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how are golf pros paid by their sponsors

by Tara Hand PhD Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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If you’re a professional golfer with a good playing record, then companies will seek you out, competing with one another to get their brand in your hands. The top professional golfers are paid millions by their sponsors. Tens of millions. Just for wearing a certain outfit or using a certain set of clubs.

Full Answer

Do any pro golfers get sponsored by casinos?

Amazingly, there don't really seem to be any casino or gambling-related golf sponsorships among top pros in 2019, with the top 5 professional golfers worldwide instead being sponsored by golf companies, sports companies, fashion houses and energy drinks.

Is it hard to get a golf sponsorship?

Acquiring a golf sponsorship isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. If you’re a good player, and you’re serious about turning pro, then sponsorship is certainly within your reach.

How do PGA Tour pros get their money?

From one or all of a player’s sponsors… No Tour pro gets it done by himself—to wit, Jordan Spieth’s proverbial “we.” All kinds of “team” members line up to say oui when it’s time for their share of a player’s earnings.

How much does it cost to sponsor a PGA Tour golfer's hat?

The front of a PGA Tour golfer’s hat, which is visible in any televised close-up, is one of the more desirable locations for sponsors. The My Golf Spy website estimated in 2009 that sponsors paid at least $75,000 per year to put their names on the front of tour player’s hats, adding that Luke Donald received $1 million annually from his sponsor.

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How much do pro golfers make from sponsors?

To enhance their brand, many sponsors and other companies offer corporate events making the golfers available to meet with some of their top clients. These events provide the opportunity to earn somewhere between $25,000 to $250,000 depending on the golfer's popularity and the profile of the corporate.

Do golf sponsors get paid?

The My Golf Spy website estimated in 2009 that sponsors paid at least $75,000 per year to put their names on the front of tour player's hats, adding that Luke Donald received $1 million annually from his sponsor. Many players wear a company name or logo on their hat as part of a larger deal.

How do pro golf sponsorships work?

If you're a professional golfer with a good playing record, then companies will seek you out, competing with one another to get their brand in your hands. The top professional golfers are paid millions by their sponsors. Tens of millions. Just for wearing a certain outfit or using a certain set of clubs.

How do golf pros get paid?

Professional Tour Player Professional golfers are paid a percentage of the purse for each tournament they play in and finish in the money. For example, the U.S. Open pays down to the 60th place finisher. Rory McIlroy won $1.4 million wining the US Open in 2011. The player in 60th place received a little over $17,000.

Do caddies get paid by sponsors?

Caddies will be paid, through the caddie association, to have a logo on items associated with their trade, like a hat, bag strap, towel, even yardage books.

Do pro golfers pay their own expenses?

A PGA Tour player who's exempt from qualifying doesn't have to pay entry fees for tour events. He does pay a $100 initiation fee, then $100 in annual dues. The only expense he must pay to play in a tournament is a mandatory $50 locker room fee.

How much does Justin Thomas make in endorsements?

Citi, FedEx (FedEx), Titleist, WHOOP, and Beats Electronics are among his most notable benefactors. His deals with these companies are not yet known but are said to contribute to a large part of the approximately $7 million he makes each year. Thomas' endorsements can be quite significant.

How much does it cost to sponsor a PGA pro?

Title sponsors for PGA tournaments generally pay between $8 million and $13 million annually for naming rights, and usually have to pay extra to ensure the name of the course is not included in the tournament title, as is the case with the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.

How much does Nike pay Rory mcilroy?

Rory's Nike contract was extended in 2017 for 10 years and also worth $10m per year, having been worth $20m per year from 2013-2016 when he was using Nike clubs, ball and bag. He is estimated to earn around $35m a year in total from his sponsorships alone.

Where does PGA purse money come from?

Most of the purse money comes from the various television networks that broadcast PGA Tour events. As of 2012, television rights money provides 60 percent of each tournament's purse, according to an article in Forbes.

Do pro golfers make any money if they miss the cut?

Golfers who don't make the cut do not get paid. When you see those players who are right on the edge of making the cut struggling to make that one last putt, it has everything to do with the fact that they want a chance to make it to the weekend.

How much did Steve Williams make as Tiger's caddy?

Tiger Woods Earnings During his time caddying for Tiger Woods, Steve earned at least $12 million in bonuses and salary alone. Tiger also reportedly gave Steve 10 vehicles that were won at tournaments.

How much does a golfer get paid for a corporate event?

In a corporate event--usually played on a Monday or Tuesday since most tournaments are played Thursday through Saturday--will net a golfer a fee of $25,000 to $250,000 depending on his stature and how much the corporation is willing to pay.

How much does a pro golfer make?

An average pro golfer will earn more than $2 million a year as a competitor and will have the opportunities to earn at least as much away from the course. The top-name golfers on tour can earn more than $100 million per year.

What does a golfer endorse?

Golfers often endorse golf equipment (clubs, balls, shoes) and many other related items. The endorsement can range from a printed or television ad, to badges of their sponsors ablaze on their sleeves and hats (and on their caddies!)

Nascar-ization of Golf

Anybody that has seen John Daly walk the fairways in recent years…is witness to what a human billboard looks like in the game of golf. For the most part this type of advertising was reserved for the Nascar industry. Where even a square inch on a dashboard cam is worth a couple years salary to most.

Right Sleeve

This sleeve is less precious than the left because it gets less TV time, but some marketers prefer it because it shows up on a right-hander’s follow-through. For lefty Phil Mickelson, whose right side faces the target, this is the million-dollar sleeve.

