If you’re already a skilled golfer, we can’t say we blame you for researching how to become a golf pro.

There’s no better time to join the industry, with the number of golfers in the UK continuing to grow and the 2025 golf rule changes demonstrating how much the game is consistently evolving.

But what defines a ‘golf pro’? The term can be confusing, as it refers to both professional golfers and those who work within the business side of golf.

We cover how to become a golf professional, alongside how to take steps towards becoming a professional golfer if this is your goal.

Table of contents:

What is a golf pro?

There’s some confusion around who qualifies as a ‘golf professional’, as anyone who is a golf expert and involved in either teaching or playing golf at a professional level could be considered a ‘golf pro’.  

However, it’s widely accepted that there is a difference between golf professionals and professional golfers.

Golf professionals typically work in the business or management side of golf or teach or coach amateur or professional golfers.

Then, there are professional golfers who compete in high-profile tournaments like the Masters and the PGA Tour.

Many pro golfers follow the route of becoming a golf professional beforehand, as they have a strong involvement with their club growing up and decide to get certified.

But equally, many start as amateurs and rely on their talent to get noticed.

We’ve covered all pathways in this guide on how to become a golf pro, so you can weigh up your options and take actionable steps to progress your career.

Types of golf professionals

Hoping to work in the business side of golf? If so, it makes sense to get an overview of the roles available if you gain employment at a golf club and decide to become a PGM Associate.

To give you an idea of the different types of golf professionals, the PGA suggests that those who complete their qualifications fulfil one or more of the following roles:

• a qualified teacher or coach
• a knowledgeable retailer
• a customer advisor
• a specialist club fitter
• a manager of services, products, facilities, and people
• a tournament organiser
• a good player

Hopefully, this gives you a good overview of your career prospects.

Regarding job titles, the highest level at a club is typically Head Professional, followed by Associate Professional. They usually manage the club and other employees who work there.

The alternative route is becoming a Teaching Professional, which is a more practical role overall and mainly involves coaching clients.

Head Professional and Teaching Professional roles can sometimes interlink depending on the club, but there is room to specialise in one area over the other.

How to become a golf professional

The path to becoming a golf professional isn’t complicated. Still, it requires a high level of skill and dedication to your development as a player, even if you decide to work business side.

Professional golfing is certainly on the cards for those who go down this route, as long as they’re equipped with the skills to compete at an elite level.

Here’s a quick overview of the path to becoming a golf professional in the UK.

1. Complete the PGM Associate Program

Every golf club has a Head Professional overseeing its operations, including managing the course and other employees.

This role carries a large responsibility and is the most advanced path you can reach when learning how to become a golf pro outside of competing in tournaments.

Suppose you want to eventually become a Head Professional through the PGA. In that case, you’ll need to complete their PGM Associate Program and become an Associate Professional before you can climb through the ranks. This involves:

• a background check
• passing a qualifying test
• gaining employment as an Associate Professional
• completing the player ability test (PAT)

This could be helpful if you want to become a pro golfer, as the PAT test is a great way to prove your skill in the sport.

However, as mentioned earlier, you don’t technically require this to enter tournaments and get noticed.

2. Complete a golf-related bachelor’s degree

Gaining a PGA qualification is a popular route to becoming a golf professional in the UK, as their degree programmes are the most respected golf qualifications in the world.

If you’re hoping to work business side and want to climb the ranks once you graduate, this could be the best route for you.

A foundation degree in Golf Studies (FdSc) is available at the University of Birmingham and can be converted into a BSc (Hons) in Professional Golf Studies.

The University of the Highlands and Islands also runs a Diploma in Higher Education Golf Studies (DipHE), which can be converted into a BA in Professional Golf, with an option to continue to Hons.

You can also study a BSc in Applied Golf Management Studies taught in partnership with the University of Birmingham, which grants you membership as a PGA Professional subject to status and application.

3. Progress through PGA titles

There is the opportunity for development once you’ve qualified as a PGA Member through gaining more experience, education, achievements, and accreditations.

The first option is to move from ‘Class A’ to ‘Class AA’ status, which involves gaining 100 CPD points within three years through suggested professional development.

