Golf has dramatically increased in popularity, especially since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Tiger Woods revolutionized the game at the start of the 21st century, and the National Golf Foundation (NGF) found that more than one-third of the U.S. population over the age of 5 played golf, followed golf on television or online, read about the game or listened to a golf-related podcast in 2023, marking a 30% increase since 2016. 

If you’ve found yourself on the golf course, all it takes is one great shot to think you can compete with the best golfers in the world! However, it isn’t as easy as it sounds, so I’ve explained what it takes to become a professional golfer in the United States.

Becoming a Professional Golfer – Where to Start

Not everyone played golf as a kid, but if you did, you already have a head start on the competition! For example, PGA Tour member Justin Thomas started golfing when he was just 2 years old. Obviously, the younger you start golfing, the more familiar you’ll be with muscle memory and navigating through a golf course. 

Additionally, playing at a younger age lets you play in junior tournaments and prepares you for competing in a high-pressure environment. Typically, you can receive lessons from a PGA professional at a young age, which will assist you in the future.  However, you don’t need to have golfed your whole life to become a professional golfer.

Plotting Your Route to Become a Golf Professional

If you didn’t start playing golf at a young age, you can still piece together a dream of becoming a pro. High school golf is typically where golfers start to gain traction, as you can be recognized for individual awards and have the chance to compete across the country with other golfers. Additionally, this is when colleges start scouting, which is a common route for golfers to make the PGA Tour.

If you’re a good enough golfer in high school, you can receive a scholarship to play at the collegiate level. This allows you to compete even more, and many famous PGA Tour members such as Arnold Palmer (Wake Forest), Jack Nicklaus (Ohio State), Phil Mickelson (Arizona State) and Tiger Woods (Stanford) competed in college. If you’re past college, you can still become a professional golfer, but the journey won’t be easy!

Becoming a Professional Golfer After College

The best way to take a step towards becoming a pro after college is to join your local USGA-sanctioned Golfer’s Association and register your golf handicap. This lets you know which local amateur tournaments are happening in your area. 

If you do well in those tournaments, you can either decide to join the PGA’s Qualifying School or qualify for the Korn Ferry Tournament (KFT). Now, these leagues will cost you money and are structured to distinguish the strongest competitors from the rest. It’s a challenging progression, but if you win three KFT tournaments, you can automatically earn a promotion to the PGA Tour.

Now, this is definitely easier said than done, but if you do it, you can get on the PGA Tour. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, you’re in the highest 1-2% of golf performance and scoring! Overall, there’s a reason very few golfers become professionals, but with time and dedication, there are paths for everyone to eventually join the PGA Tour and make millions as professional golfers.