The golf industry is much bigger than people would think with professional golf tournaments and TV golf games. It covers equipment manufacturers, golf courses, travel companies, coaches, apparel brands, media outlets, software companies, and countless others looking for high-quality written content.
This presents a chance for freelance writers to enjoy a career that is both fulfilling and enjoyable, yet also passions-focused on golf. If you’re an experienced golfer or just looking to learn golf, there are plenty of different ways to become a trusted golf writer.
The following are some guidelines for getting started.
Learn the Game
It’s not required to be a scratch golfer to write about golf, but it is necessary to know the game of golf.
Start by learning:
- Golf terminology
- Rules and etiquette
- Major tournaments
- Amateur vs. Professional golf
After going through professional tours, watching instructional material, and reading golf publications, you’ll be familiar with the language you should be using to communicate with your audience.
Choose a Specialty
The golf industry is quite broad and by narrowing you will rise above other industries.
Some of the most popular writing niches are:
- Equipment reviews
- Golf instruction
- Tournament coverage
- Golf travel
- Course reviews
- Golf fitness
- Junior golf
- Women’s golf
- Business of golf
- Golf technology
For many clients, those are the areas where experts are the writers they turn to, with the understanding that their content will be written by an expert.
Build a Portfolio
Clients or prospective clients are looking for samples of your work.
Make a few well written articles showing your expertise, including creating several high-quality articles that demonstrate your expertise, such as:
- Beginner golf guides
- Equipment comparisons
- Tournament previews
- Course reviews
- Instructional articles
- Interviews with local golfers or coaches
If you publish these on your own blog or website, the visitors will be able to trust your capability.
Follow Professional Golf Closely
Keeping up to date enables you to create content that is relevant and timely.
Keep up with:
- Major championships
- Weekly tour events
- Equipment launches
- Player rankings
- Rules updates
- Industry news
The more informed you are, the more valuable you’ll be to editors and businesses looking for fresh content.
Learn Sports Journalism Basics
Many golf publications appreciate writers who understand journalistic standards.
Practice:
- Fact-checking every claim
- Interviewing players and coaches
- Writing objective tournament recaps
- Meeting deadlines
- Verifying statistics before publishing
Accuracy builds credibility with both readers and editors.
Learn About High-Quality Photography
Golf is a highly visual game. A tournament can be made more interesting, a piece of kit more interesting, and even a feature story can be made more interesting when they’re done by Editorial PGA images .
For tournaments in the area it can be a good idea to do one’s own photos for added originality. If for whatever reason you are unable to physically be in the venue for a professional event or story, then licensed editorial photography is the legal means of making use of tournament, player and golf venue images to illustrate articles.
For any image used, be sure it is well licensed and the license applies to the usage you are contemplating, particularly in writing news or tournament reports.
Network Within the Golf Community
Many writing opportunities come through relationships.
Consider connecting with:
- Golf course managers
- Teaching professionals
- Club fitters
- Tournament organizers
- Golf bloggers
- Editors of golf publications
- Equipment retailers
Networking can lead to guest posts, recurring assignments, interviews, and long-term freelance clients.
Pitch Golf Publications
Once you have a portfolio, start reaching out to publications and websites that cover golf.
When pitching:
- Personalize every email.
- Include links to your best work.
- Suggest timely story ideas.
- Demonstrate knowledge of their audience.
- Keep your pitch concise.
Editors are more likely to respond when your ideas fit their publication.
Expand Beyond Media
The golf industry offers writing opportunities well beyond magazines and news websites.
Businesses often hire freelance writers to create:
- Blog articles
- Buying guides
- Product descriptions
- Email newsletters
- Website copy
- Course descriptions
- Social media content
- Instructional resources
- SEO content
Many companies need ongoing content to attract customers and improve their online visibility.
Develop SEO Skills
Many golf businesses rely heavily on search engine traffic.
Learning SEO can make you a more valuable writer by helping clients rank for searches such as:
- Best golf clubs for beginners
- Golf swing tips
- Golf course reviews
- Golf travel destinations
- Equipment buying guides
Understanding keyword research, internal linking, and search intent can help your articles perform better online.
Stay Consistent
Any market is difficult to break into and requires time to do so.
Keep engaging in writing, learning, networking and developing a portfolio. Keep posting great golf articles every week and you will be building a reputation over time and inviting new opportunities.
As time goes on, your body of work can be one of your best marketing assets.
Whether it’s reporting news, writing reviews on golf gear, travel writing, or creating marketing materials for golfers and companies, there are numerous avenues for writers to make a living out of the golf industry. Once you have familiarized yourself with the sport, created a portfolio of focused work, done your homework on the sport, and produced high quality work every time, you can build a career in one of the world’s oldest sports markets.
As a writer, as with the game of golf, practice makes perfect, and you must continue to learn to make this easier for you, and to produce valuable content in each of your writings.