How good do you need to be to play on PGA tour?

[LongballGer]

. I know a couple guys that used to play on the european tour and this sounds about right.

Although it's more like high 60s - low 70s for hard tournament courses, mid 60s on a good day and mid 70s on a bad day.

Originally Posted by golfyboy4

at least shooting low-mid sixties on munis every time,and on tournemant courses mid-high sixties every time.

[millsy64]

not a huge difference between mini tours and main tour in my opinion, just a bit of luck getting a break, (eg playing well at q school) , lots of good players on mini tours cant afford to play because of expenses etc

[majorchamp]

I actually have no clue if I have responded to this thread before or not lol, but I'm too lazy to search so I will just post anyways.

I was a part of back to back High School State Championships in 1998 - 1999, being runner up medalist individually in 1998. I got a partial scholarship to a Division 1 school (University of Evansville in Indiana) and played every tournament but 1 in my 4 years there. I had a 4 year avg of 77.4. My low tournament score was a 5 under 67 in which I got 2nd or 4th in that tournament (don't remember). I never had a medalist in my 4 years, but did get a handful of top 5's individually.

During my "peak" I was a +2 / +3. I attempted to qualify for multiple U.S. Amateurs and did 2 Sectional U.S. Open qualifiers. I've played many difficult and famous golf courses including PineHurst #2, Kiawah Island Ocean Course, Crooked Stick, and more. These were during tournaments. In fact, the Kiawah Island Tournament had, at the time the #1 junior player in the country Hunter Mahan. He smoked me by 10 shots: http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com/smtresultscourse_archive.asp?TID=602

My lowest round, period, was an 8 under 64 (with 2 bogeys) at my local golf course from the tips. I've fired off a few 6 under 65's (one with 3 bogeys) at a different local course (tips). These were during my peak years and the time I would have considered trying to go pro.

I didn't. Those scores and such are very impressive IMHO, but I am also realistic enough to know what it takes to truly go Pro.

Not "assistant pro" Pro, but a touring pro. I even had an offer on my lap to try out for the mini-tours from people who "believed" I had the skills to perform out there. I know I didn't have the skills. I think I am a damn good golfer, but I am not tour level and people don't realize HOW GOOD those players are.

I had trouble beating my fellow peers in college at a tournament level. I had difficulty beating my fellow peers at an Indiana local amateur tournament level. I had difficulty being my fellow peers at a national amateur level. What on gods earth would give me the impression I have the ability to go out against players who shoot 65's on a consistent basis on the mini-tours.

For the most part, and this is a general statement, the mini-tour players don't hold a candle to the PGA Tour Players.  I just didn't envy nor want the constant traveling year round trying to make qualifiers or struggling to make the cut for a measly paycheck.

I realize that practice makes perfect and sure there is always the snowballs chance in hell that if I would have gone on the mini-tour..the constant practicing, focus, drive, etc.. could have ascended me to the next level, but that would have been a long hard road with a ton of sacrifices on the way.

I don't regret it at all. I am in a very happy place now and though I would love to play golf more often (married, kids, full time job, etc..), I am content. I would like, however ,to try and qualify for the U.S. Open one day. I still believe I am young enough to have the opportunity if I can put things together.

anyways, I just wanted to chime in on this subject.

[cdnglf]

I can't remember who it was, but I once saw a pro on tv say something like this:

Tee off with two balls. Play the worse of the two. Repeat for every shot of the round. If you can break par, you're ready for the tour.

(I'm pretty sure it was on Playing with the Pros on The Golf Channel, but I'm not sure who it was... maybe Justin Leonard)

[LankyLefty]

This spring I played mostly at a course that was about 6800 yards from the tips, with among the highest slope ratings in the area. The club champ at that course was about +2 cap. He took a vacation down to TPC Sawgrass right around the players, played 3 rounds shot 88, 84 and 93.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by LankyLefty

This spring I played mostly at a course that was about 6800 yards from the tips, with among the highest slope ratings in the area. The club champ at that course was about +2 cap. He took a vacation down to TPC Sawgrass right around the players, played 3 rounds shot 88, 84 and 93.

Dang!  Is the guy a true +2 or a +2 at his club??

[LankyLefty]

Hes a real +2, really good golfer, and this particular course is no cake walk even if it was his home course.

The 92 was a bit of an aberration he shot  shot a 10 on a par 4. He said that the 2 things that were hardest to adjust to were the rough and the sight lines.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by LankyLefty

Hes a real +2, really good golfer, and this particular course is no cake walk even if it was his home course.

The 92 was a bit of an aberration he shot  shot a 10 on a par 4. He said that the 2 things that were hardest to adjust to were the rough and the sight lines.

