Are you ready to go pro? Think you have what it takes to make it on the PGA tour?
Being a good golfer is like being a fast draw in the wild west. There’s always someone better.
And there are a lot of very good golfers in the world.
Over 35,000 golfers have a scratch handicap or better.
But we know scratch golfers while good at the game aren’t near good enough to turn pro.
What about the golfers that are routinely shooting under par and in the 60s on their home course?
Can they go pro?
My opinion is probably not.
Here are what I consider the top 5 indicators for PGA tour success.
Dominate Your Peers As A Junior Golfer
If you go back and look at the history of the guys on the PGA tour you’ll find they were winning regional and national junior tournaments as far back to when they were 8 or 9 years old.
You’ll also find out they were competing well in state and national amateur tournaments as teenagers.
Justin Thomas made the cut in the Wyndham at just over 16 years of age.
If you dig hard enough you’ll find little known facts like this about most of the tour players.
At a minimum you’ll need to be winning are placing well in regional and state junior tournaments.
You might recognize a few of these names below.
They are all winners or runner ups in the USGA Jr Championship.

Ability To Go Low
All PGA tour players have the ability to go low.
Having a good round and laying up on a par 5 doesn’t compute with these players.
If they’re 7 under in a round, they all want to be 9 under.
Got a career low round going and feeling like you just want to get it into the clubhouse?
Then maybe going pro isn’t in the books for you.
PGA tour players are stomping on the gas pedal in these situations.
In their mind, on most courses, they feel like they should birdie or eagle every hole and make every putt.
There are a lot of very good golfers shooting some spectacularly low rounds at their home courses but couldn’t break par on the tour.
These tour players are shooting 59, 60, 61, etc on 7500 yard courses with ratings that would be 76 or higher. The slope ratings are off the charts.
Granted, no one plays like this every day or even that often, but when they feel it they know and they go low!!
NCAA Division I All-American
It’s not just enough to dominate as a junior golfer but you also have to dominate your peers in college as well.
Take a look at the past Division I All-American golfers.
You’ll see names like Thomas, Cantlay, Reed, etc.
These guys were good enough to beat their college peers which was a good indicator that they would go on to bigger and better success.
While not all professional golfers were standout college players, the majority of them were.
Unbelievable Short Game
Let’s put this in the category of intangibles.
All scratch to plus handicap golfers have great short games.
In this scenario I am referring to the next level great short game.
The type of short game where you see players holing out from impossible lies or positions on the course.
Pros can make it from any where and they routinely drop long putts to pull themselves out of trouble on a hole.
Ask yourself, “does my short game seem magical?” Or, “am I trying to get shots around the green close or am I actually trying to hole out?”
Everyone can hit their chips and sand shots close.
You need to be trying to drain them.
Mental Toughness
There are so many aspects to mental toughness it’s hard to describe them all.
First would be the ability to focus for five to six hours per round.
Second would the capability to bounce back after a poor shot or a tough break.
Finally, mental toughness implies the ability to keep a round together when you may not have your best stuff going that day.
Wrapping It Up
Can you still go pro without any of these indicators?
Yes.
I’m sure there are pros out there that are just riding on pure God given talent and were late bloomers.
Most, however fit the mold of having these 5 characteristics or at least 3 or 4 of them.
Let me know what you think in comments below.
Thanks.