Marco Penge struggled to find a golf club in the USA after his move to the PGA Tour. This surprised many, except for Michael Kim.
Marco Penge was one of the rising stars last season. With a second place finish in the Race to Dubai, he nearly won the DP World Tour season and also earned his PGA Tour card for the new season. In early January, Penge moved to the USA to fully focus on the American Tour, but the move was not without challenges. At a press conference ahead of the Farmers Insurance Open, Penge revealed he initially had difficulties finding a new golf club in the USA, and he is not alone in facing this issue.
“I got rejected a few times”
Currently, Penge plays at the Old Palm Golf Club in Florida and feels very comfortable there: “They are a true, family-oriented golf club and very relaxed,” he says. “Old Palm and I are a good match, and the facilities there are excellent.” However, reaching this point was not as easy as Penge might have expected. “I got rejected a few times.”
Michael Kim commented on this statement on X and said: “Most private clubs are very open to hosting pros once or twice but becoming a member is a different story. Usually, we need to know a few non-pro members to start the process. We are better off than a random salesman, but it’s not as easy as some might think. Unless you’re REALLY famous. Then it’s a different story. And Kim doesn’t even consider himself in that category. He means the list of players who can simply join a golf club is limited to major winners and the best players in the world.”
Marco Penge looks forward to the PGA Tour
The difficulties finding a golf club do not dampen his excitement to debut as a PGA Tour member. “I am very excited to play the next four weeks. Starting here at Torrey Pines and then going to Phoenix, Pebble Beach, and Riviera is quite a great start to my life on the PGA Tour.”
Penge is qualified for the PGA Tour events over the next four weeks and began his season this weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open. Although he started with a +3 in the first round, many experts still consider him to have good chances to make an impression in his first season.
Most private clubs are very open to hosting pros once or twice but becoming a member is a different story.
Usually we need to know a few non pro members to start the process. We are better off than a random sales guy but it’s not as easy as some might think.
Unless you’re REALLY… https://t.co/D7SMfzwvfW— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) January 28, 2026