When people ask what life is like out here, I usually just say, “It’s great,” and leave it at that.
And it is great. There’s no denying that. We get to play golf for a living, travel to incredible places, compete against the best players in the world. It’s everything you dreamed about when you were a kid. But what most people don’t see is that this isn’t just golf anymore.
It’s a job.
And the guys who last out here—the ones who stay, who build careers, who keep showing up year after year—they treat it that way.
There’s a structure to it that I didn’t fully understand when I first got out here. You don’t just show up on Thursday and play. The work starts long before that.
For me, a typical week begins early. After usually traveling Monday, I’ll get to the course Tuesday morning and start building the plan. Not just hitting balls, but understanding what I need that week. What the golf course is asking. Where I can be aggressive, where I need to be disciplined.
Practice isn’t random anymore. It’s intentional.
I’m not just trying to hit good shots—I’m trying to prepare for the shots I know I’m going to face. Uneven lies, uncomfortable yardages, shots under pressure. You start to realize pretty quickly that range sessions don’t translate unless they’re specific.
A lot of guys out here will spend hours practicing, but the best ones are very clear about why they’re doing what they’re doing. That’s something I had to learn.
The mental side is just as important, if not more. You can’t survive out here without it.
There’s too much time, too many variables, too much on the line. If your mind isn’t in a good place, it doesn’t matter how good your swing feels. It won’t hold up.
So mental training becomes part of the routine, just like anything else. I'm not afraid to admit that I work with someone on my mental health. It's nothing crazy or dramatic, it just keeps me sane and grounded out here. Honestly, just talking usually feels great. I get tired of talking to my caddy! :)
For me, I work on staying present, managing expectations, and understanding that you’re not going to feel great every week. The goal is to be steady—to not ride the highs too high or let the lows take you out of what you’re trying to do.
Some days that’s easier than others. But it’s something you work on, just like your swing.
Then there’s the physical side. This is another thing people don’t talk about enough. Your body has to hold up. You’re walking miles every day, practicing for hours, traveling constantly, sleeping in different beds, different time zones. If you’re not taking care of yourself, it catches up to you fast.
So now, taking care of your body is part of the job.
Strength work. Mobility. Recovery. Eating right when you can. Getting enough sleep. Listening when something doesn’t feel right instead of trying to push through it all the time. I didn’t always prioritize that early on.
Most guys don’t. But the longer you’re out here, the more you realize your body is one of your biggest assets. If it breaks down, everything else follows.
And then there’s everything outside the ropes.
Travel. Scheduling. Managing your time. Figuring out where to play, when to rest, when to push. Agents and reps always in your face. Everyone has a hand out for something. It’s not just about golf—it’s about building a routine that works over a long season.
Because this IS a long season.
And if you treat it like a sprint, it’ll wear you out. I think the biggest shift for me was understanding that this life requires balance, even though it doesn’t always look like it from the outside.
There’s a difference between working hard and just being consumed by it.
The guys who do this well—they work incredibly hard, but they also know when to step away. They have something outside of golf that keeps them grounded, something that reminds them that a missed cut isn’t everything.
That’s been important for me.
Because if all you have is golf, it can start to feel really heavy.
Out here, you’re responsible for everything. There’s no coach standing over you every day. No team setting your schedule. No one forcing you to put in the work. You're now the CEO of your own company.
It’s on you.
And that’s both the best part and the hardest part of this job. You get to build it the way you want. But you also have to be honest with yourself about what it takes. Because at the end of the day, this is your job.
You don’t get paid for potential. You don’t get paid for how good your swing looks on Tuesday. You get paid for how you perform when it matters. And to be ready for that, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.
It’s not always glamorous.
Some days it’s early mornings on the range when no one’s around. Some days it’s grinding through a practice session when you don’t feel like you have it. Some days it’s doing the right things when no one’s watching, knowing that it might not show up until weeks later.
But that’s what this is.
And once you accept that—once you stop expecting it to feel like a dream every day and start treating it like the job it is—it actually becomes a lot more manageable.
You still love it. You still enjoy the moments when everything clicks. But you’re not relying on those moments to define the experience.
You’re just doing the work. And out here, that’s what gives you a chance.
— A golfer who's been doing this a few years.