
Method 1.
- 1. Start playing as early in life as possible. If you or someone you know has dreams of becoming a professional golfer, it’s important to get started ...
- 2. Take golf lessons. Even if you’ve been playing golf for years, you can still benefit from golf lessons. Lessons offer an opportunity to hone ...
- 3. Develop a consistent routine for practicing on the golf course. To become a professional golfer, you must play golf regularly. Dedicate time to ...
- 4. Master multiple skills. To become a professional golfer, you will need to work on specific skills that will help you reach the peak of your ...
- Complete a background check. ...
- Become employed in a golf-related field. ...
- Pass the qualifying courses. ...
- Complete the PAT. ...
- Earn a bachelor's degree or complete an apprenticeship. ...
- Continue practicing.
What makes a good golfer?
Co-leader Jason Day speaks with Kira K. Dixon about his mindset throughout his third round (67) at the Farmers Insurance Open from Torrey Pines and why he's been so successful at the famed La Jolla golf course. Instant access to the latest news ...
How to turn pro golf?
“How To Become A Golf Tour Pro” Step 1: Research. The first step of the process is doing some serious research on professional golf. This will give you... Step 2: A Plan. You’ve done your research and selected a tour that you are confident you can compete on, it’s time to... Step 3: Financial ...
How do I become a professional golfer?
The 7 Golf Development Areas
- Golf Course Time. The first thing to improve is the practice time on the golf course. ...
- Taking instruction from a coach. It is not quite possible to become a pro without the instruction of a coach. ...
- Practicing Short Game. ...
- Practicing Bunker shots. ...
- Full Swing Practice. ...
- Practicing Chip, Pitch, and Lob shots. ...
- Practicing Wedge Skill. ...
How to get PGA certified?
- Level 1 must be successfully completed within three years of the Level 1 Start Date
- Level 2 must be successfully completed within three years of the Level 2 Start Date
- Level 3 and election to PGA Membership must be successfully accomplished within nine years of the Level 1 Start Date.

How long does it take to become a golf pro?
The program requires a 4.5 to 5 years to complete. Graduates earn a bachelor's degree in golf management and PGA membership.
How much does it cost to become a golf pro?
It costs a minimum of $110,000 to compete for a year on the PGA Tour—$75,000 on the Nationwide—and there are no guaranteed paydays. Each week the worst-scoring half of the field is eliminated after the second day of the four-day tournament and earns nothing.
How hard is it to become pro at golf?
It has been reported that athletes need 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill, but practice quality also counts in becoming a professional golfer. So, playing the most high-quality rounds or training sessions can help you become a better player.
How do I start a career in golf?
Here is how to start a career in golf if you want to become a professional golfer:Start as early as you can. ... Get golf lessons. ... Practice everything. ... Join a golf club. ... Sharpen your competitive edge in college. ... Go to “Q-School” – the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. ... Start entering pro tournaments. ... Get your PGA Tour card.
How are pro golfers 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 golf pros pay to enter tournaments?
Except at the highest levels, professional golfers must pay entry fees to play in tournaments. It may seem counterintuitive, but a player at the top of golf's food chain often doesn't have to pay an entry fee, because expenses for high-profile tournaments are covered by sponsors and TV networks.
What is the best age to start golf?
Kids can be exposed to the game of golf as early as 2 years old. Research shows those starting early are more likely to play golf as adults. Formal instruction is generally better from school age (5-6) when longer attention spans enable kids to better learn the rules and risks associated with golf.
Who is the oldest golfer to turn pro?
Allen DoyleThe Oldest Golfer to Turn Pro The oldest person to become a pro golfer is Allen Doyle, who turned pro at the age of 46 and qualified for the PGA Tour at 48. He would go on to win 11 PGA Tour Champions victories.
Can anyone become a pro golfer?
There are no age restrictions on becoming a pro golfer, but the standards required to play at professional level are so high that you need to amass a great deal of experience before you decide to go pro.
Is it too late to be a pro golfer?
As three over-50 golfers found out, it's never too late to turn Professional thanks to the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour. As three over-50 golfers found out, it's never too late to turn Professional thanks to the E-Z-GO PGA Legends Tour.
Is golfing a good career?
Golf pros can earn a living by playing on tour, earning endorsements or teaching the game at a private club or resort course. For many avid golfers, the job of a golf professional seems a dream career. But there is a lot of hard work needed to qualify as a professional, plus a good deal of talent.
Can I make money playing golf?
Golf can be a great game to play for fun, but it can also be a way for people to make money. Making money as a golfer does not always mean you need to be a scratch golfer. If you are creative and know a good bit about the game and truly enjoy it, you can find ways to make money.
How do golf pros make it to the elite ranks?
These golf pros make it to the elite ranks by successfully touring at an amateur level before moving on to progressively larger tournaments. Through talent, hard work and no small amount of luck, touring professionals may benefit from a long career as a golf professional.
What is PGA PGM?
Candidates must also enter the PGA Professional Golf Management Program (PGA PGM), which is an apprenticeship that uniquely prepares them for life as a professional golfer. Graduates of the program are knowledgable in state-of-the-art golfing practices as well as techniques to improve the value of their golf facility. Moreover, successful completion of the program equips golf pros with the skills needed to provide exceptional service to customers or clients and act as a public representative of the PGA.
Is becoming a golf pro right for me?
The first step to choosing a career is to make sure you are actually willing to commit to pursuing the career. You don’t want to waste your time doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re new here, you should read about:
How do professional golfers live?
Most professional golfers live by providing services to other golfers rather than by winning tournaments. There are a whole number of ways it is possible to do this.
How long does it take to get PGA certification?
To get PGA certification, you will need eight years of playing, experience, and education. Once you have this, you are qualified to coach everyone from the newest player at a club up to top level professionals.
What is the job of a golf club manager?
It is the top job. You will oversee all the operations at a golf club. It includes staff, maintenance of the course, hospitality and other matters which ensure the success of the club.
What are the roles of a golf professional?
Organizational roles such as head professional at a golf course or golf range administrator or organizer of tournaments. Skills-based roles such as golf clinician or golf coach. Professional functions such as management and financing and administration. Specialist roles such as golf course architect.
How did young men get money from golf?
Many young men had grown up around golf who were very good, but relatively poor. If they were to have the chance to spend enough time on the course to get better, they needed to find some way to make money. They discovered that there were ways they could earn enough cash to stay on the golf course. Working as a caddy for the better-off players and being paid for playing challenge matches were two of the most popular.
Where is golf spreading?
Golf is spreading around the world, to developing countries such as China and other parts of South East Asia and India and South America. Tournaments follow as this interest grows.
Is golf a sport?
Golf is a very individual sport. There are rarely coaches traveling the country watching teams, as happened in games such as football or basketball. The nearest equivalent for golf is the buzz around the big amateur tournaments.
How to become a professional golfer as a teenager?
If you are an adult, begin playing today. The sooner you begin playing golf, the sooner you can reach your goal of becoming a professional golfer. Take golf lessons.
What skills do you need to be a professional golfer?
You will need to master putting, bunker, full swing, chip, pitch, lob, and approach wedge skills.
How to develop a wide range of golf skills?
Dedicate ample time to each golfing skill. While it’s important to spend as much time on the golf course as possible, it is equally important that you dedicate time to each specific skill. Doing so will ensure you develop a wide range of skills to your fullest potential.
How to get experience in golf?
Compete in multiple professional golf tournaments. Try to play in as many professional tournaments as your budget and schedule allow. This will give you experience as well as exposure to other professional golfers and potential sponsors. Some tournaments to consider include the Moonlight Tour, NGA Pro Golf Tour, and the eGolf Professional Tour.
What are the benefits of joining a local golf club?
There are many benefits to joining a local golf club. In addition to getting experience, you will make connections with other golfers in your area. Joining a local club may also lead to invitations to participate in the club’s tournament program, providing you with opportunities to compete in local and regional tournaments.
How to get competitive experience in golf?
Compete in amateur tournaments. Take advantage of opportunities to play in local, regional, and national amateur golf tournaments. These tournaments will give you competitive experience. Playing in amateur tournaments will also provide you with an opportunity to become known in particular golf circuits, which will come in handy as your golf career progresses.
How many stages are there in the PGA Tour?
Play in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. This tournament, also known as Qualifying School or Q School, is played in 4 sequential stages. Players qualify for the stages sequentially, with only 144 players making it to the final stage. After the final stage, the top 25 players will qualify for the Web.com tour.
What is the best way to become a pro golfer?
Developing an outgoing personality and the ability to listen to customers’ needs and concerns are important aspects of becoming a pro. Giving lessons to club members or daily fee golfers also requires a winning personality and a positive attitude.
