PGA Tour: How do the "Tommy Gaineys" survive?

[iacas]

Strangely, I believe that the top players have their flights, hotel stay, car travel etc 'comped'.... Thats not really fair on the lower league players but thats how it works in my view. Its all about incentivisation!(

Believe it all you want, but you're wrong (on the PGA Tour). European Tour events can offer "incentives" to come, and even appearance fees, but not the PGA Tour.

About the only thing the PGA Tour can do is like what the John Deere did - offer guys a free flight. If they do that, they can't discriminate - everyone who is going to the British Open gets to fly if they want.

[ElWagonne]

Believe it all you want, but you're wrong (on the PGA Tour). European Tour events can offer "incentives" to come, and even appearance fees, but not the PGA Tour.

I have to differ on this one. While the PGA Tour can't offer incentives, I can see where individual hotels or airlines would "comp" top tour players for travel expenses.

[jrode]

Anyone that makes $100,000 in a season isn't going to have any problems with their quality of living. It's not going to be the life of luxury that guys like Tiger and Phil lead, but it's in the high income level and that's not even factoring in their significant other working and making however much it is they make and any endorsements they have.

[krb]

Anyone that makes $100,000 in a season isn't going to have any problems with their quality of living. It's not going to be the life of luxury that guys like Tiger and Phil lead, but it's in the high income level and that's not even factoring in their significant other working and making however much it is they make and any endorsements they have.

$100000

- travel expenses - caddie fees - all the stuff I don't know about - state/federal income tax = not much (even in Kansas)

[Chilli Dipper]

Greg Norman is currently 125th on the 2008 PGA Tour Money List, having earned $509,618 for his troubles at Royal Birkdale. So, considering that the guys who are barely holding on to their tour cards for next year are going to finish the season making closer to a million bucks than squat, I would say the journeymen manage quite well for themselves.

[jrode]

$100000

$100,000 is a damn good income for A LOT of people in the country and like I said that's not even including sponsorships and the income of their wife if she works.

Many people live a very good life off of $100,000.

[Clubswinger21]

Tommy Gainey is still learning to play with the big dogs. Obviously he's got some nerves because he narrowly missed his PGA tour card playing his 1st year on the nationwide tour. And then played his way on to the PGA tour through q-school as already mentioned. You dont do that unless you can play 4 solid rounds of golf.

He's also got an endorsement contract with Callaway which has gotta be worth a bit of cash. I think its gonna be a bit different for him though. Maybe ending up back on the Nationwide tour again, right now i think thats where he belongs untill he can get his sh*t together.

Players like him can survive by playing better... if thats what you were asking.

[glebert]

I heard that the endorsement money isn't what it used to be. I remember watching The Player's Championship and them talking about Paul Goydos' Long Beach State cap, and how he had been offered a "hat deal" that week but turned it down because it a.) he didn't want to change his clubs going into TPC and b.) it wasn't that much money, they threw out a number like $70k (which isn't chump change but it isn't Tiger money either). I guess he wanted to wear his lucky cap too :)

I really wanted Paul to win that one.

[iacas]

Many people live a very good life off of $100,000.

I think you missed the part where he subtracted about $80 to $90k of that $100k.

And then played his way on to the PGA tour through q-school as already mentioned. You dont do that unless you can play 4 solid rounds of golf.

I think the final stage of Q School is

six rounds over four days .

I heard that the endorsement money isn't what it used to be. I remember watching The Player's Championship and them talking about Paul Goydos' Long Beach State cap, and how he had been offered a "hat deal" that week but turned it down because it a.) he didn't want to change his clubs going into TPC and b.) it wasn't that much money, they threw out a number like $70k.

To be fair, I wouldn't call $70k bad if that's an accurate number, either. After all, this is for Paul Goydos, who before The Players was even less well known than Tommy Gainey.

[krb]

Many people live a very good life off of $100,000.

I would agree with that statement. My point was that $100000 in winnings is not equal to $100000 in take-home pay.

[jrode]

I think you missed the part where he subtracted about $80 to $90k of that $100k.

