Should I consider trying to make it as a professional?

[mlf16507]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Once again - putting the cart before the horse.

How about trying to be the best amateur you can be?

If you start winning everything, and get to +4 and can break par on most course in fair conditions, then you might have something to think about, especially if you play against the best amateurs around.

As far as mini-tours and minor "Pay for Play" tours, you do understand, that you are essentially buying yourself a job, don't you? And one that doesn't pay. How many club championships have you won? How many competitive events have you entered and done well in?

If you are prepared to work hard and save enough money to pay thousands of dollars in entry fees, travel, instruction, and competition  for a season with the opportunity to perhaps win back a tenth of what you have outlayed, then great. If there are people who are prepared to back you financially, even better.

Perhaps you should have a look at the orders of merit on the minor and mini tours and see how good you have to do to break even by winning back your entry fees.

On the other hand....if your opening statement was "I've been playing amateur competitions for the last four years and have won most of the important events I have entetered and have placed very well in most, have reached a +3 handicap and feel like I have reached the "next level" and have saved $50000 to give it my best shot for 2 years" I'd say go for it.  But realistically, at the moment you are not even a top level club golfer, so where does the "pro" bit come into the equation?

You didn't become a pro golfer - especially a tournament playing one - by just saying that's what you want to do.  But if you are prepared to back yourself financially after you have earnt your degree, your mother will be proud of you. Bottom line - we all want to play golf all the time.   Very, very, few can.

Not trying to be a downer, but these threads pop up every couple of months. There is never any follow up. It's a pipe drream we all have.

If you haven't read Paper Tiger, by Tom Coyne, do so.

Amen, Brother!!!!

[LfSideStrngSide]

Yeah, I agree with you completely on that. I feel like I'm right on the cusp of breaking into the +range, just haven't been able to practice the way I want to this summer bc of my internship. Luckily it ends Friday and I can play golf for the rest of the season. Last season I was able to work and play at a club. Beginning of season I was low 80s, and broke into 70s every 2-4 rounds from the tips. Visited my uncle mid summer and made a few changes. By the end of the season I was shooting in the low 70s every round. I believe if I can just work with him all the time the consistency will really amp up. He always knows what to say. Shot my first under par round with him on a trip in Georgia when I was 16.

Originally Posted by x129

Power beyond a certain point is not as important as control. It gets a bit tougher (but not impossible) to have that coordination when you are tall. I am not saying height  is going to prevent you from going pro, but I wouldn't list it as an asset they way being 6'2 with the lanky frame might be.

Yes some guys start golf later in life and are sucessful. Larry Nelson took up the game at 21. He also broke 70 with in 9 months of starting to play. But those guys are not you. You are a guy that has been playing forever and are at a 4.5 handicap. You need to get ~8 strokes better to have this conversation. How long did it take for you to get from a 12 to 4? The effort to get from 4 to +4 is at least 1 order of magnitude harder than that.

Again you have ~18 months before having to deal with this. See how good you can get over that time period and then reevaluate.  If your sitting at +1 or +2 that is a heck of a lot different than if your a 3.

[rsamsing]

I would say go for your dream.  You don't want to have regrets.  I'm not saying not to listen to your mom's advice but that's her advice, not the path that you have to follow.  I'd reccomend to be realistic, but it's also not going to happen unless you go for it.  I would also, like others have mentioned, work at a golf facility.  And for experience with your degree seek some  management opportunies and you should still be able to get 4-5 hours in per day if you don't have a family and are as committed as you need to be.  Good Luck!

[LfSideStrngSide]

Thank you! Appreciate the advice

Originally Posted by rsamsing

I would say go for your dream.  You don't want to have regrets.  I'm not saying not to listen to your mom's advice but that's her advice, not the path that you have to follow.  I'd reccomend to be realistic, but it's also not going to happen unless you go for it.  I would also, like others have mentioned, work at a golf facility.  And for experience with your degree seek some  management opportunies and you should still be able to get 4-5 hours in per day if you don't have a family and are as committed as you need to be.  Good Luck!

[rustyredcab]

Hard work, good luck, talent, and drive could make it happen. Here's an inspiring story from one of my teachers.

He is playing on a mini tour and scheduled for a tournament on a very hot week in the deep South. He shares a cheap hotel room with a fellow competitor to save money. Two other competitors can not afford even a cheap room and ask if they all four can share that one room. They all agree but there can only be one roll-away added to the room making three beds and four guys. That means one guy must sleep on the floor each night. They decide that the guy with the highest score each day must sleep on the floor. Each evening, the results are the same and the same guy ends up on the floor since his scores were by far the highest. He was a good but not great player in college and was finishing every mini-tour event near the bottom. He stuck with it and continued to work on his game. He became deadly inside 100 yards. That kid was Zack Johnson. No one who had a bed that week ever made it on the big tour much less became a Master's Champion.

If you do this, there will be plenty of hotel room floors. But just maybe there will be a jacket in your future too.

