Mini-Tour Life

The title of “professional golfer” evokes a feeling of luxury. And for about 200 of the top players in the world, it is a cushy life. Traveling across the country, and even the world, to hit off of perfectly manicured grass each week is a unique lifestyle. Traveling to those events with your family in a private jet is even cooler! 

When you watch Netflix’s “Full Swing” and see the likes of Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Speith living the rockstar lifestyle, it’s hard to imagine what the majority of professional golfers' daily lives look like. 

I was under the same impression, too. Until a few years ago, I thought becoming a professional golfer guaranteed a one-way ticket to fame and millions of dollars. Of course, that was too good to be true.

I present to you the mini-tour golfer. Driving through flyover states is the main prerequisite. Other commonalities include warming up on a range that resembles the home of Roy McAvoy in Tin Cup instead of Conway Farms. Not only are the practice facilities lacking, but prepare to use reward points at Chipotle and Econolodge, all while chasing a dream, one mile, one course, one burrito bowl at a time. 

What is a Mini-Tour? 

There are several mini-tours. Their main purpose is to provide players with limited or no status a place to play, not only to sharpen their competitive edge, but with good play, to pocket some much needed money. 

When a player is not trying to gain status through a Monday qualifier, you will find them on one of the several mini-tours across the country. 

I am sure I will have some personal stories to tell once I start playing mini-tour events this upcoming summer, but from all I have heard, they can be pretty unpredictable. 

Many of these tours have filed for bankruptcy over the years, unable to pay out the promised purse. Not only are most of these mini-tours struggling, many of the players are on their last straw, relying on the tours to gain much needed confidence as they head into their next Monday qualifier. While many tours are in rough shape, the same can be said for the golf courses these events are played on. Many seem like a different world compared to the suburban country clubs many college players take for granted. While some events are held on nice properties, most of these venues wouldn’t make the cut for the PGA Tour, and most weekend-warriors wouldn’t pay more than $40 to play a round.

With some players living out of their cars, and some of the courses not having range balls,mini-tour life is a different animal compared to what your average PGA Tour player encounters. However, no matter where you are playing at, a dog track in South Dakota or Augusta National, the goal is the same; shoot the lowest score possible to be the one finishing at the top of the leaderboard. Professional golf can be a wild ride. You are truly one or two weeks away from fame and stardom, yet until then, you’ll find the next Jake Knapp or Peter Malnati on the Dakotas Tour, or the Rolling Red Tour, perfecting their craft on an all too crowded, overgrown putting green. 

So the next time someone tells you they are a professional golfer, or once played professionally, just know they likely grinded it out on the mini-tours, waiting for their big break. And know that they deserve a certain level of respect for the triumphs and tribulations along their path.