# Salary of a pro ?



## golfdub (May 8, 2012)

As above I'm just curious of what a pro who teaches earns in a year ? Any ideas ?


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## connor (May 8, 2012)

Depends how many lessons he gives


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## Val (May 8, 2012)

Tough one, got to imagine Â£30- Â£40k or so for an average teaching pro


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## barrybridges (May 8, 2012)

I would guess sod all, to be honest!

Proper answer is - it depends on which club and which pro.

Most pros scratch a living based on lessons and selling stuff, but I imagine it's very hard work. The guy who gives me lessons also owns/runs the driving range and it's dead most of the time. He's there 7am - 8pm 7 days a week and I feel quite sorry for him.

Then again, he doesn't have to sit in an office, is out in the open (fresh) air and gets to hit golf balls whenever he's free, so it's not all bad.

My guess is most are bringing it around Â£20k.


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## connor (May 8, 2012)

Valentino said:



			Tough one, got to imagine Â£39- Â£40k or so for an average teaching pro
		
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I reckon there would be a massive variant as well depending on which course if any they was associated too


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## ScienceBoy (May 8, 2012)

Depends on how few shots he takes to get a little white ball into a small 3 and half inch cup.

And how many V-Easys he can sell


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## Val (May 8, 2012)

connor said:



			I reckon there would be a massive variant as well depending on which course if any they was associated too
		
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So would I, it should have read Â£30 - Â£40k


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## golfdub (May 8, 2012)

Wow as low as that! I was thinking around 60k, oops


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## Deleted Member 1156 (May 8, 2012)

As far as I am aware, there are no set rules. I would imagine it will depend on the type of club he is attached to (private/proprietary/municipal), location, number and hourly rate of lessons etc etc. 

There is a guy local to me that teaches at a local range, he has 3 rates. Amateurs, elite amateurs and pros. His hourly rate for these three are Â£49/100/500 and he is always pretty booked up!


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## harvey4banger (May 8, 2012)

Think your average pro is on about 23-25K a year basic


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## Val (May 8, 2012)

golfdub said:



			Wow as low as that! I was thinking around 60k, oops
		
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At Â£20 a half hour that's a lot of hours.


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## bobmac (May 8, 2012)

I saw a survey from a couple of years back that showed the AVERAGE retainer in the Oxford area was Â£25k.
7am-7pm six days a week with 4 weeks paid holiday =Â£7.23 per hour.
And that's the head pro.


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## fundy (May 8, 2012)

Big difference between retainer and final salary though Bob.

Club I used to be at the retainer was in that ball park, the head pro certainly didnt do 12 hrs a day 6 days a week lol, more like 6 or 7 hrs a day and 4 or 5 days a week


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## full_throttle (May 8, 2012)

If Bob could  break down how it works, without actually giving any figures, it would be interesting.

I guess the actual earnings are considerable less than potential earnings. Lets take driving instructers for example, the potential is for 40 hours at Â£30 an hour wheras in reality I would expect it's more like 25 hours at Â£20


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## bobmac (May 8, 2012)

Impossible to say as each club is different.
They draw up a contract which outlines who pays what to whom.
Some pros have to pay the club a percentage of their teaching
Some get a percentage of the greenfees/buggies etc
Some own the shop
Some just work for a salary and the club own the shop.

I know one pro near me who has been squeezed by the club every year for less and less retainer and demanding more of his teaching earnings to the point where he couldn't afford to stay and left.
They now emply a club manager who runs everything but no-one to teach the members.


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## SocketRocket (May 8, 2012)

The pro in my club has a retainer, charges Â£50 an hour for lessons which he is fairly busy with, sells a good range of golfing equipment and clothing.  He employs two full time assistants though.


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## Doon frae Troon (May 8, 2012)

At one of my old clubs we employed six pros.
One lad came to me for golf career advice
He was a decent young player who had worked seasonal on the courses.

5 of the pros rent their houses/flats and drive old bangers.
9 of the greenstaff own their own houses [3 of them worth over Â£100k..@1990]. 
4 of the greenstaff own new cars.
5 pros work about 60 hours a week
14 greenstaff work 37 hour weeks with double pay for weekend hours.
14 greenstaff have 5 weeks paid holiday
None of the pros have paid holiday

I'll let you make your own mind up.


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## beggsy (May 8, 2012)

Our pro is on a retainer of around 18-20k a year that's before he gets out of bed plus he has his shop and what ever % he makes on green fees and comp fees an lessons


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## In_The_Rough (May 8, 2012)

Doon frae Troon said:



			At one of my old clubs we employed six pros.
One lad came to me for golf career advice
He was a decent young player who had worked seasonal on the courses.

5 of the pros rent their houses/flats and drive old bangers.
9 of the greenstaff own their own houses [3 of them worth over Â£100k..@1990]. 
4 of the greenstaff own new cars.
5 pros work about 60 hours a week
14 greenstaff work 37 hour weeks with double pay for weekend hours.
14 greenstaff have 5 weeks paid holiday
None of the pros have paid holiday

I'll let you make your own mind up.
		
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Sounds like the Greenstaff are taking the pÂ£Â£s to me.


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## A1ex (May 9, 2012)

Depends on the quality of the pro, his ambitions and the club.

Some are happy to sit in a shop, average club, teach a bit and play. Good job and in the comfort zone. These guys make an OK living. Then you get the pro-active ones who are based at a good club with lots of rich members. They rake in the lessons and are fully booked and make good money from the pro shop. They have 3-4 assistants to do the boring shop work and don't work more than 5 days a week.


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## MadAdey (May 9, 2012)

The pro at my place is also part-time paid secretary of the club so he is making a good living when you put his retainer on top of that. I think the 2 together gives him about Â£30K a year. Then what he gets from his Â£20 per 1/2 hour lessons which he is normally well booked up for and the profits from the shop. He is always in designer golf gear and drives a nice car so I think he is doing ok for himself


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## shivas irons (May 9, 2012)

I was talking to a ex pro today who told me that some club pro jobs at well established clubs are being offered with NO retainer.The pro has to make his money out of lessons and sales etc,sounds like a very unsecure lifestyle to me....


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## Val (May 9, 2012)

shivas irons said:



			I was talking to a ex pro today who told me that some club pro jobs at well established clubs are being offered with NO retainer.The pro has to make his money out of lessons and sales etc,sounds like a very unsecure lifestyle to me....
		
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Your not wrong there mate, tough going to get a good club.


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## Doon frae Troon (May 9, 2012)

Nice little story of a pro I know who paid a commision at on of SE England's busiest municipals in the 1980's
He was going in on a wing and a prayer but soon found out it was a little gold mine.
He was making over Â£4k a year on hire trolleys alone.

That caused a severe problem for his predecesor as he never included trolley hire on his last 20 yeatrs tax returns!!


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## kinhell (May 9, 2012)

Ours has a Â£20k retainer and earns upto Â£80k out of sales and lessons etc according to him.


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## HomerJSimpson (May 9, 2012)

What about the assistant pros of today. Not those doing the real basics and going through the PGA exams but those coming out the other side as a new and fully qualified pro. These guys can't rock straight into a club as a head pro and so have to build themselves up. What are they on. Smaller retainer, less profits from lessons and sales. How easy is it for them to make a liveable wage without having to chase the lure of the meagre money available in the local pro-am circuit. I'm not talking those guys looking to give tournament golf a go, but the majority of guys fresh from the PGA's going into a first or even second club position


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