PGA Professional (tour pro or regular pro)

[Teedub7]

i am 15 and i have a serious passion for the game. I practice everyday and i am finally getting good. So last spring, we had a meeting with someone who we were supposed to discuss a future career with. When i said i wanted to becomea a professional golfer, the lady was very dissapointed. She said i was wasting a great mind and that there are too many pros that dont make enough money. I am in the top 5% of my high school and i take all honors classes, but i want to make a living playing golf. Is there a way where i can go to college, get paid really well, and still become a professional golfer. Also, my mom is against me becoming a pro golfer, since my cousin took up the profession and he dropped out of college. I feel like i have the tools to become a professional, but that i might be wasting another gift in my schooling. Any advice would be appreciated. I need to talk to my mom and make sure she understands, and i need to prove that lady wrong, and that i can become sucessful as a golfer. Thanks :)

[Shindig]

First, if anything I say here contradicts what a pro on the board says, disregard any conflicting information from me because they're right!

My suggestion is as follows: continue to work on your studies and your golf. There's no sense putting your eggs in one basket. You're 15 and have an achievable dream, so it's worth going for, and giving yourself a fall-back.

Prepare to play golf for college. There are many great schools that have good D1 programs. You might not want to go to the best school for golf, since the PGA Tour doesn't draft players from college the way the NBA and NFL do. You'll want to play for a team where you'll get plenty of play time and access to the practice area.

While in college, work on your studies and your golf - same as you should be doing now. Pick a major that you'll enjoy - don't just pick an "easy" major. First, they aren't always easy, and second, there's no easy college course if you aren't enjoying it. Maybe you love math? If so, major in math so you'll enjoy your classes. That way, you can maintain a good GPA and have good job prospects when you graduate. Look at Dave Pelz - he couldn't beat his college rival, so he used his degree and went to work for NASA, and then later found his way back to golf.

In the meantime, play amateur events that you have access to. They might be local ones, or you might be ready for the US Junior Amateur or US Amateur at some point.

By going to school, getting a degree, and spending 4 more years in which you can practice winning at golf, you get hopefully the golf job you want out of school, or at some point. If you can't get it for some reason (lack of available positions at courses, never getting through second stage of Q-School, etc - for whichever path you choose), you'll have a degree to fall back on. And you'll keep your parents happy long enough to see you succeed at being a golf pro so they'll know you have a good career going. Anthony Kim was doing this until something caused him to drop out of school to go pro.

Vijay Singh was barely making ends meet in his early days as a pro - I doubt you want to go through that. But maybe you'll get sponsors (as Zach Johnson did - recall he wasn't the best player for his HS or college) or you'll get a club job and then find yourself on tour (as George McNeill did).


Long story short - there are plenty of ways to go about this without closing doors to other opportunities. When I was your age (I'm not much older now), I had a dream job in mind - I figured out halfway through undergraduate studies that that isn't what I want to do, and hence I find myself with even more school to find a job that I now want.

[Q.Q.Quillume]

When i said i wanted to becomea a professional golfer, the lady said...there are too many pros that dont make enough money.

1st, the lady is right. But people do not always select their career paths solely based on how much money they expect to make.

2nd, why don't you talk with some golf pros? Club pros for sure and tour pros if you have access to any. From the club pro, find out what the career ladder is to the "club pro" and "golf director" level, how long it takes to acheive those levels and what you're likely to be earning on the career ladder from entry level to the top of the ladder. Also, find out what the working hours are likely to be. Also, the path to successful tour pro is very elusive and you're going to have to improve your golf game a lot to even be able to qualify to be a Class A PGA Professional. 3rd, what Shindig says. And good luck!

[mutadayen]

Take this for what it is, but do not listen to anyone who isn't you. Again, do not listen to anyone who isn't you. I highly recommend listening to talk by Randy Pausch called "The Last Lecture". (May he rest in peace) Its and hour and 15 minutes long, but well worth it. Here's the link:



There's one thing in there that really drilled me when I listened to it, and it's the part about brick walls. The professor says brick walls weren't created to keep everyone out, instead "Brick walls are there for a reason...they let us prove how badly we want things." I was 15 fourteen years ago and I know how people like to rain on one's dreams. Every person who's successful is in the minute. Some are born with it, while some earn it, and some mature into it.

Your mom saw someone who wasnt hungry enough for it, but if you have a passion for it, then go for it. I dont know your mother, and i'm sure she's a wonderful person, but even she doesn't know what's best for you. I just had a son and I want the world for him, but I want him to do what is best for him and will let him decide when he gets your age. So, with that, if you're in the top 5% of your class and you're a good golfer, then persue both. Why not attend a college that is known for their academics and their golf (a certain Nike endorsed golfer did exactly that...excelled at golf while excelling at Stanford). Why not research and find the top 100 universities and the top 50 rated golf universities and see which ones fall within the same rankings. I can tell you Duke, Stanford, Northwestern are a few that come to mind right off the bat. Do you see where i'm getting at with this? While you're pursuing your engineering, medical, law, accounting degree (whichever is to your liking), you can learn how to really play golf at the same time and play in tournaments and practice pretty much at your own free will. Put as much time in your golf swing as you do you in your studies, and only you will figure out how far that will take you.

Look a Sir Richard Branson who owns Virgin Atlatnic. The man came from little and has built an empire, but he doesnt live behind his desk. He runs all of his businesses but still lives the life he wants.

So what after you graduate? Do you persue a career or golf? Again, if you have the means, then dont give up on your dream.

Pose this question to yourself. You're in the top 5% of your class, meaning 95% of the rest of your class is behind you academically. Well, you're thinking on a small scale. Think on a worldly scale. Do you wanna fall back into that 95% class of everyone else who does a regular job and is just satisfied with a job and a regular check, or do you wanna still hold your 5% status? Just a question you should always ask yourself.

You live once...dont live timid.

[Dent]

It may be possible, but like alot say, most kids who have the slimest chance on the PGA are either scratch or in the +'s at 15. You may although, want to consider being a Club pro at your local club, or even an assistant pro.

Maybe something to do with the game, aside from playing, like sales.

[golf_junkie27]

I'll give you the same advice I gave another young person on the board: Follow your dreams.

I'm a parent and I would never say "no" to my sons unless it was something illegal. Money should be the least of your worries. Why? Because money will come as long as you are passionate and aggressive in your pursuit.

While you should have a backup plan, it should only come into play once you've exhausted all your opportunities. When exactly is that? Only you will know.

[Uber$winG]

First, I’d wait till you make it through puberty before deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life. Maybe you’re the kid that grows up and finds a cure for cancer, maybe you write the great American novel, maybe you don’t make it to sixteen. The point is this, when you’re a teenager your whole life is in your face all the time – don’t be one of those kids. Let life happen – just enjoy playing the game for now.

[Teedub7]

Thanks for all the replies. And I know I need to keep working on my game if Im going to become sucessful as a golfer. Thanks for the advice, now I understand why my mom wants me to focus on my studies, cause she would hate to see me fail.

[FlopShotArtist]

ALWAYS work on your studies, even if you are a scratch golfer at age 15. What if you play professional golf and severely injure yourself? How are you going to get your income?

[Ben]

First, if anything I say here contradicts what a pro on the board says, disregard any conflicting information

That's some extremely sound advice!

A few things I could add would be, play in American Junior Golf Association, AJGA events. That's a great place for kids to get recognized for college. A good friend of mine who plays AJGA started getting letters at 15 from colleges wanting him to come to their golf camps. Also check out pgalinks.com . This site outlines what it takes to become a working PGA Professional. It includes information on the Colleges that offer their PGA/PGM prgram.