a few Top 3's in a few IJGTs and local qualis for random Opens/tourneys around the tristate area, then went to college and chased girls and booze and forgot about golf. Had a few DIII schools give me a call but never went through with it. Thought mentioning the Gator pro-am would've answered the tourney skepticism. You wouldn't get asked to play in a mid-tier pro-am if you couldn't play. Russell Knox, Patton Kizzire, Billy Horschel were some of the Tour guys there. Nothing crazy - it was fun. I never had a coach growing up, more or less self-taught. Would be curious to see what's possible if I dedicated everything to it, that's all I was trying to say. Can get 170 ball speed/114 club with driver and carry it ~280 pretty consistently - and that's now - with no distance/strength work with a coach. Played in a Major on the MLGT down at Abacoa in West Palm and was Even through 17 when I skull-f*cked one out of the sand to triple 17 and finish with a 75 for the first day. That was off the plane from Philly not playing for three months and hitting balls into a net in my apt's basement.

My bad if I made it sound like I'd never played competitively, etc... Comment that most resonated with me was MtlJeff's and his club champ buddy playing to a plus in tourneys. 

The odds are damn near impossible - no sh*t. Didn't need the therapy posts telling me that it's insulting to other people that have careers in business to chase a profession in golf - read what I wrote next time, that's not even what I said. I said it'd be cool if it led to a career in something golf related, not just as a playing pro.

Edit- Mello not trying to come at you but your post is pretty out of pocket (I appreciate the edit too). Also see you're in SC - I've played May River in Bluffton a few times - great track down there and great state for golf! Still haven't gotten on Harbor Town though... :sigh:



 

 

Cheers, bud. 

 

Wasn't trying to be mean, but I won't lie, I think you'd be incredibly stupid to do that. The root to a good life is through education and a job where experience will grow your paycheck every year, fund a retirement plan and where your knowledge will put you in a position of leadership and influence once you're 50 and beyond. 

 

Here's reality--there isn't a human on the planet that doesn't wonder about turning their favorite hobby into a profession. Every teenager wishes they could be a professional gamer. Every 20-something thinks about quitting their job and becoming a content creator influencing and entertaining folks who (just like them) spend an inordinate amount of time watching YouTube. Every golfer wonders what would happen if they gave up everything and went for broke. This is a pattern. 

 

The best way to evaluate the options is just to be honest and think through them. Too many people see the glam but ignore the harsh realities of poverty and stress that often go hand-in-hand with these "careers." Truth is, you don't want to be a professional gamer or a content creator or a professional athlete. They all suck. For all but 0.001% of people, those lives totally blow because there's no profit, no long-term sustainability and they end up bottoming out their bank accounts and starting over in life after they fail with the further depression that comes with returning to what they did having lost 5- or 10-years of their life. At 27yo you're too old to see that as a risk worth taking. 

 

And again, you haven't provided any information on your financial situation. If you already have money, I'd say that changes things a lot as you can basically just live out your fantasy without any financial worry. But you haven't indicated that's the situation you're in which means you (whether you like it or not) sound more like a naïve dreamer than someone who's really got a future in golf. 

 

So in a sense, if my post(s) seem insulting I think that's good. (A) Who cares if I insult you, we don't know each other so gives a crap but (2) it's more important you think about the difficult / uncomfortable truths here. If you do your research, understand how absurd the dream is and still want to do it, more power to you. Or as I said, if you've got a trust fund or something do whatever the heck you want. Gotta kill the hours of your life doing something, right? 

 

.

Edited January 23, 2023 by MelloYello

[Hkovo17]

7 hours ago, MelloYello said:

 

Cheers, bud. 

 

Wasn't trying to be mean, but I won't lie, I think you'd be incredibly stupid to do that. The root to a good life is through education and a job where experience will grow your paycheck every year, fund a retirement plan and where your knowledge will put you in a position of leadership and influence once you're 50 and beyond. 

 

Here's reality--there isn't a human on the planet that doesn't wonder about turning their favorite hobby into a profession. Every teenager wishes they could be a professional gamer. Every 20-something thinks about quitting their job and becoming a content creator influencing and entertaining folks who (just like them) spend an inordinate amount of time watching YouTube. Every golfer wonders what would happen if they gave up everything and went for broke. This is a pattern. 

 

The best way to evaluate the options is just to be honest and think through them. Too many people see the glam but ignore the harsh realities of poverty and stress that often go hand-in-hand with these "careers." Truth is, you don't want to be a professional gamer or a content creator or a professional athlete. They all suck. For all but 0.001% of people, those lives totally blow because there's no profit, no long-term sustainability and they end up bottoming out their bank accounts and starting over in life after they fail with the further depression that comes with returning to what they did having lost 5- or 10-years of their life. At 27yo you're too old to see that as a risk worth taking. 

