What It Takes to Go Pro in Golf

Becoming a professional golfer is a lofty goal, but that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible one! Besides, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, and other greats were once novice golf players too. If you’re serious about going pro in golf, there are some things you’ll want to do to start paving your path to the PGA.

Keep reading to learn about some of the best tips and tricks for how to go pro in golf.

Start Early

Most golfers are on the green or swinging a golf club from a very young age, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost if you’re in your teenage years or older. One of the best ways to get started in working toward becoming a professional golfer is to start playing golf as early and as often as possible.

You’ll want to do more than hit up the local courses every weekend. To be a pro, you need to be used to competitive golf. To do this, sign up for junior golf tournaments and get as much play under your belt as possible.

Take Golf Lessons

There's only so much you can learn on your own. In order to polish your skills on the course, it's important to take golf lessons. Getting feedback from an experienced golf instructor can do wonders for your game. Ideally, you'll want lessons from someone who is a Golf PGA Teaching Professional.

By taking golf lessons, you can perfect basic and advanced skills, such as:

• Your grip
• Your stance
• Your swing
• Making solid contact with the ball
• Strategies (i.e., tee box, short game/chipping, etc.)

Attending golf lessons for a few hours per week can do wonders for your game. You’ll learn new skills, polish up skills you already know, and further prepare yourself to take your game to the next level.

Partake in Plenty of Tournaments

There is never too much practice or too much time on the course. After taking golf lessons and sharpening your skills, the next step is to get involved with as many tournaments as you can.

There are dozens of small professional golf tours, often held in Florida or North Carolina, which offer prize money along with competitive fields. These are often known as minor league tours. Some of the top minor tours include:

• NGA Pro Golf Tour
• eGolf Professional Tour
• Moonlight Tour

Notable pros, such as Zach Johnson, Tom Lehman, and John Daly, polished their skills by partaking in the minor league tour circuit.

You will also want to sign up for the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, also known as “Q-School.” The PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament is conducted in four stages. These torumanets are grueling, but they are a necessary part of determining whether or not you’re ready to participate in the Nationwide Tour and, eventually, the PGA Tour.

Enroll in the PGA Golf Management University

The PGA Golf Management University is offered at 19 universities and allows golfers to earn a bachelor's degree while also learning the ins and outs of becoming a PGA professional. In addition to completing coursework, students must also work for at least 16 months at an approved golf industry internship, as well as pass the PGA Playing Ability Test. Golfers must also complete all of the requirements for the PGA’s Professional Golf Management Program.

Invest in the Right Golf Technology

As mentioned earlier, there is no such thing as too much practice. If you’re serious about entering the world of pro golfing, you’ll need to eat, sleep, and breathe golf. This means practicing when you can, as often as you can.

Since you likely can’t make it to the course every day of the week, the next best option is to invest in a residential golf simulator. Having a golf simulator at home means that you can practice anytime, no matter the weather or time of day.

Foresight Sports offers the most advanced, innovative residential golf simulators on the market. Our launch monitors are designed to work in virtually any space and are easily upgradable so that you always have access to the latest and greatest components and software.

There’s no better time than now to turn your basement or garage into the ultimate at-home golf course. Contact our team today at (858) 880-0179 to discuss which golf simulator is best for you.