However, if you reach the age of 55 and haven’t progressed from Class AA status, you will remain at this level for life.

Aside from these initial titles, you can also apply for any of the following:

• PGA advanced professional—meets relevant criteria and has been qualified for a minimum of three years
• PGA fellow professional—meets the relevant criteria and has been qualified for a minimum of eight years
• PGA advanced fellow professional—meets the relevant criteria and has been qualified for a minimum of ten years
• PGA master professional—meets the relevant criteria and has been qualified for a minimum of fifteen years

As you’ve probably gathered, many professional golf players will hold a PGA qualification, so the two pathways often interlink.

But not all skilled players who qualify will go on to become professional golfers, and you also don’t need to qualify to become one, either.

How to become a professional golfer

If you’re a highly skilled player dedicated to your growth in the sport, then there’s a chance you could become a pro golfer if you set your mind to it.

Since the PGA Tour is the world’s largest professional golf tournament organiser, it makes sense for us to discuss how to reach this level of competition—entering these tournaments is the most popular end goal for aspiring golfers.

The steps themselves are quite simple. It’s what’s involved in the process that makes it easier said than done.

You need to be great at what you do, extremely driven, and prepared to put the rest of your life on hold if you want to make it. Here are the next steps if you think you’ve got what it takes.

1. Get up to professional standard

Most players fall at the first hurdle, as this is certainly one part that’s easier said than done. But if you can overcome the challenge of mastering golf, you’re already halfway there.

Recruiting a coach is a good idea if you can afford the investment. With their guidance, you can establish a solid training programme to perfect your technique and improve faster than working alone.

The game is massively competitive, especially since many golfers start young. But if you’ve got the grit and determination to consistently work on every element of your game, you’ll overtake those who give up too soon.

2. Take a swing at amateur events

Once you’ve achieved a high standard and proven your skill in a few friendly competitions at your local club, it’s time to progress to more formal events.

Wondering where to start? Using the Golf Empire search tool, you can browse over 10,000 amateur open golf tournaments at more than 1,500 golf clubs in the UK.

You can also check out amateur golf tours and series for when you feel you’re good enough to enter.

You can usually enter as many or as few events as you wish, meaning you can get a taste of what is expected at these events without committing to the full thing.

It’s easier said than done, but a huge part of learning how to become a professional golfer is dominating amateur competitions.

Progressing through the ranks will get you noticed and potentially lead to you being invited to or qualifying for a more prestigious event—this is how many golfers go professional.

3. Commit to going professional

If you reach the point where you’re consistently performing well in amateur competitions and you’re determined enough to take your career further, this is where you can take things to the next level.

Only you can decide whether or not you’re ready to go pro, as golf differs from other sports where you’re signed up to a team. You essentially decide to compete in professional events instead of their amateur counterparts.

You should be at the best level you can be before registering for professional events, however, as they are usually very expensive to enter and highly competitive.

In the UK, the easiest transition into professional events is becoming a PGA member and entering the PGA Open series, most of which have a £100 registration fee and a £20,000 prize fund.

Taking this leap of faith is a big step, but it’s worth a shot if you know you have what it takes and can afford to do so.

Don’t let age be a hurdle if you’re a great golfer, as there have been many late bloomers before. It’s a matter of dedication and skill above all else.

Take U.S. golfer Allen Doyle, for example—he turned pro at 46, proving it’s never too late to chase your dreams if you stay focused.

4. Sign up for Q-school

Finishing in the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour is a surefire way to earn a PGA Tour card, but you can only enter this tour if you go to Q-school first.

This process involves competing over four months to finish in one of the top 25 spots, which earns you an unconditional place on the Korn Ferry Tour. However, you can still get a conditional place if you finish in the 26-50 range.

If you compete well enough to finish in the top five of the final stage of Q-school, you can gain your PGA Tour card this way instead of competing in the Korn Ferry Tour.

5. Compete in the Korn Ferry Tour

If you’ve come this far, you’ve already become a professional golfer, but there’s much more to achieve if you keep pushing on.