 

And again, you haven't provided any information on your financial situation. If you already have money, I'd say that changes things a lot as you can basically just live out your fantasy without any financial worry. But you haven't indicated that's the situation you're in which means you (whether you like it or not) sound more like a naïve dreamer than someone who's really got a future in golf. 

 

So in a sense, if my post(s) seem insulting I think that's good. (A) Who cares if I insult you, we don't know each other so gives a crap but (2) it's more important you think about the difficult / uncomfortable truths here. If you do your research, understand how absurd the dream is and still want to do it, more power to you. Or as I said, if you've got a trust fund or something do whatever the heck you want. Gotta kill the hours of your life doing something, right? 

 

.

appreciate you bro. Agree with everything you said here. We’re all gonna die some day. Luckily yes daddy has some money for his son to blow… it’s not a lot but could last me a year or two chasing this full time and then when I don’t make it I’m getting my real estate license and putting you and your family in a nice home off the 10th at May River………

[MelloYello]

4 hours ago, Hkovo17 said:

appreciate you bro. Agree with everything you said here. We’re all gonna die some day. Luckily yes daddy has some money for his son to blow… it’s not a lot but could last me a year or two chasing this full time and then when I don’t make it I’m getting my real estate license and putting you and your family in a nice home off the 10th at May River………

 

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention a particular guy I knew who blew the greatest thing he ever had chasing golf. When I was in grad school there was this chick--bombshell--unicorn type. Southern girl, very sweet, and just amazing looking. Won't describe her here, but she was gorgeous. And there she was working on her PhD. A girl like that can be pretty intimidating. 

 

At the time, she was with her high school sweetheart. Not a crazy story at all, right? I figured they'd end up together but there was a weird catch. While she was pursuing really technical research he was off pursuing his dream of "pro golf."

 

Long story short, she's living in an awesome place now (won't say where, but west coast), making big money, still a 10 and now she's married--to someone else. And what's the new guy look like? Well, he's the kind of high-achiever that can pull a girl like that. But the high-school sweetheart had his chance. She gave it too him. No excuses. He blew it. And to no one's surprise, he's not a Pro golfer of any merit.  

 

So don't miss the forest for the trees. I don't know if you're already married or in a serious relationship, but at 27, your eyes need to be "on the road" and not on the scenery if you catch my drift. 

 

.

Edited January 23, 2023 by MelloYello

[StudentGolfer4]

@Hkovo17

I think the odds of you making it anywhere in golf are minuscule and the odds of wasting time and money doing it are high. With that being said, you’re 27. You don’t need to have your life all figured out and not everything you do has to be geared towards retirement. At 26 Phil Knight had just founded Blue Ribbon Shoes. At 32 he was still broke and accepting lions from family members when they renamed it Nike. 
 

Figure out what it is that you really want to do and make a career out of it. If you can’t, then find something else to do. I know plenty of people in their late 20s and 30s with families and jobs that would be envious of your freedom. No one says you have to grind away at a job you hate just to chase money and materialistic things in hopes of one day retiring. Don’t feel like you need to make someone else’s path your own. Be sure to have some fun along the way. And no, you don’t need to be married or in a serious relationship by 27 lol. 
 

“Don’t take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.”

Edited January 23, 2023 by StudentGolfer4

[kekoa]

Post a vid of your swing and I'll tell you right away.  Kidding...kind of. 🙂

[aus10KC]

You're better off trying to make youtube, instagram and tik tok videos. Probably pays better too if you can get a following.

[Krt22]

3 minutes ago, aus10KC said:

You're better off trying to make youtube, instagram and tik tok videos. Probably pays better too if you can get a following.

Sad but very true

[golfday]

When I was in my mid-20s I played a decent amount with two guys in their early 20s that were playing min-tours in the southeast. One had dropped out of college to pursue pro golf (although I think it's more likely that he was booted off the team for failing too many classes), the other had moved into the region to play golf but had actually played college lacrosse. Both came from wealthy families so they had the time and resources to work on it and improve, however neither had the desire or the talent. I was about a 1 hdcp at the time and they were probably +3 ish. Good golfers, but no where close to making it on TV.

 

Point is - if you've got the time and resources to try it, then I guess go for it. However, you better have the drive and fortitude because chances are you are no where close to good enough and IF you have the talent it will probably take years for you to improve enough to make a living doing it. I would be prepared to make close to $0 in your first year while you're working on your game and getting used to pro events, then look to see improvement after year 1. 

 

On the plus side, if you fail but have interest in a golf career it can serve as a foot in the door. I've met several PGA Pros working at clubs who did not play college golf. Some played other sports and then tried their hand professionally, but weren't successful.  

[jdl]

JonesScott? 

 

 

[Dutch1008]

On 1/20/2023 at 2:26 PM, Hkovo17 said:

Can get 170 ball speed/114 club with driver and carry it ~280 pretty consistently - and that's now - with no distance/strength work with a coach.