[LfSideStrngSide]

That's a great story! I'm sure he would have slept on the floor for an entire season if he knew it meant a green jacket was coming. Thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

Hard work, good luck, talent, and drive could make it happen. Here's an inspiring story from one of my teachers.

He is playing on a mini tour and scheduled for a tournament on a very hot week in the deep South. He shares a cheap hotel room with a fellow competitor to save money. Two other competitors can not afford even a cheap room and ask if they all four can share that one room. They all agree but there can only be one roll-away added to the room making three beds and four guys. That means one guy must sleep on the floor each night. They decide that the guy with the highest score each day must sleep on the floor. Each evening, the results are the same and the same guy ends up on the floor since his scores were by far the highest. He was a good but not great player in college and was finishing every mini-tour event near the bottom. He stuck with it and continued to work on his game. He became deadly inside 100 yards. That kid was Zack Johnson. No one who had a bed that week ever made it on the big tour much less became a Master's Champion.

If you do this, there will be plenty of hotel room floors. But just maybe there will be a jacket in your future too.

[x129]

It is easy to sleep on the floor if you know the reward is coming. It is a lot harder to sleep there when you know the chance of getting the reward is less than 1%.  If you told a 14 year old kid, if you practice for 10k hours, you will be better than Tiger woods, you could get a lot of them to do it.  Its a lot harder to make that commitment when if after all that work, you might end up as a club champion (or worse).

The real risk is not that you spend 2 years chasing your dream. It is you spend 2 years and go from a 4 to a +1.5 and think with another year or 2 I know I can get to +5. Thats how you end up as a 52 year old living in a pipe

Originally Posted by LfSideStrngSide

That's a great story! I'm sure he would have slept on the floor for an entire season if he knew it meant a green jacket was coming. Thanks for sharing!

[daSeth]

I saw this thread and can't help but chime in.

I could relate a lot about how I learned this lesson in life but I don't think that it would be very interesting to the forum.  So here it is: if it is something that you truly want to do and you don't go after it, you will regret it for the rest of your life.  So go for it, dive in, 100%, and balls-to-the-walls go for it.  Sure there is a chance that you won't make it, but in the end you won't be stuck with what could have been.  You'll also have a lot of great stories to tell, a great ride and some buddies to show for it (not to mention a great golf game).

Only you can assess your potential, don't listen to guys on a forum about the possibilities of making something happen because anything is possible.  I saw a guy go from a complete hack red-shirt freshman to California junior college player of the year, to division I all-american, to playing professionally in Europe.  Could not have happened to a better guy either...  It didn't happen to everyone, but it did happen for him.

Back to my experience though, there is peace in giving something your all, not being good enough, and failing.  I have been there.  You can't get upset about what you can't control, it's pointless.  Some advice though, don't get too caught up with identifing yourself as a "golfer."  There will be plenty of other things in life that will bring you a lot of joy and happiness: success in business, a wife/gf, fatherhood, playing softball with your old buddies, watching your kids play soccer/football/basketball/golf/piano, etc...

Don't forget along the way to be a good person... if you do make it and you turn out to be an a**hole, you're still and a**hole.  LOL.  Good luck and God speed!

P.S. Finish that degree, first!  Mom has it right for sure...

[newtogolf]

I always encourage my children to reach for their dreams but to make sure they have a safety net in case they fall.  You're attempting something that a very low percentage of people are able to achieve, so you know the odds are against you.  It's even a tougher task because the goal to make it to the PGA Tour is not the real goal, the real goal is to make a living as a PGA Tour pro, which is even more difficult.

Get your degree first, it will soften the landing should you fail.  Also establish a detailed plan with real milestones, whether it be your handicap or tournaments won.  Somewhere throughout your two year plan there needs to be evaluation points, are you on target?  is the time-line or goal realistic?  If not, you need to adjust or consider abandoning the plan altogether.   Included in the plan must be a financial plan, how will you pay for food, housing, equipment, tournament entry fees, lessons, green fees, etc.  What will is cost to chase this dream and where is the money coming from?  If you're expecting your family to fund this, it should be in the form of a loan, you'll be more fiscally responsible if you realize this is money you have to pay back versus living off family funds.  Even if they tell you not to worry about it, you need to approach it as a loan, you need real skin in the game and hand outs will make it too easy for you to just plow forward without real consideration of consequences.

I wish you luck, there is nothing wrong with chasing a dream, but put yourself in the best position to succeed, give it 100% and make sure you have no regrets.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

Hard work, good luck, talent, and drive could make it happen. Here's an inspiring story from one of my teachers.

He is playing on a mini tour and scheduled for a tournament on a very hot week in the deep South. He shares a cheap hotel room with a fellow competitor to save money. Two other competitors can not afford even a cheap room and ask if they all four can share that one room. They all agree but there can only be one roll-away added to the room making three beds and four guys. That means one guy must sleep on the floor each night. They decide that the guy with the highest score each day must sleep on the floor. Each evening, the results are the same and the same guy ends up on the floor since his scores were by far the highest. He was a good but not great player in college and was finishing every mini-tour event near the bottom. He stuck with it and continued to work on his game. He became deadly inside 100 yards. That kid was Zack Johnson. No one who had a bed that week ever made it on the big tour much less became a Master's Champion.