The Korn Ferry Tour sits just beneath the PGA Tour, and making it to the finals and finishing in the top 25 guarantees you a spot. Finishing in the 26-50 range gives you a conditional status, and you’ll still have a chance to make your debut.

6. Reach PGA Tour player status

This is likely one of the most important stages of your career.

If you finish in the top 25 at the Korn Ferry Tour or secure your card through a conditional status, you’ll get a chance to compete amongst the world’s most elite golf players.

This will be no mean feat. But now that you know the steps involved, you can devise a step-by-step plan to achieve this level. SMART goals are a great way to ensure progress.

7. Keep your spot on the PGA Tour

While you’ve likely achieved your wildest dreams at this stage, now is not the time to get complacent.

To make your hard work pay off, you should do everything it takes to ensure you keep your spot as one of the 125 best players in the sport.

You’ll be standing on golf’s world stage, and you may never make it back if you let your game slip.

Avoid injuries at all costs, maintain your confidence, and never underestimate the importance of keeping up to speed through practice.

Winning high-profile competitions such as the Players Championship or The Masters solidifies your status as a top golfer and can even guarantee your spot on the PGA Tour for years at a time.

If you win the Players Championship, you receive a five-year exemption, a three-year invite to the Masters, and a three-year exemption for the Open and the PGA Championship.

Salaries in golf 

If you’re considering a career in golf, it’s natural to want to know exactly how much you could earn.

Leaning towards the golf professional route? According to Glassdoor:

• an Assistant Golf Professional earns £27k per year on average and up to £48k per year with experience
• a Head Golf Professional earns £25k per year on average and up to £73k per year with experience

If your end goal is becoming a professional golfer, the amount you’ll earn is understandably difficult to pin down.

Tiger Woods has the highest career earnings on the PGA Tour at $120,954,766, to give you an idea of how lucrative this career path can be.

Specialist golf insurance through Golf Care

As with any sport, the road to becoming a professional in golf is challenging, and accidents can happen. That’s why you may want to consider specialist golf insurance.

With specialist golf insurance through Golf Care, policies include Equipment Cover up to £7,500 and Public Liability up to £10m, so you can practice with complete peace of mind.

Get an instant online quote.

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The grip on your putter is just as important as any other club in the bag.

If your grip is slippery or worn, it will impact your stability at impact and the way the ball rolls off the face. The good news is, regripping a putter is not difficult.

We will go through a step-by-step process of what it takes to regrip your putter and whether you are capable of doing this on your own.

What You’ll Need to Regrip Your Putter

To regrip your putter, it’s best to have a small setup in a garage where you have a workbench and a vice. However, if you don’t have this, you can improvise, but it’s quite a bit more difficult. Here are the materials you will need and the cost that you can expect.

• Vice or workbench to hold the putter in place while you work
• Hook the blade to pull the old grip off
• Rubber shaft protector for vice
• Grip tape
• Solvent
• The new golf grip
• Towel

The best way to purchase the equipment to regrip your putter is to buy a regripping kit. These kits are very affordable and have everything in them that you will need; in addition, you can use the kit repeatedly as you regrip more of your clubs.

Most of the time, the cost to regrip a putter will just be around $8-$12 for the grip, but the extra supplies can run you close to $20 the first time you regrip the club. Once you have the supplies in place, you can do dozens of grip changes and not pay anything extra.

How to Regrip Your Putter: Step-by-Step Instructions

Following a step-by-step process for putting a new golf grip on your putter should only take a few minutes. In addition, it will probably cost you about half the price to do this on your own. The only thing to remember here is that we are concerned with both how the new grip comes out and your safety.

(If you’re looking for a video tutorial of how to regrip your putter, you can find one at the end of the step-by-step instructions below)

Step 1: Prepare The Workspace

When you use grip solvent during this process, it can get kind of messy. I like to work on a floor in a garage where I’m not worried about what will happen to it. Putting down scrap paper or something is another good alternative; just be prepared that you may get a little messy.

Don’t wear your favorite golf shirt; wear an old t-shirt in case you get grip solvent on you.

