4 min read

Cole Anderson of Camden is trying to earn full-time status on the Canadian leg of the PGA Tour Americas. Photo courtesy of Florida State University athletics

The mileage is rising on Cole Anderson’s car, the result of six- and seven-hour drives across the Southeast. He’s got an air mattress ready to go in the back, a cooler to help keep food fresh, and a list of friends around Florida to call if he needs a place to stay at a moment’s notice.

It’s the life of a golfer starting a professional career, and it isn’t easy. But for Anderson, it’s the life he’s pursued for years.

“I think a lot of people think that pro golf immediately entails a bit more of a glamorous lifestyle, and that is certainly not the case,” he said. “It is certainly a grind, but it’s what I signed up for and I am certainly not complaining. I’m chasing the dream.”

Anderson, a Camden native who starred at Camden Hills High before going on to a successful college career at Florida State, turned pro last June. The goal is earning full-time status on the Canadian leg of the PGA Tour Americas, which would automatically qualify him for 10 events from July to September.

To make it, Anderson, 24, will need a top-10 finish in the tour qualifier June 9-13 in Ocala, Florida. He played a Korn Ferry Tour qualifying tournament there last fall and placed fourth out of 70 players.

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“It’s just an added element of stability,” he said. “It just sort of allows you to say ‘OK, I can do all my travel plans here for the next 3 1/2 months, and solely focus on how do we build momentum on this tour and stack some good results.'”

In the meantime, Anderson’s first full year as a professional has included trips across Florida and the southern United States, looking for tournaments, mini tours and chances to both earn a check and keep his game sharp. Another option was pursuing qualifiers for PGA Tour Americas events in South and Central America, but the costs made that difficult.

“You have to start worrying about money and where to spend your money,” said Anderson, who’ll play next in a G Pro Tour event in North Carolina from May 28-30. “In a lot of these mini tour events, the harsh reality is there’s not a whole lot of money to be made, so you’ve got to be a little more conscious of where you’re traveling to and how many planes you’re getting on.”

Keeping costs down has been a priority on and off the course.

Cole Anderson’s first full year as a golf professional has included trips across his native Florida as he looks for tournaments, mini tours to keep his game sharp. Photo courtesy of Florida State University athletics

“You’ll find a group of five, six guys and split a house,” Anderson said. “There is an air mattress that sits in its box in a permanent spot in the back of my car, with a sheet, pillow and blanket to boot with it. … There’s a Yeti cooler in the back of the car that gets filled up with groceries. I’m trying to avoid eating out as much as possible. … You teach yourself how to make edible food, and keep things as cheap as possible.”

The hardest part, though, can be swings in the game. Anderson has played six events across the Minor League Golf Tour, G Pro Tour and All Pro Tour, and missed the cut in half of them.

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“It’s tough when you go into golf tournaments, dishing out a lot of money to play in these things, and you don’t feel like you have the stuff not only to contend, but you’re struggling to make cuts,” he said. “There’s some soul-searching involved, for sure. … It’s you in your car for six hours at a time every few days, and after a missed cut in south Florida when I’ve got to drive back to Tallahassee for seven hours by myself, it can be a lonely place.

“Golf has a lovely way of humbling you. Just when you think you’re on the verge of what you’re looking for, it has a tendency to kind of punch you in the mouth and remind you it’s the boss.”

Anderson isn’t complaining. This is what professional golf is for the vast majority of players at the start, and it’s what he’s been preparing himself for since he started aiming for a career in golf before high school. Even on the occasions that his game isn’t good enough, he’s learned how to process it mentally.

“I’m probably better for it, at this point, just in terms of mentally and being able to deal with adversity,” he said. “I feel about as good as I have as an athlete and a competitor right now between the ears.”

If anything, the grind motivates him.

“My core belief hasn’t wavered at all,” he said. “I haven’t lost any passion for it. Getting up and going to the golf course is not hard. I love the game, I love the process of trying to figure things out and trying to figure out how to get better.

“It’ll be a good story when I get where I’m trying to go.”

Drew Bonifant covers sports for the Press Herald, with beats in high school football, basketball and baseball. He was previously part of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel sports team. A New Hampshire...

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