If you do this, there will be plenty of hotel room floors. But just maybe there will be a jacket in your future too.

I know the bed spreads (or quilts depending on where you're from) in hotels are, well, infamous. I wonder what the floors are like?

[Timmy]

Does whatever college you are attending have a golf team?  If so, you might attempt to walk on to that and gain some assistance from playing consistently and having a consistent coach.

[right handed phil mickelson]

Originally Posted by breeves2245

Like Shorty suggested - read "Paper Tiger" by Tom Coyne. He took off a complete year to pursue his golf dream in Florida. Worked on his game 24/7 and wrote about his adventure. The book will give you some perspective of the journey you are considering.

I agree. Great book to read to get a perspective on what it takes to get that good.

On a side note, my physical therapist ended up being the same guy he went to in the book. I live in Naples, Florida. Quite an odd coincidence.

Nice man... Worked the hell out of my knee, but nice man....

[inthehole]

this is exactly what I was thinking ... employers will have alot of questions & your college won't be fresh in your mind 2 years down the road

Originally Posted by shades9323

You have to start thinking about those 40 years in a office if this doesn't work out. Jobs for recent graduates are hard to come by, let alone for someone who graduated 2 years ago and hasn't had a job yet.

[Shorty]

I have noticed that the OP only responds to people who trot out the "go for it - you don't wanna die wondering" cliche.

He thinks he is on the cusp of a + handicap - but where is the evidence of that?

How will you be able to afford membership fees at your uncle's club?

Do you think you'll be able to bash up their practice tee day in day out for two years just because your uncle is a member?

Also some pretty odd logic here: Zach Johnson made it as a pro, therefore you can too.

Like I said, check out the mini tour results. Cough up $1000 to play, shoot 5 under and win $500. That's a plan!

Check out Steven Bowditch's results on PGAtour.com

He shot 62 in the final round at the Viking Last week. A supremely gifted player.

Look at his earnings over the last 5 years.

2010 - 257k

2009 - 49k

2008 - 3k

2007 - 56k

2006 - 11k

He's bordering on the top 125 at the moment.

Played off scratch when he was about 13.

Here is the thread title:

Should I consider trying to make it as a professional?

The obvious answer, which the OP wants to ignore, is that the question would answer itself. And it certainly wouldn't need any input from people on a golf forum.

Are you winning everything and beating everyone?

Are you shooting mid 60s on moderately difficult courses? Regularly?

Are you beating the best players in your area?

Are you considered one of the best players around?

When you turn up at a tournament, does everyone know who you are, and see you as the competition, the person to beat?

I think the question has been answered.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by LfSideStrngSide

That's a great story! I'm sure he would have slept on the floor for an entire season if he knew it meant a green jacket was coming. Thanks for sharing!

Go for it!!

There's no amount of sweat (future earning potential) that can compare to knowing you did your best and kept on trying until every single person in your life has given up on you and moved on with their lives. You can look back and laugh at all those people who got on with their lives when you're playing professional golf (i.e. living in a pipe somewhere).

[Leftygolfer]

I would say give it a shot.  Worst case senerio, your poor for a while, play a ton, improve, then get a job.  The reality is there isn't a lot of jobs out there due to the sluggish economy and uncertainty in washington.  You only live once.  Maybe you are one of those freaks who can do it.

[x129]

No the worst case is that you spend the next 7 years being "this close" to making it on tour, Then you go to apply for  jobs and realize no wants a person who has a stale degree.  Even 2 years lost in a career can have a huge impact on future earnings.

Right now this isn't a remotely realistic dream. Improve until you are at least + handicap (not should be. Are) and have played some tournaments and held up, then think about it.  Right now it is a waste of time to think about it.

Originally Posted by Leftygolfer

I would say give it a shot.  Worst case senerio, your poor for a while, play a ton, improve, then get a job.  The reality is there isn't a lot of jobs out there due to the sluggish economy and uncertainty in washington.  You only live once.  Maybe you are one of those freaks who can do it.

[Leftygolfer]

You aren't getting a job right now that is worth a sh$t without A) experience B) know someone.

And 2 years isn't anything in a 40 year career unless you stay with the same company.  You don't have to jump right into your professional career right after college.  It is preferred but isn't going to kill your career.  I didn't, I found a job and a industry I like.  Should I have applied myself when I was young, sure, but I didn't and it isn't the end of the world.

I agree, being a pro golfer isn't easy.  Competition is so strong.  My partner in my golf league played in the gate way tour in florida.  He shot regularly 72 73 and he just couldn't make a living.  The only pro golfer I can see someone being who isn't amazing at a young age is a club pro.  A fine life, but worlds away from tour golf.