The Path to Becoming a Professional Female Golfer

If you've been around, you know our goal is to empower women to play the game, no matter their age or skill level. So, whether you’re a beginner and just starting out, or you’ve played for years—welcome!

We’ve noticed a few things happen as people start playing. First, they fall in love with golf. Second, they want to keep learning and growing. And for those who are really interested in leveling up their skills, there are opportunities to go pro!

To chat more about their experiences playing professional golf, we talked to Morgan Reimler and Tara Bateman. Both Morgan and Tara played college and professional golf and have a lot to share about the experience. 

Pathways to Pro

Both Tara and Morgan had different experiences in their career. Tara’s path started by playing college golf. She unfortunately had a rough last few events and didn’t graduate with sponsorships. However, she joined mini-tours and tournaments by bootstrapping her way in, primarily taking advantage of free homestay accommodation options.

After playing for a while, Tara became a caddy on the LGPA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) to learn from the best-of-the-best. She loved her time there and learned a lot about course management. After, Tara joined Q-School (more on that below) but did not finish due to illness. Tara went back to caddying for six years and loved it. After a lengthy break from playing, she’s back to it and loves it!

Morgan’s route to the pros also started in college. After graduating, she knew she had to move somewhere warm to really pursue golf as a professional career. She came out to Arizona with no job or connections, just a love for the game. By working at a golf course, practicing whenever possible, and finding new events to play in, Morgan has had good success out on the Women’s All-Pro Tour and Symetra events.

There were a few themes that come out in both stories:

• Going pro is not easy! Obviously. It’s all hard work and dedication.
• There are things out of your control. Circumstances like illness and finances can really impact your ability to move forward in golf or not, and a lot of times you just can’t do much about it.
• There’s money in golf, but you’ve got to spend a lot for a chance at it. Sure, the top players make a lot of money by splitting the tournament purse—but if you don’t make the top, you don’t get anything. And yet, you still have to pay hundreds of dollars for membership and event entrance, as well as food and accommodation.

Q-School Experiences

Both Morgan and Tara went through Q-School, which is a qualifying tournament for female golfers, put on by the LGPA. It’s not just any tournament—it’s really intense. Case and point: it’s hosted in August in Palm Desert, so you need to have mental and physical stamina to compete in the heat!

Here are some quick facts about Q-School:

• There are three stages: Stage 1, Stage 2, and the Q-Series. Cuts are made throughout, and only the top golfers can go on.
• Each stage has multiple competition rounds at different courses—stages 1 and 2 are four rounds of golf, while the Q-series is eight.
• Amateurs and professionals are allowed to compete; amateurs who make it through the first two rounds must turn pro prior to competing in the Q-series.
• A handicap index of 4 or less is required to participate.
• Fees are $2,500 for Stage 1 and $4,000 for stage 2.
• You’re going for even par for every tournament. Talk about a fierce competition! Unlike other tournaments that depend on the course and who you’re playing against, the bar at Q-School is high.

Q-School is a grueling, hot, and potentially stressful competition… why would you want to go? Those who make it through the three rounds are almost guaranteed lucrative scholarships. But beyond that, it’s a way to test your skills and gain experience in an ultra-competitive environment.

We’re always honest here, so we’ll be blunt: Q-School is not for everyone! It’s an intense competition that will definitely put your skills and grit to the test. But if you want to compete with the best, this is the way in. You’ll be able to gain experience in a competitive environment, level up your skills, and potentially join the ranks of the pros!

Tips from the Pros

Hearing about Tara and Morgan’s experiences are helpful to better understand how female golfers go pro and what it takes to get there. But you can also learn a lot from their experiences, even if you have no intention of going pro and just want to play socially or recreationally.

Here’s some of the takeaways they shared:

• The biggest difference between pros and amateurs is course management and the ability to make good decisions on the golf. You can level up your game by learning that skill!
• Golf is partly physical, partly mental. The right mindset will always help you do your best or shake off negative experiences.
• It’s okay to take a break when you need one. Tara benefitted from taking an extended break from playing; when she decided to return, she fell back in love with the sport!
• Enjoy golf for the sport itself, but also the other benefits—friends, travel, and community.

So, you ready to go pro? If you’re interested in the LGPA Q-School, make sure to learn more about it here.

Resources

Tori:
Instagram: @tori_totlis
TikTok: @tori_totlis
Website: CompeteConfidenceGolf.com

Be sure you are subscribed to our podcast to automatically receive the NEW episodes weekly!!!