Well in a nutshell, I suppose in essence, the definition of a Professional golfer is somehow who gets paid prize money to play golf. Sure, you need a handicap of 4 or lower, but let's take first things first, and getting paid to play golf.
Most weeks, I'm getting paid to play golf, so in a round about way, I'm a pro!!! Well kind of!! I do win the odd competition and finish in the top 5 to 10 occasionally which pays in pro shop vouchers ranging from €30 to over €100, but thats not what I'm referring to here, no sir, I've a nice little earner, which applies to most rounds and especially applies when I'm out for a practice round.
So, what's the secret? Golf balls my friends, golf balls. They aint cheap, especially for premium level balls. Don't believe me? Feast your eyes below.
That's €3.90 to €4.50 per ball folks amd guess who know a spot on the golf course where loads of stray balls end up? That's right, yours truly. A quick 15 to 20 minute detour while out practicing can often return 35 to 40 balls and at least 60% are usually premium balls.
So I collect them, wash them and sell them online for around €1.25 per ball for premium and €0.50 for standard balls.
Not only is it a good earner, but it's a cost saver too, never again will I pay €50 for a dozen balls, I keep all the best quality Titliest Pro V1s for myself and have around 100 brand new looking balls in my home office and take a few from the stash every few weeks and the stock is growing quicker than it's shrinking, which is mighty!
Above is some of my current stock and folks drive to my house to pick them up, so other than washing the balls and sorting them, there's very little work in it!
Of course not!!! But it's as close as I'll get at this stage, my friends, so I'll take it. One thing is for sure, it's a great past-time, and for a competitive nut like me, getting to play competitive sport is fantastic.
Talking of professionals, who's watching the US Open? I had a few bets and picked Aberg, De Chambeau and Kim before a ball was hit and all are currently inside the top ten, so far so good!!
I'm really looking forward to Sunday when our Captains Day Qualifier is on, one of the biggest competitions of the year.
The images used throughout are all my own captured on my Samsung Smartphone