What is a golf pro?
A golf pro at a club must be a proficient player and instructor. At both public and private courses, the head golf professional oversees the operations of the golf shop, including merchandise sales. The head pro may also give golf lessons, but at some golf facilities this is done by a teaching professional--a separate position.
How long does it take to become a golf manager?
such as Penn State, Arizona State and Florida State. The program requires a 4.5 to 5 years to complete. Graduates earn a bachelor’s degree in golf management and PGA membership.
Do you have to be a professional golfer to be a PGA golfer?
Although club professionals are not expected to be championship caliber golfers like those on the PGA Tour, one of the requirements for earning membership in the PGA is passing a PGA Playing Ability Test. To be a good golf teacher you must have a thorough understanding of golf swing mechanics and be able to communicate this to students.
What skills do golfers need?
We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, dedication and interpersonal skills.
How many golfers have a bachelor's degree?
If you're interested in becoming a golf professional, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 74.5% of golf professionals have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.7% of golf professionals have master's degrees. Even though most golf professionals have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
What are the best states to work in golf?
The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. Golf professionals make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $65,846. Whereas in Hawaii and Minnesota, they would average $59,909 and $58,880, respectively. While golf professionals would only make an average of $58,062 in Rhode Island, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
How much does a golfer make an hour?
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a golf professional. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.74 an hour? That's $43,145 a year!
What is career path?
Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of account executive you might progress to a role such as sales manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title general manager.
How many hours of experience do you need to become a PGA professional?
Amidst all of this you will also be expected to get thirty-six hours of experience. These experience hours can be collected through a wide variety of ways, including college courses. Otherwise, you can earn one credit a month working alongside a certified PGA professional.
What skills do you need to be a good golf instructor?
Good communication skills really are a must with this career path. If you’ve ever taken golf lessons before, you are probably well aware of how important it is to have an instructor that is able to articulate their instructions well.
How long do you have to be a registered alien to play golf?
If you are not a citizen you will need to be a registered alien. The Pro Golf Association will also require that you have six months of relevant employment experience at the time of registration. You can find an extensive list of what jobs they consider relevant on their website.
How long does it take to get into golf level 1?
Technically you have two years to complete the coursework for each level, though you should be able to get it done much quicker than that. Level 1 includes testing material on the rules of golf, tournament operations, and club design and repair.
Do tour golfers need teachers?
That said, there are certainly golf professionals out there that are making the big bucks. After all, even tour pros need teachers. And even if you can’t land a job teaching the game’s best, you can certainly set higher rates once you earn a reputation as a good instructor.
Is golf a transient job?
The life of a golf professional is not, by definition, transient, but there are also a limited number of teaching jobs available. Not all golf courses employ teaching professionals at all, and the ones that do usually only keep one on the payroll at a time. If all of the golf courses in your area are already fully staffed you may need ...
Can everyone be a golf pro?
The truth of the matter is that not everyone can be a golf professional. If you play a few times a month and struggle to break bogey, chances are the life of a golf pro probably is not for you. Disappointing, I know, but don’t fret too much. There are plenty of careers in golf that don’t hinge on your ability to teach or play the game.
What is required to be a PGA teaching pro?
Becoming a PGA teaching pro requires a both a playing and written test.
How to register to be an apprentice at PGA?
Register to be an apprentice by filling out the apprentice registration form on the PGA website (see References).
How long do you have to be employed to be a PGA member?
To be considered eligibly employed, you need to be employed full time in an eligible position for at least six months at the time of registration.
How many hours of work experience do you need to become a PGA member?
Complete 36 hours of work experience credits along with the level kits. You receive twelve credits for a four-year college degree and six credits for a two-year college degree. Earn one credit per month by working under a PGA professional. After completing your work experience credits and Level 3, you are a PGA member.
What is level 1 golf?
When the kit is accepted, you take the Level 1 checkpoint test. Level 1 testing consists of Rules of Golf, Tournament Operations and Golf Club Design and Repair. Level 2 consists of Analysis of the Swing, Customer Relations and Business Planning. Level 3 consists of Swing Concepts, Inventory Management, and Supervising.
Who runs the PGA?
There are many teaching pros out there, and most of them have gone through the PGA program. The PGA program is run by the Professional Golfers' Association.
What are some examples of PGA jobs?
The PGA has a full list of jobs that qualify as eligible employment on its website (see References). For example, golf coach, golf media and assistant pro are all eligible jobs.
