BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: thewhiz on January 22, 2020, 12:50:28 PM
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How do the guys on tour who do not cash on a weekly basis survive on tour?
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They don't.
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How do the guys on tour who do not cash on a weekly basis survive on tour?
Personal Sponsors & Family members with deep pockets who don't understand/don't care about ROI.
In Vegas I heard a young pro talking about "having to borrow another 25 grand from his dad" cause he didn't know how he was going to survive the rest of the touring year. Not a bad problem to have. I also know another ex pro who never made a telecast but bowled for many years, estimate that he and his family spent $250k out of their own pockets to finance his tour run in the mid 2000s-early 2010s when he turned his card back in.
Imagine the return of spending $250k in a specialized field/doctorate/law degree and what that could secure in a nice 6 figure/year living for a lifetime.
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Is there still a decent amount of action outside of the tournaments for the pros? My great uncle was a pro way back, and although he never won a title he made a living on tour from people that wanted to bowl for cash after.
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Back when I was young I cant count how many people were always asking me why I didnt go on tour. I gave them all the same answer. As an accountant at a local company my salary would have put me in the top 30 on tour. Plus I had good medical, a retirement plan , and no travel costs.
A very good friend of mine had 3 titles on tour and mulitple top 5 finishes over the years. He is 68 years old, and cant afford to retire so he is still working
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The only way I could see it being financially viable would be to
1. Live in an RV
2. Have no kids
3. Have a gig on the side where I could consult when I'm not bowling.
Until bowling is putting out $75000 on top a week for 40 weeks, you won't be able to survive.
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Belmo's prize money in 2019 wouldn't put him in the top 70 of the golfer prize list IIRC (yep, barely in top 100 even). As to Bob's point that was the conclusion Fagan came to as well.
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Huh? Belmonte’s CAREER earning would get him into the top 70 on the 2019 PGA Tour money list.
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Lol his career earnings total would barely get him in top 15 in golf for 2019 alone but meant yeah if just go off one year he barely makes top 100 in golf last year. Meaning guys who consistently missed cuts made more than Belmo.
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Do some research before you post instead of just guessing.
2019 earnings would get him 188th on the PGA list. Need to be over $1 million to get inside top 100.
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How do the guys on tour who do not cash on a weekly basis survive on tour?
Personal Sponsors & Family members with deep pockets who don't understand/don't care about ROI.
In Vegas I heard a young pro talking about "having to borrow another 25 grand from his dad" cause he didn't know how he was going to survive the rest of the touring year. Not a bad problem to have. I also know another ex pro who never made a telecast but bowled for many years, estimate that he and his family spent $250k out of their own pockets to finance his tour run in the mid 2000s-early 2010s when he turned his card back in.
Imagine the return of spending $250k in a specialized field/doctorate/law degree and what that could secure in a nice 6 figure/year living for a lifetime.
With the bold, you basically have a Scott Norton. Now you know why he has that law degree, and given the time, could use his earnings from that to fund himself on tour.
The only way I could see it being financially viable would be to
1. Live in an RV
2. Have no kids
3. Have a gig on the side where I could consult when I'm not bowling.
Until bowling is putting out $75000 on top a week for 40 weeks, you won't be able to survive.
You just described WRW here, especially since for his time on tour, he and his wife lived in an RV and traveled to each stop. Whether they have children or not now, I don't know, but they definitely did this for the most of his career.
BL.
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How do the guys on tour who do not cash on a weekly basis survive on tour?
Personal Sponsors & Family members with deep pockets who don't understand/don't care about ROI.
In Vegas I heard a young pro talking about "having to borrow another 25 grand from his dad" cause he didn't know how he was going to survive the rest of the touring year. Not a bad problem to have. I also know another ex pro who never made a telecast but bowled for many years, estimate that he and his family spent $250k out of their own pockets to finance his tour run in the mid 2000s-early 2010s when he turned his card back in.
Imagine the return of spending $250k in a specialized field/doctorate/law degree and what that could secure in a nice 6 figure/year living for a lifetime.
A lot of pro bowlers aren’t skilled enough to bag groceries. There’s a reason a lot of guys out there are on wife 3 or 4.
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You just described WRW here, especially since for his time on tour, he and his wife lived in an RV and traveled to each stop. Whether they have children or not now, I don't know, but they definitely did this for the most of his career.
Didn't he get remarried the last year or two?
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You just described WRW here, especially since for his time on tour, he and his wife lived in an RV and traveled to each stop. Whether they have children or not now, I don't know, but they definitely did this for the most of his career.
Didn't he get remarried the last year or two?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Ray_Williams_Jr.
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I forgot he had an adopted daughter.
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I thought a lot of these guys get salarys from their ball companies.
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Some of them have behind the scenes backers, as in individuals putting up cash in hopes to get a return on the investment. I know one guy who sold "shares" of himself to go out on tour and for a few years, depending on how much he won, each "share" paid a dividend. Do well enough and that share paid more back then the person paid to get it...
But let's be honest....not many are making any kind of great living out there.
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I've heard of some bowlers currently on tour and have been for a while, that have millionaire backers that don't care if they make money or don't, they just write off on taxes as donations. IDK how they do that but there must be a way.
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An old joke, but still on the money. A guy asks a pro bowler what he would do if he got a million dollars. Pro thinks a minute, then replies, " I would stay on tour till it was gone".
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Do some research before you post instead of just guessing.
2019 earnings would get him 188th on the PGA list. Need to be over $1 million to get inside top 100.
Guess I was using the wrong list (yeah oops was using 2020 list sorry about that, which means a dozen plus golfers in 2020 have already made more than Belmo's career earnings, wow). Regardless looks like we agree completely on the original point. Bowling prize money is not lucrative.
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I thought a lot of these guys get salarys from their ball companies.
It's not a lot. It just puts a dent into the travel/drilling expenses.
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Speaking to what DP3 just wrote.....even the staffers who get free balls still have to pay for drilling on the truck. Anyone watch Brad Miller in the latest video state he talked to his reps and they decided to drill up 3 balls before yesterday. While the balls were free, the cost to drill on the truck was $50 a ball...so he still spent $150 out of his pocket. many people think a "free" ball is exactly that, free....but its not, or at least its not in most cases.
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Gotta pay those truck pros. They work SUPER hard and have to have a 100% success rate on hitting the lines/pitches or feel the wrath of a meltdown. Granted, some of the tour's biggest offenders of the meltdowns are no longer on tour and/or bowl a few senior stops only.
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Nothing in bowling is really "free," and this is a good illustration of that. Also a good point for pro shops when people complain about drilling prices. They don't do anything but punch holes on the truck too, everyone has to finish their own stuff and install their own inserts.
Speaking to what DP3 just wrote.....even the staffers who get free balls still have to pay for drilling on the truck. Anyone watch Brad Miller in the latest video state he talked to his reps and they decided to drill up 3 balls before yesterday. While the balls were free, the cost to drill on the truck was $50 a ball...so he still spent $150 out of his pocket. many people think a "free" ball is exactly that, free....but its not, or at least its not in most cases.