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Ever Wonder How Much a PGA TOUR Pro Makes to Wear All Those Logos?

Published

8 years ago

October 16, 2018

Brace yourself, because there are some big numbers ahead…

But before we get into the dollars and cents, here’s a little background on where the data comes from:

Recently Golf.com spoke with a top sports agent, who spoke anonymously about the kind of money a PGA TOUR pro makes off of endorsement deals. Specifically, the player profile outlined in the report is as follows:

“A Top 125 guy. A pro whose Tour card is a no-doubter; who nails down a win in the occasional year; and who can be counted on each season to make it to—and sometimes through—the Dell Technologies event in the FedEx Cup playoffs. His approximate 2017-18 season prize-money earnings was $2,000,000.”

So now that we have that laid out, let’s dig into what these guys make for being human billboards.

PGA TOUR Pro Hat Deal Value: $250,000–$500,000

No surprise that the front of the hat brings in the most bank, as that is always front-and-center in interviews, pictures, etc.

“The front of the hat is your No. 1 real estate. On the high end, this deal generally includes other inventory—bag, equipment—as well. If you’re a Top 30 player, you’re definitely making seven figures on this. For a Top 10 guy, you’re looking north of $3 million and getting close to eight figures for the most marketable players in the world. For this deal, a player will be obligated to, on average, commit to giving a company three to four appearance/promotional days per year.”

Phil Mickelson tips his hat after hitting his second shot on the 14th…

Phil Mickelson tips his hat after hitting his second shot on the 14th hole during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 12, 2012 in Pebble… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

The hat really is the feature-piece for advertisers and it’s also the most consistent piece of apparel a golfer wears. Phil Mickelson’s famous KPMG hat even has its own Twitter account with over 141k followers!

Who’s your favorite Lefty? #LetsGoLefty pic.twitter.com/pOSZ90snHX

— KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) October 15, 2018

PGA TOUR Pro Logo/Corporate Deal Value: $50,000–$100,000

Working our way down we have the shirt, which includes plenty of places for corporate logos, including the chest, sleeve, and collar.

“A player who keeps his card should have a minimum of three to five corporate partners. Maybe that’s a chest deal, a sleeve deal, and a collar deal—plus maybe two other name-and-likeness deals that don’t require a logo. A $100K logo deal usually includes two player obligations: a content-generation day—like a commercial shoot—and a day in a golf setting, like a pro-am or clinic. Generally, each name-and-likeness deal brings in $25K-plus, and requires two meet-and-greet appearances at PGA Tour locations. When you see guys with multiple logos on their chest, that’s a dead giveaway that their apparel deal isn’t paying much. The higher-end deals generally don’t allow additional logos unless they’ve been grandfathered in. Adidas and Under Armour usually allow one extra logo on the sleeve.”

Sergio Garcia pf Spain practices ahead of the Andalucia Valderrama…

Sergio Garcia pf Spain practices ahead of the Andalucia Valderrama Masters at Real Club Valderrama on October 16, 2018 in Cadiz, Spain. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

The report noted that a player’s shoes may also be included in an overall apparel deal, or occasionally negotiated separately.

PGA TOUR Pro Club Deal Value: $100,000

It’s every golfer’s dream…lots, and lots of free golf clubs. But the deal doesn’t stop there. Top pros make some serious money for carrying all that coveted equipment.

“It used to be, you’d be a full-staff Titleist guy, with a Titleist hat, Titleist on your sleeve, a Titleist golf bag, the ball, the glove. For the normal Top 125 player, what’s happened over the years is the equipment dollars have gone down a bit, and the corporate and clothing dollars have come up. Now what you see more of is, say, a Titleist equipment guy—but he’s got a corporation on the front of his hat, and he wears Puma clothes and shoes. He combines equipment, clothing and corporate dollars.”

Adam Scott of Australia carries his Titleist bag to the 18th hole…

Adam Scott of Australia carries his Titleist bag to the 18th hole green during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on March 20, 2016… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

PGA TOUR Pro Ball Deal Value: $50,000–$100,000

The ball you play matters, especially when playing at the highest level of the game. We can all remember the money Bubba Watson turned down when he left Volvik so clearly money isn’t everything. That said, players still make big money to play top name golf balls.

“Typically dominated by Titleist. If you’re on Tour, you can expect to get a ball-shoe-glove deal from Titleist—unless you get a ball deal from someone like Callaway, TaylorMade or Srixon. Or Bridgestone, though they’re not as common because Bridgestone is way more selective.”

-At the Titleist golf ball factory, the Pro V 1X golf balls get a…

At the Titleist golf ball factory, the Pro V 1X golf balls get a visual inspection at the end of the assembly line. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

PGA TOUR Pro Performance Bonus Values

When you play well, you’re in the spotlight a whole lot more, and if you’re wearing a sponsor’s logo, they’re going to enjoy all that extra exposure. So most of the contracts above also include performance bonus incentives including approximately $10k – $25k for keeping your Tour card, $25k to $100k for a PGA TOUR win, and another $100k for making it into the FedExCup final (Top 30).

Bryson DeChambeau plays his shot from the fourth tee during the…

Bryson DeChambeau plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the PGA Tour Championship on September 21 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Final Balance Sheet

Although these are some seriously eye-popping numbers, like any business, there are always expenses to balance out the revenue, and PGA TOUR pros’ accounting is no different.

PGA TOUR pros have a lot of team members that attribute to their success, and all of them are on the payroll. These include, caddies, agents, trainers, coaches, accountants, etc. Additionally, all that travel to and from tournaments adds up, to the tune of $3,000 – $5,000 per week.

When it’s all said and done the average Tour player spends about half a million bucks on his team and other incidentals.

Here’s the final balance sheet according to the Golf.com report: