PGA Tour pro slams golf apparel brands as he reveals free stuff that players get in 2024
Ever wondered what free stuff PGA Tour players get on the regular? You're in luck courtesy of PGA Tour pro Michael Kim.
PGA Tour pro Michael Kim has taken to X / Twitter to reveal all the free stuff and perks that the majority of players receive while members on the circuit in 2024.
He's also ripped into some golf brands.
Of course bigger name players such as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will get a load more perks with their sponsors than one-time winner Kim, but the American's comments below at least provide you with a flavour as to what's on offer for average PGA Tour players.
As you might expect, golf equipment features heavily, especially golf balls.
Quiz: 93% of PGA Tour fans cannot identify all of these players! Are you in the 7% club?!
Kim makes some interesting points about what happens when you are a free agent on the PGA Tour.
He also alludes to the fact that while lots of fancy new golf equipment at first can make you feel like a kid in a toy shop, 'at a certain point you get really numb to it all'.
As for golf shoes, Kim admits he likes to keep things fairly simple so doesn't have to order a great deal.
Other players though could go through an entire catalogue as they like to match their outfits with their shoes.
Kim also reveals some golf apparel companies are 'very tough to deal with and they won't provide the clothing in a timely manner, and sometimes even the sizes are off'.
He continues on his rant about golf apparel brands by saying some of their 'logos are itchy or the wrong size'.
Over to you, Michael Kim...
Golf clubs: If you play it during the tournament, it’s almost unlimited. If you’re a free agent, you can test whatever you want and mostly get anything you need. A new driver for 5 weeks in a row? Prob ok but most don’t since it’s likely not going to be good for your scores. Putters? I’m sure at a certain point, they’ll say no especially if it’s a limited quantity but most companies are very willing to give you stuff as long as ur serious about using them during the tournament. Free clubs sounds super cool and at first ur a kid in a toy store. But at a certain point, you get really numb to it all. The coolest putters and shafts all just blend in and at the end of the day, they are just equipment to do my job the best that I can. I used to freak out about circle Ts and what not but as soon as I got free access, it wasn’t nearly as cool.
Golf balls: Titleist gives me 3 dozen every tournament week and during practice weeks, I ask them to send a shipment of balls and usually comes with 6-10 dozen boxes. That’ll last me for a while. I’ve never had them say no for some extra golf balls but I never ask for more than I need.
Travel: United airlines, Omni hotels, Avis car rentals are pgatour partners so we get decent status on those but some are more useful than others. Idk when the last time I flew United since I live in Dallas.
Other discounts include: FedEx, Bridgestone tires, BMW, At&T, Hyperice. They aren’t crazy discounts by any means but def is nice if you want any of their products or services.
Apparel: it REALLY depends on the company. Some are known to be very tough to deal with and they won’t provide the clothing in a timely manner and sometimes even the sizes are off. Or sometimes the logos are itchy or the wrong size. A player might not get the warm sweaters and stuff until like March when you don’t need it as much. If you have a great partner @DunningGolf it’s no problem! I have plenty of clothes but we don’t get it sent every week and we def do laundry every week. We don’t get scripted outfits every week as that’s usually just a Major thing. I’ve heard countless stories where guys have signed apparel deals for money but then got out of the deal and just worn free stuff that other companies have sent out because it’s way better quality and reliable.
Shoes: I have two shoes with me and I’ll switch them out maybe once a month? Maybe every 1.5 months? Certain guys like Billy or JT match their shoes to their outfit and there’s a ton of style and color you can order. I’m on the side that doesn’t change THAT often so I’ve never heard, you’ve ordered too many in a yr haha
Here's Kim's tweet:
Not a bad life being a PGA Tour pro, hey!
Kim is currently ranked 150th in the world.
He has just one top-10 finish in 2024.
Kim missed out on progressing into the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the top 70 players this month after ranking 115th in the standings.
The American will now be looking for a solid finish when the regular PGA Tour season resumes next month in order to ensure his playing privileges on the PGA Tour in 2025.
Should he fall outside the top 125 come the final event - the RSM Classic - in November then he will slip back onto the Korn Ferry Tour.
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