Just curious because I know some guys that are no where near a +2 and shot a lot better at Sawgrass last year.  I believe the guys as I have played with them, but I have never played Sawgrass.  Maybe I don't want to now....

[LankyLefty]

Well he played literall only a few days after the players, I assume they really toughen the course.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by LankyLefty

Well he played literall only a few days after the players, I assume they really toughen the course.

Agreed

[mirv]

i read a blurb that lee trevino said, years and years ago, that if you can shoot par from the tips on any golf course (meaning someone could point to any random course in the world and you go shoot par, not just "pick any one course and shoot par"), you're about ready for the tour.  that was probably back in the 60s or 70s when he said that... i guess if we were still playing persimmons and balatas, it might still be an accurate assessment.  it's pretty amazing how much lower the scores have gotten in the past two decades, and not even the scores to win, just the scores to even hang on tour.

[golfdu]

To win on the PGA Tour, you must drive the ball 291 yards (carry+roll), hit 66.4% of fairways, hit 72.9% of greens, go for it's (second shot on par 5's) must be accomplished 58.3%, take 27.6 putts per round, putt less than 1.7 per GIR for the entire tournament, and scramble 71.1% of the time. All that statistics is from AimPoint Golf. Oh, and one more thing, the most important stat, master the 6 inches between your ears.

[carpediem4300]

Another perspective is the scores from the nationwide tour, midwest classic over the weekend,

winner was james nitties @ -26 with rounds of 65/63/65/65

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by golfdu

To win on the PGA Tour, you must drive the ball 291 yards (carry+roll), hit 66.4% of fairways, hit 72.9% of greens, go for it's (second shot on par 5's) must be accomplished 58.3%, take 27.6 putts per round, putt less than 1.7 per GIR for the entire tournament, and scramble 71.1% of the time. All that statistics is from AimPoint Golf. Oh, and one more thing, the most important stat, master the 6 inches between your ears.

It doesn't get any more specific than that.

[Clambake]

Originally Posted by golfdu

To win on the PGA Tour, you must drive the ball 291 yards (carry+roll), hit 66.4% of fairways, hit 72.9% of greens, go for it's (second shot on par 5's) must be accomplished 58.3%, take 27.6 putts per round, putt less than 1.7 per GIR for the entire tournament, and scramble 71.1% of the time. All that statistics is from AimPoint Golf. Oh, and one more thing, the most important stat, master the 6 inches between your ears.

And one has to be able to do all that for 4 days in a row living out of a suitcase, playing on courses set up long and tight with deep rough and fast greens in front of thousands of people and TV cameras in your face, as 150 other golfers who are just as good are trying to beat your brains in, and your entire livelihood is on the line with each and every shot.      Eh, piece of cake......

[Sing Golfer]

Originally Posted by stebed

Not sure that being a + handicap is really needed. Ian Poulter turned pro at handicap 4 and worked really hard to win money. I know he is the guy people love to hate but he earns a decent living on tour. If you look at the winning scores on the nationwide tour they are often -18 plus, yet you look at the pga and you would win/ earn a decent living at -3 per round. So what is the difference between the 2? Pressure! I don't think we can appreciate how tough a course is set up for a PGA event.

That is the rare exception. There are a number of threads on here that cover it pretty well but the best is a recent golf or golf digest article that analyses the difference between scratch and pro (estimated to be +6 or better).

The difference is massive if you are playing a regular round at a regular course - even more on a tour setup.

Any dispute, ask Jerry Rice. +1 handicap, used to crowds and the big show and missed the cut by more than 20 shots in a Nationwide Event. So there is a +handicap asking for 4 or 5 a side from guys who can't make the PGA Tour.

The US Amateur is currently on. I am not sure how you would find out the handicaps of these guys but you need to be 1.5 or lower just to fill in the form and I doubt anyone made the matchplay is off higher than +2.

[Duffy]

This is an interesting question. One answer was given to us on Feherty's  show a couple of weeks ago when Ian Poulter was asked how he got into the PGA. He had forged a card and sent it to the PGA and was accepted. His handicap at the time was a -4. Hey, I'm a 7, does that mean that at 63 I still have a chance?

[GaijinGolfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by st0wgolf08

None

Hm, I don't think it's that mental, my junior golf tournaments probably have as many as 50 strangers watching so I don't feel it would be any different, if not any easier, knowing I'm pro.

The different from junior golf to being a pro though is knowing that 1 bad shot can make a huge different in whether or not you can afford to make it to the next tournament and whether that week you are going to be eating steak or pork and beans.  The pressure is a lot greater when you are playing to make a living.