Golf pro details financial struggles then TAKES ON the keyboard warriors
Meghan MacLaren details how much money she would have lost had she not had sponsorship and other income.
Making it as a golf professional is unreasonably difficult - at least that is the consensus from the majority.
To get to tour level, you need to be naturally talented, you need to practice a lot and then you need to execute when you get your chance.
Oh, and you'll need a fair old sum of money for those entry fees, hotel stays, car hires, range balls and food among other things.
Professional golf can be a massive chore and it can no doubt feel like you are smashing your head against a brick wall.
We detailed yesterday Tiger Woods' daily practice schedule in his heyday, so this is the barometer.
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I remember sitting in a press conference with Padraig Harrington last year and he detailed his early struggles.
Had he not established himself within a certain time period, he was going to be offski to a resort to be a golf coach.
Most people are not under the illusion that they will be a big star, even if they are super talented.
It's often said that the difference between a scratch golfer and a professional is bigger than a five handicap to a scratch.
Meghan MacLaren, an LET player with aspirations to play on the LPGA Tour, detailed the financial struggles of golf.
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This is what she wrote:
*not looking for sympathy or a debate about feeder tours, just thought interesting to share-
Without sponsorship or other income, my total profit/loss for 2021 would have been a loss of £23k ($31k).
18th on money list, VERY unselfish coaches and next to no caddie all year
— Meghan MacLaren (@meg_maclaren) January 1, 2022
It paints a very dark picture of life in professional golf if pros don't have sponsorship, income or any other savings.
Of course, MacLaren prefaced the post by saying she didn't want sympathy or debate but that didn't stop the keyboard warriors.
MacLaren decided to take on one person who missed the memo:
1. I knew what I was signing up for, I’m not complaining about it.
2. I’d very much like to meet the version of me that Google thinks is real https://t.co/9bb0ojHHyy
— Meghan MacLaren (@meg_maclaren) January 2, 2022
MacLaren posted her thoughts on her personal website detailing her year and the struggle that is golf.
She wrote: "Those dark corners, they do matter. I write about them because we all experience them, even if we don’t always want to acknowledge it. I also have a brain that never sleeps and play a sport that can never be mastered, which creates a motivating but confused cocktail of thoughts I try to decipher by writing."
Ever since the emergence of the pandemic professional golf, particularly on the smaller tours, has been hit financially.
All this goes to just how damn difficult trying to make it as a player can really be.
