There are millions and millions of dollars to be made on the golf course. Not counting endorsements, Tiger Woods has earned over $50 million during his short career and shows no sign of slowing down. He could stop now and never have to work another day in his life. These professional golfers are earning so much money that they regularly skip tournaments where the money isn't as big or if they are tired and need a break. Imagine if the every day regular guy or gal could decide not to go to work next week if they didn't feel like it. Life would be good.
The thing is, though, professional golfers do earn their money. They bring in massive numbers of fans to tournaments and also to everything else golf, like magazines and TV shows. They are the ones who are attracting the consumers to the companies that want to sell to them. Without the professionals, there would be no PGA tour, no Golf Channel, and no Golf Digest. There would still be great ideas to improve our golf games but how would the companies get the word out to the selected group of consumers who are golfers?
Some would argue that not only are professional golfer paid too much, but they enjoy a privileged lifestyle that most of us can only dream of. So what? Everyone knows how it all works and there are no surprises…only jealously. If we complain that much about how they are doing so much better than the rest of us, why not try to attain the same level they do? If it is that easy and that great, why
If it's that great, why not try to be the one reaping the rewards yourself? The truth is that is a long, long road to become a professional in just about anything. Professional golfers often struggle to get to where they are with no guarantee that they will ever be successful. Sure, Tiger Woods had shown promise from the time he was a young golfer but was he an injury away from a regular life like the rest of us? Probably he was. I wonder how many people out there, golfers or not, are just like the rest of us, having missed an opportunity due to an unfortunate sequence of events.
Remember, golf is a business just like any other. The professional golfers are what makes the business work and without them, countless businesses would not even exist.
Mike Wyman is co-creator of the online dating website for golfers, DateAGolfer.com and PuttingForPar.com, a golf website specializing in personalized ball markers.