USGA Rule Change Effects Amateur Winnings
Effective January 1, 2022 amateur long drivers will no longer need to be concerned about amateur status when it comes to long drive winnings. The USGA is no longer concerned with amateur golfer winnings for any golf event that does not involve tee-to-green competition. In previous years amateurs were limited to prizes equal $750 in order to maintain amateur status. That is still the case with tee-to-green events where the USGA has made a slight modification to allow amateurs to receive cash prizes up to $750.
ULD Allows Amateurs To Compete For Money
ULD will not pay prize money for ALD competition. We began allowing amateur long drivers to compete in our professional long driver series (Xtreme Long Drive®) in 2021 in an effort to have our top amateur players experience competing with the pros. We will continue this practice going forward. Any amateur who wishes to compete for money may enter XLD events. In most divisions for tour events, the entry fee for an amateur to enter a pro event is half price. When we discount entry to half price, we limit winnings to one half the prize for that division. We want to make the transition from amateur long driver to professional as smooth as possible, while maintaining and protecting amateur competition standards.
Maintaining Amateur Competition Standards
We will continue to maintain and protect our high standards for amateur competition. Therefore, professional golfers will not be permitted to compete in any amateur divisions.
Regaining Amateur Status For Professional Long Drivers
Under previous guidelines, a professional long driver would need to submit a request to the USGA to regain amateur status. Going forward, we will handle all such request internally. Anyone who has previously been considered a professional long driver, with the wish to return to amateur competition, will need to submit that request HERE
