Golf statistics are a fascinating thing. Golf analysts have poured over statistical data and have been coming up with interesting correlations and factoids since the game began. Many have wondered about the average age of professional golfers. If you’re referring to club pros than the average age is simply irrelevant, because they will range from the young to retirement age old. For those thinking more along the lines of touring PGA professionals the average age is quite simple to calculate.
Before we get to the punch line of the average professional touring golfers age, let’s look at professional golfers ages and how it relates to their viability on the course. An interesting study was done more than a decade ago at Texas A&M University. Dr. Scott Berry determined that golfers peak between the ages of 30 and 35 years old. After the age of 35 professional golf wins on tour decline rapidly. On the younger side of 30 golfers suffer similar fates when it comes to their scores due to lack of maturity. Professional golfers in their 20s don’t amount to much in regards to tour victories, with a few exceptions of course, Tiger Woods comes to mind. So the sweet spot seems to be between 30 years older and 35 years old. Tiger is 37 this year so we shall see how the next few years pan out.
After a quick calculation of the top PGA touring professional golfers for the year 2013 we came up with some very interesting results. But first without trying to discredit this report, which is in no way a complete measure of all the touring golf professionals, because the LPGA, Champions, European, and the other touring professional golfers associations were not included in this overview. Full disclosure. Just PGA TOUR professionals were analyzed, so without further ado we present you the results.
It looks like the 10+ year old study done at the Texas A&M University by Dr. Scott Berry is holding its ground in 2013. After the top PGA TOUR professional golfers stats were pulled and whose ages could be verified the result was, wait for it, 35 years old. Actually the results are 35.77 years old. The REAL average age is quite possibly a few years younger than this, because there are a few statistical outliers sitting upwards of 50 years old skewing the results. Without his outliers the age may come down a year or possibly two.
To be more specific, there are 37 golfers who fell under the 30 years old threshold, but there were 76 golfers who were over 40 years old. That simply implies that the average age might be skewed to the north by a few years. Regardless of those outliers, and a few were above the 50 year old mark, the average age of a professional golfer looks like it’s right around 35 years old. This might give many PGA TOUR hopefuls out there some reassurance that all hope is not lost because they are 25 years old and have yet to achieve tour status. We sincerely hope you enjoyed this golf analysis of the average age for the 2013 PGA touring players.
About Phil Oscarson:
Phil Oscarson is currently in the tech industry, working as a Quality Assurance Manager for Newport Media. After graduating from USC in 1985, he successfully convinced his wife to marry him, and they have three beautiful children in the southern California area. You’ll often find Phil writing about his love of golf, but every now and then about his everyday observations of life, and whatever else may be on his mind. Phil also contributes to websites such as The Spirit International blog and American Golf.
Great article! I love the fact that golf is one of the few sports where professionals don’t hit their peak until after the age of 30. You just don’t see that in many other professional sports.
It is about the same as American basketball, baseball and football.
Good read — curious how you got your data and if you wouldn’t mind sharing!
Thanks.
Thanks for reading and thanks for the comment. This is a guest blog post from Phil Oscarson, a golf blogger that writes for blogs all over the place. I am not sure where he got this information. Would you like me to introduce the two of you?
This article answers an ongoing debate on whether golf is a young man’s game. I knew most of my opponent’s argument was conjecture; I didn’t see it in neither golf nor data. Essentially the question is will Tiger win another major (or surpass Jack)? Only–and only–time will tell. Great read Mr. Phil.
Great articles.
Is there a mandatory age for an American pro golfer?
Thamks
Do you mean to turn pro?
[…] athletes prolong their careers for years longer than decades ago. According to a 2013 study, the average age of PGA tour golfers is around 35-years […]