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Amature/junior sponsorship

polarisdude94

polarisdude94

golf junky
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Hi all. I am a junior golfer as some of you know. I am playing in tournaments this summer and I don't have all the funds I need for fees and equipment. Especially if I want to do a lot of tournaments. I shot at par or +/- a few strokes. I am a solid golfer. Does anybody know how to get a sponsorship or of any company who may do this?
Thanks!
 
Can you have a sponsorship as an amateur?
 
blugold said:
Can you have a sponsorship as an amateur?
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I don't think so. But I am not positive. What do you need on the equipment front bud? Golf balls?
 
Jacob Robertson said:
I don't think so. But I am not positive. What do you need on the equipment front bud? Golf balls?
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Golf balls are part. But I also would like new irons, more forgiving. The ones I play now are basically blades, small cavity back. I am not sure either on if I can have one or not. Anybody know if so and why?
 
polarisdude94 said:
Golf balls are part. But I also would like new irons, more forgiving. The ones I play now are basically blades, small cavity back. I am not sure either on if I can have one or not. Anybody know if so and why?
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PM'ed.
 
polarisdude94 said:
I am not sure either on if I can have one or not. Anybody know if so and why?
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I don't know the rules that well, but if you have a sponsor, in a lot of sports, you can lose your amateur status.

As far as the equipment goes, may jave to find a summer job and save every penny you can.
 
blugold said:
I don't know the rules that well, but if you have a sponsor, in a lot of sports, you can lose your amateur status.

As far as the equipment goes, may jave to find a summer job and save every penny you can.
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This is what I have done, only mine is during the school months. I work with children in an after school program. It has helped enormously on things such as golf balls.
 
I do have a summer job caddying, I make good money, but I try to save as much as I can for gas and for the future. I dont have much time in the school year as I am in every honors class at my school.
 
polarisdude94 said:
I do have a summer job caddying, I make good money, but I try to save as much as I can for gas and for the future. I dont have much time in the school year as I am in every honors class at my school.
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You sound a lot like me man, though obviously you will be playing a lot more golf than I. If I were you, I would find a couple of successful local Mom and Pop shops and tell them your situation.
 
Jacob Robertson said:
You sound a lot like me man, though obviously you will be playing a lot more golf than I. If I were you, I would find a couple of successful local Mom and Pop shops and tell them your situation.
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I was thinking of that, but I couldn't think of any local businesses that would help me out.
 
As an amateur you cannot have sponsors. If I were you the best thing you can do is to just tell family and friends what you are doing and ask each of them if they would be interested in donating $10-15 to you toward your tournaments. Then send them all thank you cards with some tournament photos when you are done. Typically sponsors want you to do something for them as well. It is not just "oh hey I want some new equipment, and then for you guys to pay my entry fees" because that does not benefit them. Asking for donations from friends and family is your best bet.
 
polarisdude94 said:
I was thinking of that, but I couldn't think of any local businesses that would help me out.
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Hmmm. I know around here, if someone really needs some help, places like Wal-Mart will usually help, but you gotta talk to the owner of the specific store. Don't know if it is like that up your way or not.
 
INgolfer said:
As an amateur you cannot have sponsors. If I were you the best thing you can do is to just tell family and friends what you are doing and ask each of them if they would be interested in donating $10-15 to you toward your tournaments. Then send them all thank you cards with some tournament photos when you are done. Typically sponsors want you to do something for them as well. It is not just "oh hey I want some new equipment, and then for you guys to pay my entry fees" because that does not benefit them. Asking for donations from friends and family is your best bet.
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Do you know why amateurs cannot have sponsors?
 
polarisdude94 said:
Do you know why amateurs cannot have sponsors?
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Amateur means that you receive no compensation for your play. Take Bobby Jones for example. Once you receive compensation, you are technically a professional, as it has become a profession.
 
Jacob Robertson said:
Amateur means that you receive no compensation for your play. Take Bobby Jones for example. Once you receive compensation, you are technically a professional, as it has become a profession.
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So once you get a sponsorship you are technically a pro. What type of events could you play in then?
 
blugold said:
The Nationwide Tour.
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Umm. Yeah. Probably some other minitours as well. You could also try for college golf, but you probably need a +1 index or so for that.
 
I thought as long as you weren't being paid to play you would still be an amateur? I know when I raced motocross as an amateur, I couldn't win cash, but could accept gift certificates. Same goes for amateur golf tours, no cash prizes. I also had sponsors that would give me a percentage off and sometimes free parts. This might be different in golf though.
 
I am sure someone like Four-putt could definitely answer better than us, man. Look him up. he can give you a definite answer.
 
Jacob Robertson said:
Umm. Yeah. Probably some other minitours as well. You could also try for college golf, but you probably need a +1 index or so for that.
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The NCAA might have something to say about that.
 
blugold said:
The NCAA might have something to say about that.
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I thought colleges were allowed to offer equipment for their players. Just like football pads or jerseys.
 
To be honest I don't think you'd find anyone to sponsor you.. the tournament fees come out of the own juniors pockets or their parents 99% of the time. Just play what you can afford.
 
I'm not 100% sure about golf, but in other sports, once you receive anything free for what you are doing (golf in this case), you lose your amateur status and you cannot play in junior tournaments, high school or college. Look at what happened to Lebron James when he got a free Cleveland Browns jersey in high school, he was suspended for the rest of his high school career. The Hummer he got also did that. haha. So I wouldn't go around asking for sponsors, or at least find out what the rule is in golf first. You don't want to make a mistake by accepting a sponsor and then finding out that you can no longer play in Junior events, college, or any amateur event for that matter. Once it's done you can't get back your amateur status. Like what some others said, ask family and friends to help donate a little money in order to help out.
 
Jacob Robertson said:
I thought colleges were allowed to offer equipment for their players. Just like football pads or jerseys.
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They are, but that sponsorship is a sponsor for the school, NOT the players. I work for a D-1 Basketball team and I've heard and seen so many situations of individual players receiving gifts outside of what their parents or the school provides for their sport, and they end up losing their scholarships and get kicked off the team. One guy received a free pair of shoes from some small sports company that wasn't the sponsor for the school. He had no idea, but the moment he put those shoes on, he was in deep trouble.
 
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