There are dozens of correct answers to this question. Clearly, if it was not hard, then everyone would do it. However, I think the hardest parts are never discussed. Once you have the obvious requirements of the caliber of player one is and adequate tournament experience, there is a whole list of challenges that very few people are talking about.
I think that the hardest parts of playing professional golf are the parts that no one likes to talk about.
- You need support
Obviously, you need a support system around you to be successful in any high-achieving situation, but I am talking about something different. You must have community support, club support, corporate support and financial support to be a successful professional golfer. It does not matter if you have the game if you cannot pay the entry fees. Getting out and finding a sponsor is no easy feat. If you find yourself on the Symetra Tour, you will be hard pressed to find a sponsor willing to hand out cash once companies realize that you are not given television time. So, you will be forced to get one or two part-time jobs so that you can save money to play during the season. Meanwhile, girls from other countries with stipends, girls fortunate enough to have family that have money to support them and girls who are savvy enough to find those few sponsors will be out on the course out-working you. - You need to be organized
Why does a professional golfer need to be organized? Your job is just about showing up and playing golf, right? That is not the case at all. You are now responsible for picking your tournament schedule, filing the necessary paperwork to play in events besides the main tour (30 days in advanced), filling out tax forms, coordinating your travel, scheduling workouts and practice, and meeting with potential sponsors. And please do not forget about your part-time jobs too! The reality is that you cannot afford an agent, so you need to stay on top of everything yourself. You now run a start-up small business and are responsible for all of tasks that make your company run. That includes hiring, firing and figuring out payroll. You will need to work with coaches, trainers, medical personal and caddies, all of who will need to be hired, fired and paid. - You need to have faith
Playing professional golf is going to be absolutely nothing like what you imagined it would be like, and you will need to have faith that you are where you are supposed to be. If any small bit of doubt creeps in and you feed it, you will be paralyzed. Golf forces you to fail almost every day on the course but when your quality of life and paycheck hang in the balance, it is hard to remember that you are world-class at failing. So be strong and fall in love with the game over and over again. There will be setbacks too numerous to count, but there will also be victories. Get ready for a wild ride!
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