Chest Pocket

The best real estate south of the ears. You can get a no-name for the minimum, but even such second-tier stars as Luke Donald and John Daly (well he could) can command $250,000 or more for over-the-heart coverage.

Shoes

Footwear is cheaper than you’d think until you stop to think: You see shoes on TV only when a golfer goes into a hazard.

Back of the collar

Jim Furyk signed a three-year, $2 million deal to wear a Johnnie Walker logo here. (That’s Johnnie Walker menswear—hard-liquor logos are a no-no.)

How much money did the top 100 golfers make in 2018?

In the 2018/19 season, the top 100 golfers made a collective $4 billion. A small percentage of that is competition winnings – the rest is sponsorship money. Some sponsorship contracts have strict caveats, whereby the player can only use products belonging to the company in question.

Can an amateur golfer earn money from a sponsor?

While an amateur can’t earn money directly from a sponsor, a company may provide them with clothing and equipment, and they can cover all expenses related to tournament participation. This can greatly help to ease the financial burden of an amateur golfer, meaning they can focus more on what really matters: golf.

Do you need to sponsor a golf tournament?

If you’re running a golf tournament, you’ll almost certainly need to have it sponsored . It’s the only reasonable way to cover expenses and offer lucrative prizes. While it may seem like a daunting task, acquiring sponsorship for your golf tournament can be easily achieved with a bit of planning.

Do you have to be a golfer to get a social media sponsorship?

But if things develop, it can soon progress to a full-blown sponsorship. And the best part is that you don’t have to be the greatest golfer in the world to acquire a social media sponsorship. It’s your personality, and your flair for crafting engaging content, that will stand out more than your golfing ability.

Can amateur golfers get revoked?

Quite simply, a golfer of amateur status is exempt from earning monetary rewards in competition. And if an amateur is ever caught in breach of these rules, they can have their amateur status revoked, all but killing their chances of ever turning pro. So a way around this is to acquire sponsorships.

Is social media good for golf?

Social media is huge, far-reaching, and powerful. Nowadays, clothing brands would be mad not utilize social media to market their products – and you, as a golfer seeking sponsorship, can take full advantage of this. Devote some time and attention to your social media pages.

Is it hard to hire a golf agent?

However, it’s important to remember that it’s not just a simple matter of hiring an agent.

PLAYER PROFILE

A Top 125 guy. A pro whose Tour card is a no-doubter; who nails down a win in the occasional year; and who can be counted on each season to make it to—and sometimes through—the Dell Technologies event in the FedEx Cup playoffs. His approximate 2017-18 season prize-money earnings was $2,000,000. But the dough doesn’t stop rolling there.

CASH IN, CASH OUT

No Tour pro gets it done by himself—to wit, Jordan Spieth’s proverbial “we.” All kinds of “team” members line up to say oui when it’s time for their share of a player’s earnings. Here’s where the cheddar goes.

How much did golf sponsors pay in 2009?

The My Golf Spy website estimated in 2009 that sponsors paid at least $75,000 per year to put their names on the front of tour player’s hats, adding that Luke Donald received $1 million annually from his sponsor. Many players wear a company name or logo on their hat as part of a larger deal. Tiger Woods’s overall deal with Nike in 2009, ...

What is the PGA endorsement policy?

Images on a player’s hat or other clothing must be “in good taste” with respect to its size and number. The policy recommends that no logo be larger than 3 by 5 inches. In general, the tour mandates that images or messages on a player’s clothing should be “tasteful and in accordance with standards of decorum expected of professional golfers.”

Did Ryan Moore get a sponsorship?

Ryan Moore made headlines in 2009 when he refused any sponsorships for the season. Pro golf agents told Golf.com that Moore could’ve received $200,000 for a hat sponsorship alone that season. The following year, Moore signed a sponsorship deal that included wearing the hat of club manufacturer Adams.

Do golfers wear sponsors on their hats?

While golfers haven’t become walking billboards the way many race drivers have, it’s a very rare tour player who doesn’t at least wear a sponsor’s name on his hat.

What is sponsorship money?

Sponsorships are big money for top professionals and necessary income for less-well-known players. But for businesses, they’re investments that come with all sorts of expectations in return.

Which golfer wears the logo on the right side of their shirt?

Audemars Piguet, the Swiss watchmaker, requires its players to wear its logo on the right side of their shirt. Francois-Henry Bennahmias, chief executive and a former nationally ranked French golfer, said it always wants that spot, to maximize television coverage.

Who is Justin Marcus?

Justin Marcus, chief operating officer at Princeton Information, a family-owned information technology company, pushed the company to sponsor a player a decade ago. “A buddy brought a golf agent to play golf with me at Bayonne [Golf Club],” he recalled. “We hit it off.

Does Morgan Stanley sponsor Rose?

Crawley said Morgan Stanley has been pleased with its sponsorship of Rose. While it’s hard to quantify the return on a hat, he said internally it’s been a huge step up from their previous placement on Rose: the back of his shirt.

How much does a golfer spend on travel?

Some estimates place the annual expenditures on travel (including room and board) at upwards of $200,000 for a golfer who plays in events worldwide. In addition, pro golfers also have to pay their caddies each week.

How much do caddies make?

Not every deal is the same, but most caddies earn at least $1,200 per event, plus up to 10 percent of the weekly earnings. There is one caveat: Many of the top pros have their travel costs covered by their sponsors.

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