The Cold Hard Stats And Harsh Realities That No One Tells You About Turning Pro

I seem to remember many moons ago a young, confident player announcing to the world that she would be moving on from the amateur golf scene to hone her golf skills on the women's professional tour (LPGA). This was followed by a bold statement of something like, “And I’ll be flying my private jet soon.”

Hey, I’m all about dreaming big and reaching for the stars and all that, but there has to be a reality check in there somewhere. For example, at the time of this statement the LPGA Tour money leader was Annika Sorenstam, she earned $1.237 million that year. The player I’m alluding to took three years to break into the top 50 on the LPGA Tour – this might have bought a wheel for her jet or a couple of months of fuel. Just saying…

Fast forward 30 years or so and the LPGA is certainly a different environment with vast amounts of money up for grabs along with an opportunity for a lavish lifestyle. Yes, there might even be a player who can legitimately go ahead and shop for the latest and greatest Lear Jet.

Jeeno Thitikul, for one, banked a cool $4 million last year for her win in the CME Championship alone. At the end of the year the record books will show she earned an impressive total of just over 6 million dollars. A huge amount of money in any professional sports field and a number the 13 LPGA Founders, who created the tour in 1950, would have been extremely proud of and probably never dreamed of.

So, here's the issue and food for thought for any young aspiring golfer who wants to play professionally – what does it take to get there?

In this modern world of golf technology where all kinds of data is readily available, there is no excuse to not know how you stack up against your fellow peers or know the numbers you must achieve before you can even think about playing for money. For example, one of the many statistical platforms available to track stats called 'Upgame' recently posted data listing exactly what it would take to be a top 10 player on the Ladies European Tour (LET).

The cold hard facts look like this. If you are not swinging your driver around 96 mph, hitting it 255 off the tee and holing approximately 25 % of your putts between 10-15 feet, plus have a strokes gained (SG) stat (especially for approach shots to the green) in your favour, then you better think twice.

If it’s the LPGA you are aiming for, according to the stats from 2024, 10^th place will pay you nicely with earnings of around 2 million dollars - to earn this you must be averaging a score of 70.5. Sounds easy right? Let me tell you, it’s not. In fact, it’s incredibly challenging to get the “work- life” balance right as a touring pro.

But here’s the dilemma - what are your choices if you have spent many years dedicating your life to golf and you don’t quite make the grade according to the data out there? Or you’re not quite cut out for the daily grind of tour life.

The sacrifices that come along with tour life are often overlooked. Not everyone wants to miss out on the latest family gathering or special birthdays. What soon-to-be 21 year-old really wants to be grinding on their wedge play and doing that short putting drill – again – when a nice pub crawl in your hometown with your mates and loved ones is more appealing? Ask any professional about this and the answer will be the same, “Sacrifice comes with the territory.”

Back in 1995 after ten weeks on the road playing on the LPGA, I was faced with a decision to travel back to Scotland to surprise my parents for their 40^th wedding anniversary or stay and play in Toledo. A gut feeling told me not to go home even though my heart did.

That week on Sunday, my parents celebrated their big day with family and friends and I became the first Scot to win on the LPGA Tour. The best present I could’ve given my mum for her big celebration was the Rolex watch that each first-time LPGA winner receives. The inscription on the back was simple “Rolex First-Time winner 7-9-95” Their actual 40^th anniversary date.

If you are a young whipper-snapper eager to turn pro, reading this and thinking, “Yep, my stats make the grade and yep, I ‘m ready to do what it takes to be a solid professional” – this next paragraph might be the real eye-opener.

Globe-trotting the world to pursue your dreams ain’t cheap! And worse yet, if you think you can do it by cutting costs, you are doomed before you start. Playing professionally, means being professional. Rest is important, so stay in comfortable places. Nutrition is vital, so eat well. Performance under the gun is essential, so employ a good caddie, have your coach check-in regularly, whether it’s out on the road with you or scheduled ‘boot camps’ while at home. Physical fitness is a must, so training and massage should be added to the expense list, and if you are to give yourself the best chance of performing, a golf psychologist had better be on the pay roll too.

I can hear you sigh now. Yes, it’s a big dent in your wallet to be out there and being a true professional. In a nutshell, if you bomb your drives, average your 7-iron proximity inside 26 feet, putt well from mid-range, don’t mind living out of a suitcase while missing your home life and have a sponsor to cover tens of thousands in expenses per year – then go and sign up for Q-School. Oops, I forgot that expense too! Golf is hard and for those of you who haven’t quite got the skill set to compete on tour or aren’t quite cut out for tour life, that’s ok.

Businesswomen and golf is something I would love to see more of as a pathway offered from the international golfing bodies who govern golf development and performance in young aspiring golfers. Not everyone is going to make the grade to pro golf, but having an option to play high level amateur golf while building a career sounds like a good plan to me. Female CEOs dream of private planes too…just saying!