College, maybe even PGA?

That's where I was a few years ago (now a college frosh).

Work out, get yourself a swing coach/consistent lessons, and PRACTICE YOUR SHORT GAME.

If you do those 3 on a regular basis, you'll most likely end up at college level. The difference, for me, between my game at the end of high school and the golfers on my Patriot League D1 school's team (not Army or Navy, either :) ) was the short game. I had no problem tee to green... I'd hit like 85 to 90% of fairways and about the same % for greens, but unless you can make the up and down to save par when you get in trouble, you most likely won't make D1 golf. Also, 3 putts are a score killer.

The biggest takeaway for me from my time on my high school team is that I should have worked my short game harder. If I could do it all again I would work so much harder on chipping and putting. I'm told all the time that I have a beautiful swing, and people wonder why I don't play for the school.......that's the reason why. Didn't practice short game enough in high school.

As far as skimping on one of those 3 if you have to; definitely working out is the one you can neglect most often. I am 5'9" and 135 lbs (skinny as a rail). The extra distance you'll get from being stronger is certainly nice, and can help in some situations, but it's not game breaking like the consistent lessons and short game are.

EDIT: PGA level golf is a big dream to have, so good on you for it. I don't want to be the rainy cloud, but very very few people get to go PGA. Even some of the D1 golfers from college don't; and I'm talking about powerhouse D1 schools where they can golf all year round.

Well ... 81-83 on what course?  What are the measured handicaps?  I see you're listed as 8 here.

My suggestion:  go out and continue enjoying playing.  Practice intelligently, get good instruction, and keep good clubs.

Continue doing well in school so you don't end up with a good school wanting you but not getting into it academically (this happened to Luke Donald, although he ended up at a good school).

It would help if we knew more about your game. How long have you been playing? How far do you hit it now? Still growing?  How long/tough are the courses you are currently playing? Where are you playing? Is it south enough to play all year?

College: Getting a college golf scholarship is really competitive and requires you to not only be scratch, but enter and do well in the AJGA to get the attention of college coaches. Just making some college golf programs is definitely possible for you if you are able to improve over the next few years. Many D1 (in the north), D2 and D3 schools hold a try-out and it is do-able if you can put up 4 rounds in the mid to high 70s in a row. I don't know what your game looks like at all. Just based on your 81-83 scoring average, you need to cut about 8 shots and be able to shoot mid-70s under pressure. The southern schools are about 5 shots better on average and don't hold tryouts.

I played D1 in the Northeast. 4 year starter, Co-captain of my team, and played in over 40 tournaments. My scoring average was between 75-77. This was in crappy New England conditions and on 6800+ yard tracks. Several times I was very happy posting a 79 when it was 38 degrees, sleeting and the wind was blowing 40 mph. Anyway, I was shooting in the high 70s and low 80s during my freshman year of high school. You aren't that far off as long as you keep improving over the next three years. If you want to play down south, you need to improve a lot.

PGA: Do you mean PGA tour or a PGA club pro? PGA Tour...the easy answer is no way, not going to happen. The people that become PGA pros are shooting in the 60s when they are in high school. If you just started the game, maybe you have a chance to improve rapidly, but the PGA Tour is almost impossible to make. It is not a realistic dream unless you are extremely talented early on and get on the right track to pursue it. Becoming a club pro is a lot more attainable and a good college player would probably be able to do it.

EDIT: My advice would be to try and keep having fun with the game. It is nice to try and improve and get better, but I have seen several people burn out because golf just doesn't become fun anymore. Stay patient, work on your short game (as others have said) and the scores will come down. If you want to get to the college level, it is definitely do-able if you put your mind to it and work on your game over the next few years. Good luck!

@Copaman:

I played Patriot League golf too and graduated a few years ago. Good times. Cheers!

It's always good to set high goals and to work your butt off to acheive them, but prepare for the reality that getting to the tour requires immense talent, mental fortitude and more than a bit of luck.  Keep at it and you might get there but understand that somethings are just impossible to control.

Take it one step at a time...find a pro you trust, devote all of your time to good practice, get yourself to right around scratch over the next year or so, and get yourself used to playing in serious tournament situations.  Show well enough and you might attract the attention of some colleges.  If a scholarship doesn't materialize, make sure your grades are good enough to get you admission somewhere.  You can always trust your game and try out for the golf team as a walk on.  Once you've got the college hurdle down, then you can start thinking about a career in golf, whatever that might be.

I'd never say never but I tend to agree with JoePro on this one...even the non-touring pros that I know were at scratch before they started high school so you're already at a slight disadvantage to the competition.  That said, this doesn't mean that golf won't play a big role in your future no matter what happens.

I have seen this type of question on here more than a few times.  A lot of people think, "Hey, if i put in a few good years of practice I can play in college and then on to the PGA I go."  Golf has gotten so popular over the past 10 years, (and competitive) that kids are shooting in the 70's and even 60's at tournaments when they are 13 or 14.  I was a 1.2 handicap in high school and played well in the two state championships that we qualified for and was not offered any scholarships.  I did end up playing at a DIV 2 college and can say that you could walk on to some teams that we played right now.  Those schools are just starting their golf programs and really just need warm bodies to fill spots.

College golf- depending on the school, Yes

PGA- pipe dream

That is completely up to you and your natural talent.. When I was 16 I went out golfing for the first time using rental clubs with my grandfather.. That fall I tried out for the high school team.. Thank goodness they had a reserve squad.. LOL I made the reserves with a seasonal average of 49 per 9 holes.. Following summer I bought a student membership and practiced every day.. When I came back for my Senior year, I placed #1 varsity with a 0 handicap..  I had then moved on to playing Div 1 golf in college for 2 years.. However, due to physical spinal problems.. I was unable to take it any further then that..

I wish the best of luck to you and your friend..  Best advice is to know your game, and learn how to use it to your advantage..

There are very few PGA players that were not prodigies when they were your age.  A handful took golf up past the age of 12, but even in this group, when they did, they accelerated very quickly.

College golf is realistic, but only if you start now by making it the No. 1 priority in your life, including shelling out a lot of money for private lessons.  You need to ask yourself if you are willing to give up a lot of your social life and other committments and devote yourself entirely to golf.

Some of us have entertained this possibility, even without the chance to play college golf =)