Players on the Ladies European Tour are having to take part-time jobs to make ends meet, according to Melissa Reid.
The 30-year-old Englishwoman told BBC Sport "it's pretty much impossible" to make a living on the Tour, which has only 14 scheduled events so far this year.
"The LET needs help and quickly," Reid said.
"I've encouraged players to support offers we get in because it's all good fighting a cause but there's not going to be a Tour to play on soon."
Reid joined the Tour in 2008 but described the current state of the competition as "heartbreaking".
Speaking to the BBC's golf podcast The Cut, she said: "A lot of my friends, who have been on Tour for 12 years, have had to get part-time jobs. Golf is supposed to be the second highest paid women's sport."
That is in turn having an affect on the standard of competition, she said.
"They are elite athletes but if they are having to work part-time jobs how are they meant to put in the hours to get the best out of their abilities?" she said. "It's just not right."
England's Georgia Hall was the top earner according to last year's LET rankings, pulling in £371,000 from 10 events.
Spain's Carlota Ciganda was second with £160,000. Reid was eighth with £91,000.
But no player outside the top 50 earned more than £28,500, the average UK salary for a woman, even though players contribute to their own travel and accommodation costs.
An LET statement said: "There are 14 events listed on the 2018 schedule, in addition to the GolfSixes, but there are still more to be announced for this year in the near future.
"The LET is in discussions with a number of leads for new tournaments next year and expects to make some exciting announcements this summer, with a view to publishing a full schedule for next year."
