About Skip Ward Expertise Former PGA PROFESSIONAL: Golf related questions regarding Rules, Etiquette,
PGA TOUR, PGA Players, Game History, Club History, Golf Trivia, and US
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Would you explain the basics on the requirements to play on the PGA tour and what must take place to maintain the PGA tour card. I hear the term Q-school, how often is it held, what is the normal cost to attend, who can attend? Are there any automatic byes into the tour? Finally, what are the entrance fees associated with a Tour Professional playing in regular PGA tour event? I would assume these tournament fees would be paid by their sponsor, but what is a typical entrance fee? I will look forward to your response. Thank You.
Answer Dear Dave, thanks for the question. The term Q-school is referring to the tour Qualifing Tournament, and is indeed one gateway to the tour. A player with a 1 handicap or better can attend Q-school with an admission fee of $2500. This is held in FL annually, and is determined over 6 rounds of extremely tough golf with a cut after each round. The top 30 will qualify for the following year's tour. Believe it or not, a touring professional pays $100 for his application into a tour event...and is not paid by a sponsor. The following link is a great resource for the various ways a player can be on next years tour. At the end of the day, it really boils down to awe-inspiring golf. If one plays like that...they'll eventually find the tour. Good luck and remember...