SO YOU WANNA BE A PGA PRO?
Everybody’s always looking to improve their golf game. It’s a pursuit as old as time. But what about plying your trade as one of the handful of the world’s best golfers?
An article produced a few years ago assessed the difference between the scratch player at your club (the “best player you know”) and a touring professional golfer (this is likely even more drastic in today’s world).
- It took into account scoring average and increased course difficulty (i.e rating)
- Calculated a PGA Tour Player has a +5.5 stroke handicap advantage
Breaking this down further (strokes gained per round as individual categories):
- Driving (2.5 strokes); 33 yards+ difference in driving distance!
- Approach Shots (1.5 strokes); less GIR due to longer distance approach shots
- Short Game (0.5 strokes); leaving putts an average of 1 foot longer on each hole
- Putting (1.0 strokes); longer putts and 38% more three putts overall
The overall conclusions in a nutshell:
- Just attempting to make the PGA Tour -> need a minimum solid +3 handicap
- Making an actual living on the PGA Tour -> minimum +5 (or better) handicap
“Your local aspiring professional’s golf game is a lot like a vintage VW Beetle; really great in and around home, but generally pretty shaky on a road trip”.
A touring pro, by definition, tours around to different courses, conditions, etc., all with the side circus issues of the actual travel involved.
While it sounds trite as part of the old PGA Tour tagline, it is no joke when they say “These Guys Are Good”.
