Ben Griffin was one of the biggest breakout stars on the PGA Tour in 2025 with three wins, 17 top-20 finishes, and nearly $12 million in prize money across 30 events. But when someone asked him how much of it he actually kept, the breakdown revealed the steep price of life on tour.

During an interview with Golf Digest, a fan asked Griffin what an average tournament week costs a PGA Tour player. He calculated everything from travel and hotels to the cost of his support staff.

"You could argue my average spend per week this year is probably $50,000," he said.

“There's definitely going to be some base fees that you're going to have to pay when you get to a tournament. So obviously travel costs, all hotel costs are on the players, or Airbnbs, rental homes, those costs. The caddie needs a base and also a percentage based on performance. So that can range significantly per tournament, especially depending on how you play,” he added.

As per Ben Griffin, his overall cost is in a higher range because he has played more and played well this season. Since he also pays his caddy, coach, and trainer a few additional percentages on his performance, along with their base salaries, he finishes spending more than a few other players on the tour.

“So my average spend is probably very high because I just had a really good season, and I pay my caddie, my coach, my trainer based on my performance as well as base salaries.”

So, the better he plays, the more everyone around him also earns. That's how he attracts top-tier support, sacrificing a big chunk of his earnings.

What Ben Griffin's expenses reveal about the invisible economy of professional golf

Ben Griffin played 30 events in 2025. At $50,000 per week, he has spent approximately $1.5 million in expenses. This is a big chunk of his total on-course earnings paid straight back out to his team.

Griffin's current overhead is even more striking given his recent career path. He spent time working as a mortgage loan officer in 2021 before earning status on the Korn Ferry Tour.

His first full PGA Tour season in 2022 gave him $262,549 across 22 events. At $50,000 a week in expenses, it would have left him in deep trouble if the cost structure had been the same then as it is now.

There is a huge gap between what the leaderboard shows and what players actually take home. This is one of golf's least discussed realities.

With over half a billion dollars in prize money available on the PGA Tour in 2026, the optics of professional golf suggest a sport drowning in wealth. The caddie percentage alone is typically 5% on a cut, 7% on a top-10, 10% on a win, which means a $1.7 million victory like Griffin’s Charles Schwab Championship pays his caddie $170,000 before expenses are touched.

If we add the expenses of a coach, trainer, physio, travel and accommodation across a week, the net figure shrinks considerably.

Now, Griffin, who is 35th on the PGA Tour money list this season, earned $11.7 million in 2025. But for a player ranked 125th, players close to losing their Tour card, the same fixed costs face a survival battle.

Griffin's transparency about his own numbers should now start an honest conversation about what playing professional golf actually costs.

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Koushik Biswas

Edited by

Koushik Biswas