Step 2: Choose a Grip

There are hundreds of different grip options for golfers to choose from. You may want to replace a grip with exactly what you have on or change things up. Believe it or not, the grip you choose will impact the way you putt.

Most golfers like something with a flat panel on the front, as it allows hands to be positioned in a variety of ways. Remember that a traditional putting grip is slightly different from a standard golf grip.

Step 3: Remove The Old Grip

Taking the old grip off of your club is the most dangerous part of this process. A hook blade or box cutter is the best tool to use. Make sure that the golf club is securely positioned in the vice and that there is no club movement.

In addition, always be sure that you are at a safe distance from the hook blade as you pull it up. There is no way to save this grip, so if it is coming off in pieces, that is fine, but it’s best to pull the blade fully up and then peel the grip off.

Step 4: Clean Up The Shaft

The inside of the grip, combined with tape from the previous grip, will likely leave your golf shaft a bit of a mess. Sometimes you can scrape this off with a utility knife, but be careful not to damage the shaft. Other times a heat gun and some mineral spirits can be used to remove old tape remnants.

Step 5: Add Tape

Once the grip is cleaned up, you can start to add the layers of tape that you want under your grip. You must use double-sided tape, and I like to put the tape on in a spiral direction, moving up the shaft.

Be careful as to where you start the tape, as you don’t want excess overhang of the tape down below the base of the grip. The more layers of tape you add, the thicker the grip will be. However, you won’t want to add so many layers that it’s hard to get a grip on the club.

Typically between one and three layers is standard; you will need at least one for the grip to adhere properly. When you feel you have a sufficient amount of tape, you can then peel off the backing of the double-sided so that it is exposed.

Step 6: Prepare The Grip

Next, you will take the new grip that you are going to put on the club and putt the grip solvent into the inside of the grip. There is a hole on the butt end of the grip that you will need to hold closed with your finger.

Once you have your finger in place, put some grip solvent in the grip and then put your other hand on the other side. Move the grip around in a spiral motion so that the solvent coats the inside of the grip.

Once you have done this, take the solvent that is left over in the grip and pour it on the tape that you have prepared on the shaft. Holding a small cup or bucket under the shaft while you do this will contain a good portion of the mess.

Step 7: Slide The Grip On

Now that your grip is prepared and the shaft is prepared, you can slide it on. I like to hold the butt end of the club with a towel as I slide the grip on. This allows excess solvent to go into the towel instead of all over me!

As I slide the grip on, I always try to position myself behind the grip so I can ensure that it is going on squarely. It’s possible to adjust the grip a bit when you first put it on, but it’s not easy to do.

Sliding the grip into place at the right angles is important and will help ensure your consistency on the golf course with a square putter grip. The bottom line here is that the grip should allow the face of the putter to be square to the target at setup.

Step 8: Clean Up and Wait

Once you have the new grip on, it’s time to wipe down the grip to take off any excess solvent. In addition, you will want to wait a little bit before using the grip. If you use it too soon, it can turn a bit, and that’s a problem.

Most of the time, for a set of iron or driver regrips, we say to wait at least 12 hours, but for a putter grip, since you won’t swing a putter with the same force, an hour or so after regripping, you should be ready to use the putter on the course.

How Often to Regrip Your Putter

For avid golfers, a putter regrip should be done at least once a year, and sometimes even more often. Putter grips do not wear down quite as quickly as the other clubs in your bag simply because they are not held as tight when you swing.

However, when your putter grip is slippery and doesn’t allow you that traction and tackiness that you need in your game, it can result in some missed putts.

Regripping a putter should also be done when you want to change the grip style. Many people are switching to an oversized golf grip to ensure their hands and wrists are a little less active in the putting stroke.

Alternative Options if You Don’t Want to Regrip Your Own Putter

If you don’t want to regrip your own putter, you can bring it to a local golf shop or club fitting center, and they will do it for you. It’s important to remember that this will likely cost a bit more, but it can save you the project of having to deal with regripping the putter yourself.

Most of the time, a putter regrip like this is going to cost anywhere from $10 to $40, depending on the grip you choose. Sometimes larger putter grips are expensive.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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