How Much Does A Golf Pro Make?
How much a golf professional makes depends on a few different factors, but they make around $40,000 on average. For starters, there are different levels of being a professional, as the qualifications for being a professional is simply that you’re being paid to play or teach golf. Golfers who play in cash prize tournaments typically make more money than instructors. Read on to learn how much a golf pro who teaches can typically expect to earn.
Course Pro
A course pro is a full-time, salaried employee of a country club or a golf course. They are employed to be physically present at the course and give lessons to members. A course pro is also typically responsible for helping to maintain the conditions of the course.
A course professional’s salary will vary depending on where the course pro is employed, as well as on how nice the course is that they are working at. The highest average salary for a head golf pro in America is $52,216 in New York. The lowest mark is $31,662 in North Carolina. The rest of the states fall in between, with the national average salary for a golf pro being $43,988, or about $21.15 an hour.
Independent Instructor
The main difference between an independent instructor and a course pro, is that an independent instructor must find their clients on their own. However, they do have more freedom to choose what they charge in their lessons, and are not bound by a course.
When calculating how much an independent instructor earns, there are two variables: rate charged per lesson and number of lessons given in a year. To find how much an independent instructor made in a year, you multiply the two. Golf lessons are not cheap, and one can expect to pay about $40 an hour, which is the usual length of a golf lesson. That figure is an impressive hourly rate, but there is no guarantee that an independent instructor will be able to fill a full work day with lessons. Work may be sporadic, with some days having multiple lessons, others with none.
If an independent instructor wants to reach the $40,000 mark that a salaried course pro makes, they will need to hold 1,000 hour-long sessions. That is obtainable if one averages three sessions per day throughout an entire year.
FAQ
How much do golf pros make on average?
A golf pro who is not on tour can expect to earn around $40,000 a year. That yearly figure comes out to being about $20 an hour. There is some variance though, with some pros making closer to $100,000 a year. However, the $40,000 number represents the national average. Certain courses with large player bases can afford to pay larger salaries as they have more members needing lessons. Golf pros who play on tour can typically eclipse these numbers, especially if they win, with upper ranges past the seven figure mark.
Is a golf pro a good career?
A golf pro is a fantastic career, especially if you have a passion for golf. One can expect to make a living wage while spending the majority of their time on a course. It isn’t for everyone, as you will need to have a high aptitude in golf to be qualified to provide instruction and advice to others. A major benefit of being a golf pro is that you can expect to spend a lot of your days outdoors rather than in an office.