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What are the different ways to get to the PGA/NationWide Tour? I am 15 right now and plan to make a living on what I love to do which is golf. I would like to know the costs for Q-School and how to get on the tour.

I plan on going to college at OSU (i'm a Michigan fan at heart and grew up there but I moved to Ohio and OSU has a better golf program and plus Jack Nicholas went there )

On a side note what other jobs are there for golf that are high paying (I plan on not going this route but I was just wondering).

Do you guys have any tips to succeed my goals/dreams? In the past month I have spent $240 on golf alone (not counting some of the clubs I bought) and most of the golf was in 30* Weather

-Thanks in advance for your responses and tips

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The best thing you could do is to write a letter to the PGA requesting that information. I did that many years ago myself and they were quite helpful in that regard.


The fees for Q-school are much higher today than back then, (over twenty years ago), but the process is still the same. You'll need a USGA handicap index of 2 or better, but a "plus" handicap would really be what your shooting for.

Lee Trevino was once asked what it took to become a professional golfer. His answer was this:

Play five courses that you've never seen before from the championship tees. If you can average one-under par for those five rounds - you're ready.


Try this link: http://www.pga.info/PGAPro/Features/...eATourPro.aspx



I wish you luck and hope that can realize your dream!





-JP

There are different ways to get to the different tours, but they all involve playing exceptionally good golf. The last I heard, Q-school cost $5K+ just to attempt to qualify. If you don't succeed at any of the levels (I believe that there are 5) then you start all over next year. Just to put it into perspective, getting to the Tour takes standing out in your golf career, not mediocrity. To make it you pretty much have to win some major tournaments along the way (I'm talking amateur golf here, not professional majors) Ie: US Amateur, US Pub Links, Div I or Div II college championships etc....The Nationwide Tour is absolutely full of players that can go win their respective state opens without even sweating, but their not quite where they need to be to succeed on the PGA Tour.

I would recommend taking your golf money and getting some lessons from a really good instructor. Tell them what you want to do and listen to what they have to say! In the mean time play in as many tournaments that you can play in so you'll get an idea of what it's like to play tournament golf.

As far as playing really good tournament golf and working, well let's put it this way...you'll need rich parents to support you because to get to where you want to be is a job in and of itself. The only tip that I have is, like I said before, get a really good teacher and don't stop living your dream until you absolutely have to.

Thanks for the help guys. Next year I will be doing a small local tournament to get me started and then theres a bigger one with all the best Ohio players. The small tournament is called the "Little Brown Jug" and the bigger one is called "The Heart of Ohio" which includes 6 courses which are located in different areas of Ohio. As of now I am trying to get a "real job" instead of mowing lawns and shoveling snow that way I can get a proper set of fit clubs for me. As far as lessons go for Christmas I got a 6-lesson series with a PGA Golf Professional at my local course and my lessons start in April (www.oakhaven.com).

As far as having rich parents I do not but that is not a downfall. I have their support and that is enough for me. They help pay for 1 round of golf a week and I pay for everything else. I will just have to work harder than the rich kids but to become a good golfer I understand that I will need dicipline and will need to put in a lot of hard work.

Well, depending on what you mean by high paying, if you are looking for a steady source of income, you can make a good amount as the Director of Golf at any high level course, by that I mean the Pebbles, Pinehursts, and Bandon Dunes of the world. To do this you need to become a PGA Professional, schools like OSU offer the PGM program to prepare you for this. You would then need to pass your Playing Ability Test, be an apprentice to a certified Class A Professional and then move your way through the ranks at clubs as an assistant pro (not much money there). Once you become the head pro at a course you have the opportunity to become the Director of Golf. Win a buch of awards from the PGA for course conditions, pro shop merchandising, make lots of connections and you can be considered to become a professional at a higher level course and move up again through the ranks there. While not as glamorous as the Tour, it at least provides a steady source of income rather than the non guaranteed pay of having to beat the 200 best players in the world on a regular basis, not many other professions where you need to beat that many of the very best in your profession to earn a paycheck.

Good luck, it's a long road this way, but if you can maintain your love of the game it won't feel like work.

Forget all of that...buy a couple of driving ranges just off busy commuter routes...
As far as getting on tour, if you get to the point that you are good enough, there will be plenty of people showing you the way...good luck...I have a job doing what I love and count myself lucky, but I don't do it for fun anymore...to turn your hobby into your profession is a tricky thing and as it is a labour of love it can often be extremely unprofitable (ski bum, golf bum, scuba bum, surf bum, etc)...be careful you don't ruin the game you love by adding the pressures of financial gain...

im with you dude. im 19 and am also trying to get into the golf industry. i want to either be a pro or work for a golf equipment manufacturing company. in order to do that, i have had to plan school around golf. i need a low handicap to be a teaching pro, so i have to get it down and fast. i am in community college right now and once i am done with this i want to go to the professional golfer career college. i too am on a very low budget and have to do a lot of planning this year to update my set and will be taking lessons all year to help stay on track.

you have a dream, as do i, but in order to make this dream real, you have to work at it. no Bologna Sauce.

just for reference, what are your guys handicaps.

Not near good enough

??? lol but what were trying to do is to not have a handicap.

I wouldn't forget all of what I said, I'm actually in the process of going through the progression to Director of Golf. I thought I was good enough to reach the Tour, until I saw some guys from a Mini Tour and they blew me away. Just trying to give a little bit of a realistic look at things and how it works when you are trying to make it with the best players in the world.

Hard work and more hard work will get you there. It sounds like to me that you have the right approach and I wish you all the best for the future. From the notes that the guys have added I think at your age the best advice is get a good coach immediately and go from there. Regards.

Find a golf instructor, the best one in your area. Become his prized student.
If your high school has a golf team, you need to be a member of it.
Practice every single day, at least a couple of hours each day.
Play at least 4 full rounds each week.
If you can consistently break 90, you need to be playing in local and regional amateur events. You need to know what competitive golf is about.
Learn the basic rules of the game.

The odds are weighed quite heavily against you, but you probably already know that. You need to become an outstanding amateur before you can even sniff a professional event. It takes a lot of talent and a tremendous amount of luck.

If there's a shortcut, I think it would be the scholarship route. You could potentially play college golf, IF you've got the game and the grades. I think this would undoubtedly be the best route, because should golf not work out, you've got an education to fall back on.

Last word... go to a professional event, either the PGA or the Nationwide tour. Get up close and personal with what will be expected of you to obtain that dream.

HEY!! mine too!!!

There has been lots of good advice above, but I can add two more thoughts...

1. Play in as many competitive tournaments as you can (high school team, local junior tour, local amateur events, etc). Its important to get used to playing under pressure.

2. A kid that I coached in ice hockey just graduated high school, is a scratch golfer, and his dream is to become a tour pro or a club pro. He went to school in North Carolina at Methodist College. They have a major there called Professional Golf Management (PGM). He has already told me how many great courses he has gotten to play, that he has an internship at a golf course lined up, and he is attending the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando this month, as part of his course work.

Best of luck to you!