None of what he subtracted would amount anywhere near 80k-90k of that.

Absolutely no way that travel fees, paying your caddy and whatever else he listed amount to anywhere near that and there's no way (unless you have exact numbers) that you'll ever get me to believe that.

[Smallville]

None of what he subtracted would amount anywhere near 80k-90k of that.

Well seeing how he is self employed, he'll have to pay 100% of his social security, plus his federal, state and all the other taxes plus insurance (PGA may pay that, I don't know) so you can figure close to 50% right there. If he played 20 tournaments a year and flew, you can figure at a minimum $300 for air fare each tournament, that's another 6%, hotels (figuring 3 nights on the assumption they make the cut half the time and don't show up early for practice rounds) $50 a night, $150 per tournament times 20 is 3% so we are up to almsot 60% already. I am another of those people who knows a former Tour Player. However mine was back in the early 70s - - he actually grew up playing the juniors with Tom Watson and they went pro the same year. Every time I played with him in the early 90s I just couldn't imagine how he couldn't have made it on tour, he was the best I had ever seen - - - I think the worst I saw him shoot was 2 over and that was on a day he was working more with me than playing golf. He shot par or better (best I saw him shoot was 7 under) almost every time. Of course this was with friends on regular people tracks, not with Tour Playes on TPC Courses. What he told me was he quit because he got tired of sleeping in seedy motels and eating hot dogs. He had sponsors but whatever money he won, he had to pay his sponsor back first before he got his (I assume his sponsor paid the entry fee). The money wasn't near as good back then (I remember Watson leading the money list with about $460,000). I told him I couldn't believe he still wasn't out there, but he said, it's a lot different trying to make a putt when it means you are going to eat steak tonight or go hungry again. I lost touch with him in the middle 90s, he got divorced and moved to Texas and I haven't talked to him since. He was going to join the senior tour, but it's 8 years past where he could have tried to qualify but I have yet to see his name. He said after he left the tour, he made more money playing in Florida in the summers than he ever made on Tour.

[TheGolfingDetective]

$100,000 is a damn good income for A LOT of people in the country and like I said that's not even including sponsorships and the income of their wife if she works.

Come to NYC, see what the low six figures gets you. And I do about 50-60 hours overtime a month to hit that mark.

[egehoski]

After all, this is for Paul Goydos, who before The Players was even less well known than Tommy Gainey.

No, you are wrong. Two Tour wins for Goydos. Maybe less well known to "Big Break Fanatics", than Gainey. But not to regular Tour fans. No way.

I realize that this has nothing to do with the original topic, but that was way wrong.

[jrode]

Come to NYC, see what the low six figures gets you. And I do about 50-60 hours overtime a month to hit that mark.

Didn't know everyone lived in New York City.

$100,000 gets a single person A LOT in most US cities and gets most families quite a bit most places in the country.

[TheGolfingDetective]

That's kind of my point. Money is relative. Is 100K alot to a kid who's family had enough money to provide him with lessons from a young age, and allow him to play what is probably one of the two most expensive sports to play consistently (hockey in this area would be the other, IMHO)? 100K IS alot to me, but I come from a pricey part of the country and come from a single parent household, but even then it's not what I would like to have to provide for kids, if my wife and I wanted to have any.

I'm saying I don't think there are a ton of guys on any professional tour who aren't from a rather comfortable upbringing in a decent part of the country, so 100K to them might not be what it is to you and me.

However, that brings up an interesting second thought, maybe that's what allows them to play the secondary tours and scratch by until they get that one big pay day that sets them up for a few years.

[jrode]

100k is a lot to me.

I'm from Wisconsin and live about 40 minutes from Madison. My parents don't make 100k a year and they are in the process of building a 300k home closer to Madison. 100k might not be a life of luxury like Tiger and Phil are leading, but 100k is plenty to give you a good life.

[steve8820]

$100,000 is a damn good income for A LOT of people in the country and like I said that's not even including sponsorships and the income of their wife if she works.

Yes, but the average person does not have the expenses that a tour player has. When you factor in travel costs, that 100K will not last long......