I used to believe that if I could play one sports professionally, I would choose golf. I thought, what a great life. You get paid to play the best courses in the world, the threat of injury is virtually non-existent and you can play professionally well into your 50s.
But there are some serious drawbacks that make pro golf really only attractive for the truly elite. The primary reason is that you must qualify to play on tour every year. Sure, there are many ways to qualify, but that kind of pressure weighs on most players their whole careers.
The most dreaded way to qualify for the PGA Tour is the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, better known as "Q-School." No sporting event makes or breaks people's careers like this 6-round test. I don't really follow Q-School, but I do remember watching it four years ago. I remember watching an unknown golfer named Tim O'Neal cruising through the tournament. On the final hole, he needed only a bogey to secure his PGA card. Tragically, he made triple-bogey. That's when I knew how cruel this game can be.
This year O'Neal tried once more in Q-School. This time he needed a birdie on the final hole to secure his PGA card. He had a 15 foot birdie putt. He pushed it wide right. That's when I knew I'd rather be a pro baseball player.
Grouchy Golf Blog
Wednesday, December 08, 2004 at 5:32 PM
Q-School: Golf Hell On Earth?
said...
josh from england
becoming pro is difficult and harsh, theres this guy at my club who is now a pro, but only plays in regional competitions.
it just makes you realise how difficult it is to get on the major tours, the guy at my club got to scratch when he was 14, now hes in his 20's, and it's not looking likely that he'll evr get onto the european tour or anything like that.
how good do you need to be to be a successful touring pro?
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© Golf Grouch 2006