You got a long way to go man. 280 is like bottom barrel of the tour. You'd need to be absolutely lethal with your wedges and putter to survive that weakness. There are gains to be made for sure, but at 27 you should be in physical prime. Do you know how many high school kids are carrying it 300 with their cruising speed? A 300 yd carry is like table stakes these days.   

 

Also, I find it a bit odd that you haven't mentioned a handicap. if you're a legit plus and consistently in the 60's a tough home track, go through open qualifying. You'll get a pretty good idea if you have what it takes. 

 

But 1st things 1st, get out of Philly and over to a place you can play year round. Preferably somewhere with a cheap cost of living and abundant golf. Los Angeles is not your answer. It's expensive to live and expensive to play. Not even tour pros live in CA these days. They've all moved to Vegas, Phoenix, TX, or FL.    

[reggus1]

I currently play off a +6 handicap, have won a few tournaments back in the day and also have shot a 14 under 57 plus a 60, and numerous 61's. On my home course I shot 28 under once in a 4 rounder. I went caddying worldwide and have caddied on 7 major tours including DP World, PGA, LPGA, KFT. I thought I was a good golfer and yes occasionally and during one off rounds or weeks I may beable to compete with these top pros but it's not the golf that just counts. In fact it's a small part. To be a tour pro you need to be in peak physical shape to survive months of travel, 100s of balls hit and miles walked. Plus then youre sleeping in different beds every week, time zone changes, different foods etc, loneliness and then same routine over and over of hotels planes, and driving. It's tiresome and stressful even for the best in the world who make millions. It's also hard putting up with a couple of hundred people on site each week who all have different personalities gossip etc.

 

If its a dream and passion and you believe in yourself I'd go for it. It might be a shock and you might not last but you have to try!. My advice would be def give it a try as long as you have $80-100k per year to use to fund it. If you have a great swing/short game you honestly don't need a swing coach, maybe someone to advise you and look at video on occasions. (Putting is more important). If you have a Trackman or GC Quad which almost every pro even mini tour has now it makes things even easier. I would definitely recommend getting in elite physical shape, if you aren't already, and see a sports psychologist regularly. The most important things though I believe are you need extreme self confidence, you have to believe and/or fool yourself into thinking you can win every tournament, not just make a cut or cash a top 10. If youre not playing to win and don't think you can you won't last long. You also need to be super competitive, like win at all costs attitude. You need a ton of knowledge. Pick the brains of everyone in the golf world who has tour pro experience. If you play a course in any tournament study it all, so you know it inside out before the tournament starts. The more knowledge of the course will give you the belief youre better prepared  than anyone. Finally have a schedule and include a ton of rest. You dont need to be hitting balls for hours a day. Your body will soon break down doing that esp on the road. Have a bunch of rest days, limit your practise to quality practise.

 

I hope this lengthy post provided some tips or knowledge and I'm all for anyone giving anything a go if it's a dream. You only live once. Make sure you're all in, fully committed, know what it's all about, and makes sure you have fun!. Go hard and be confident 🙂. Goodluck if you have a crack at it.

[Hkovo17]

3 hours ago, Dutch1008 said:

You got a long way to go man. 280 is like bottom barrel of the tour. You'd need to be absolutely lethal with your wedges and putter to survive that weakness. There are gains to be made for sure, but at 27 you should be in physical prime. Do you know how many high school kids are carrying it 300 with their cruising speed? A 300 yd carry is like table stakes these days.   

 

Also, I find it a bit odd that you haven't mentioned a handicap. if you're a legit plus and consistently in the 60's a tough home track, go through open qualifying. You'll get a pretty good idea if you have what it takes. 

 

But 1st things 1st, get out of Philly and over to a place you can play year round. Preferably somewhere with a cheap cost of living and abundant golf. Los Angeles is not your answer. It's expensive to live and expensive to play. Not even tour pros live in CA these days. They've all moved to Vegas, Phoenix, TX, or FL.    

280 carry is a rollout of ~305 total. But yeah still not where I need to be and that's just a bad stat for me to randomly throw out there.
My situation in LA would actually be really affordable because I'd be living with other people (it's only $200 more/month than I'm paying now). I should've mentioned this - 
I can shoot anywhere from even to a few over competitively having not played for a few months. If I'm playing I am very consistent in the high 60's/low 70's (which again, is still not good enough but that's still with no coach, etc...). 

Appreciate all the input. This turned out to be a cool thread that I think will help others at least mentally work through similar feelings. Cheers

[So_Cal]

They mentioned a stat during the Sony Open.  0.006% of golf pros make it to the PGA Tour.  Not saying it can’t be done, but those are the numbers.  

