Pro Golfer Reveals Dramatic Cost Of One Week At DP World Tour Q School

It’s well known that, away from the huge sums of money earned by the most successful players in elite golf, simply grinding out a living in the game can be a struggle for many pros.

Even those with a DP World Tour card can soon hit hard times with a run of missed cuts, but what about those players simply trying to earn their place on the Europe-based circuit?

One player harbouring that ambition is American Arie Jackman.

He was in the field for the First Stage of DP World Tour Q School at Golf PGA France du Vaudreuil, which concluded on 28th August.

The good news for Jackman is that, thanks to finishing third on 15 under, he progressed to the Second Stage, which begins in Spain in late October.

However, his achievement came at a substantial financial cost.

Jackman, whose only world ranking event in 2026 so far finished with a missed cut at the Explore NB Open on the PGA Tour Americas, detailed his expenses in a video posted on his Instagram account.

He began by spelling out just how difficult it is to achieve success at any level of the professional game without substantial financial backing.

He said: “Being a pro golfer is interesting because, realistically, you could have all the talent in the world, and if you don’t have the money and the financial backing and the sponsors to put yourself into the qualifiers and into the tournaments necessary to try and make it on the tour, you virtually have no chance.

“It’s very, very expensive, and I’m going to show you what a week of Q School just for the first stage of trying to qualify for the DP World Tour.”

Thanks to his solo third finish, Jackman earned prize money of $2,030. However, that didn’t come close to covering his expenses.

In total, Jackman’s appearance at the qualifier cost him $5,383, leaving him $3,352 out of pocket.

By far the biggest expense was the entry fee to the qualifier, which came to $3,782. However, one big silver lining of Jackman’s progression to the Second Stage is that he doesn’t need to pay a similar fee when he tees it up in Spain, or if he makes it as far as the Final Stage.

While that will be welcome, other costs throughout the week added to Jackman’s financial burden.

Indeed, the combined costs of Jackman’s car rental, gas, accommodation and food came to $1,525.

It would have cost even more for Jackman but for the fact that he had a “sponsor and friend” who paid for his flight, while he didn’t pay for a caddie as his wife took on the role. There also wasn’t a charge for playing a practice round.

On his overall expenses, Jackman described the figure as “wild to say out loud, but that’s just the realistic part of these Q School weeks.”

Even though Jackman saw his bank balance depleted despite his success, he ended on a positive, adding: “We’re on the Second Stage, we are now two stages away from having our tour card, so let’s keep up the good golf and I’m super, super grateful to those who sponsor me and help me out to be able to do stuff like this.”

What do you think about Jackman's expenses for the week? Let us know in the comments.