The dream for all young professional golfers is to make it on the PGA Tour one day.
The PGA Tour is the best and most lucrative golf tour in the world.
However, getting there is one of the hardest things to do in all of sport.
- Read also: The five best tips to help golfers get to scratch as quickly as possible from someone who’s done it
Antony Martin played on the professional mini-tour circuit out in America for three years from 2003 up until 2006, and managed to secure three victories on the Moonlight Tour (now known as the OGA Tour).
In addition to that, he played on the Grey Goose Gateway Tour in Southern Florida and played in US Open and Open qualifying on numerous occasions.
However, he fell short of making it at the very highest level in the end, by his own admission! Antony was a +4 handicap at Metrowest Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, before turning professional in early 2004, but ended up giving up on his dream just under three years later.
As a result, he is fully aware of all of the pitfalls that lie in wait for those looking to make it at the very highest level of the game.
Three gut-wrenching realities which mini-tour pros cannot escape
First up, and this may well be obvious, is the cost of supporting yourself throughout the season on the mini-tours.
However, people may not realize the extent to which finances are an issue for those looking to make it as a touring professional.
Firstly, there are tournament entry fees. On average, the entry fees required for mini-tour events range from $250-500.
Meanwhile, winners of the events usually receive around $25,000-$30,000, with a 10th-place finish usually good for $3,000-$4,500.
However, once you finish outside the top-10, the prize money drops drastically.
Then there are travel, accommodation and food costs. All of this adds up throughout the year and unless you’re winning regularly or finishing inside the top-10 regularly at the very least, it’s incredibly difficult to make a reasonable living.
Real pressure is needing to hole a five-foot putt in order to make the cut in a mini-tour event, so that you can pay your next month’s rent.
The second harsh reality for mini-tour players is that there is no clear pathway laid out to eventually get to the promised land – the PGA Tour.
Unless you’re playing on the Korn Ferry Tour – the tour one step down from the PGA Tour, there is no system in place whereby you can qualify for a higher level simply by finishing inside the top 10 on the money list throughout the year, for example.
PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Americas players have the opportunity to make it to the Korn Ferry Tour but on the lower rungs of the ladder, there is no real route to the highest level of the game. You have to pay to qualify for events, and with demand so high for Monday qualifiers, it’s often hard to secure a place in the fields.
Statistics prove how hard it is to make it on the PGA Tour
Finally, and this one is the hardest to accept, is the fact that simply put, not many people make it to the top level of the game.
According to recent statistics, only 1 in 15,000 elite young male golfers make it to the very highest level of the PGA Tour (Caddie HQ).
That is a staggering statistic and it shows why it is so important for young golfers to pursue a solid education, while they are trying to make it.
The sheer volume of talented golfers is frightening. Ask anyone who has played in mini-tour events and they will tell you how hard it is to make a living.
Shoot two rounds of two-under par and you might just be lucky enough to make the cut. To win an event, you will usually need to shoot somewhere around 20-under par for three rounds, if the conditions are favorable.
If you are to have any chance of winning tournaments on the mini-tours in America, you cannot be afraid of shooting low scores.
It takes a special kind of player to get to five or six-under par after 10 or 11 holes and to keep on firing at flags without fear.
Not many golfers make it on the PGA Tour but when they do, they’re set for life. However, those who continue to ply their trade on the mini-tours in the hope of reaching the promised land had better be fully aware of just how difficult it is to make it.
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