[Dutch1008]

4 minutes ago, Hkovo17 said:

280 carry is a rollout of ~305 total. But yeah still not where I need to be and that's just a bad stat for me to randomly throw out there.
My situation in LA would actually be really affordable because I'd be living with other people (it's only $200 more/month than I'm paying now). I should've mentioned this - 
I can shoot anywhere from even to a few over competitively having not played for a few months. If I'm playing I am very consistent in the high 60's/low 70's (which again, is still not good enough but that's still with no coach, etc...). 

Appreciate all the input. This turned out to be a cool thread that I think will help others at least mentally work through similar feelings. Cheers

The problems with LA aren't just housing affordability. The public golf here is pretty bad. There are two options, $50-60 to play 5 hour rounds at a beat up muni or $150+ to play something decent. There are some exceptions. I'd kill to have the resident rate at Torrey Pines. There are decent options in the Inland Empire but that's quite a hike from LA. But if you're looking to play and practice a lot, and to do those things at a course that is long and challenging, LA is a very expensive place to make that happen. 

 

I played with a kid recently that is trying to chase that dream. He payed in college and now has a job in software sales. He works remotely and allegedly makes pretty good money only working a few hours every morning. Said he was either practicing or playing by noon everyday. He shot a 68 on a pretty easy course from 6700 yds. He was a good player w/o many weaknesses but i don't think he hit a single shot that round that really blew me away. Regardless, if you want to waste a year or two chasing that dream, try to find a job like this kid.     

[Krt22]

15 minutes ago, Hkovo17 said:

If I'm playing I am very consistent in the high 60's/low 70's (which again, is still not good enough but that's still with no coach, etc...). 
 

I play with a few former college golfers , they are +3/+4, high 60s/low 70s is an off day for them, and all said they didn't think once about going pro.  Realistically I think you need to get to +6 or better and even then it's still a huge long shot. 

 

I know a few guys trying the minitour/Mackenzie/KFT route and so far none of them have had any real success, but they keep at it since they have financial backers. They do get to play on some very nice private courses though, so that is a plus! If you have the financial support I would say why not give a shot. If it doesn't work out, at least it will help grow a social network, perhaps get you some playing privileges, invites to top tier member guests, etc.

[golfandfishing]

Following this thread and it’s always tough to see talk of handicaps and tour golf in the same sentence. I know it’s how we measure player’s ability but it really has zero bearing in the world of professional golf. Simply put none of those guys give a rat’s rear end what their handicap is. Can you shoot 64 to (maybe) Monday qualify then, depending on the course, 2 rounds of 70 to make the cut?  That’s tournament golf. Then past that, there is tour golf which is again a different thing - it’s managing yourself, your health, your ability to play a practice round, a pro am, 4 rounds of tournament golf, travel, do it all again then do it all AGAIN without hurting yourself and keeping your game clean. Managing your life/lifestyle is just as important. A handicap has nothing at all to do with this. Nothing. 

[Hkovo17]

8 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

I play with a few former college golfers , they are +3/+4, high 60s/low 70s is an off day for them, and all said they didn't think once about going pro.  Realistically I think you need to get to +6 or better and even then it's still a huge long shot. 

 

I know a few guys trying the minitour/Mackenzie/KFT route and so far none of them have had any real success, but they keep at it since they have financial backers. They do get to play on some very nice private courses though, so that is a plus! If you have the financial support I would say why not give a shot. If it doesn't work out, at least it will help grow a social network, perhaps get you some playing privileges, invites to top tier member guests, etc.

 

Yeah if the financial backing is there, I'm there with you. Most of these guys at the smaller levels have financial backings. Heck if I were a rich dude I would absolutely invest in some kid that came to me and said, "I really think I can do this" and he had the game to back it up.

Realistically my Dad would give me a hard time doing this, whereas my mom would be all in and smile with a "go get 'em" attitude. Dad is logical, Mom's more emotional. $100K is a lot of money (someone else said $80-$100K) to need to survive at this lifestyle. I guess with rent - $1,500/month, equipment - $10K/year, entry fees - $250/event, a coach, gym membership/etc., it can add up - $100K seems steep. $50K maybe more realistic with budget-living.

 

Random Nietzsche quote: "I know of know better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and impossible. The fact that something seems impossible shouldn't be a reason to not pursue it, that's exactly what makes it worth pursuing. Where would the courage and greatness be, if success was certain and there was no risk? The only true failure is shrinking away from life's challenges." 
 

[TheNutman]

Wow, some negativity in here. Follow your dream, give it a shot,

 

but keep in mind a plan b such as meeting people in the golf industry. If you can't make it as a pro maybe you have a career around the game. Most of the time I'd rather be broke and playing golf than sitting behind computer all day and not broke. 

[st1800e]

On 1/19/2023 at 1:57 PM, golfinbrad said:

Sure if you go back 40 years ago.

I didn’t see a time limit….