Structure of golf

I just started playing golf 6 months ago. I was enthralled when I broke my first milestone of scoring below 400. I'm going to be bold and say that 100 is next. I've discovered that golf is like heroine, and I am addicted. I watch golf on TV all the time, and I buy golf things on ebay. Anyway, my point is, I like golf and eventually I want to be competitive. I've seen and read some people on here and on blogs who want to be pros. I hold no such aspirations. I've learned long ago that if you want to be happy, you set low expectations for yourself. Currently I play about as well as I speak Mandarin, which I don't, but I do eat a lot of chinese food. My only goal is to get a handicap that is lower than the number of states in the country. Anyway, I am competitive and I'd like to do some type of competition in the distant future. Can someone explain the heirarchy of golf? I don't understand it and I want to so I can enjoy watching it more. Here's what I've picked up so far:

LPGA/PGA - Top level

European/Australian/Asian Tour - Top level

Champions - Top level for 50+

"Web.com" tour - minor league

I've heard an elusive term called a "mini tour". I have no idea what one is.

I have no idea whats below this

Amateur tournaments

At the very bottom is, I assume, things like local charity tournaments which I can play in whenever I want here locally.

Do people actually make a living on the other levels aside from PGA? Anyway, I'd like to play in the bottom two at some point in my life. thanks.

To my knowledge mini tours are like local tours in different parts of the country. For example there is a mini tour in my state, North Carolina. The players pay to play an event and then they compete to win the money from everyone's entrance fee. You can scrape a living on the mini tours, and the Web.com tour can provide a steady income if you perform well.

To get an idea of how truly difficult it is to even begin to think about playing mini tours, and beyond, I suggest you read 'Paper Tiger', by Tom Coyne.

I'm not trying to be snide trust me, but if your handicap is way up there like mine....does it make sense to even talk about competing in tournaments?

Some people are quick learners and have been athletes their entire lives. I was shooting 120+ consistently my first season and now I'm in my 3rd season regularly shooting in the 80s.

I've also been toying with the idea of getting into some tournament golf maybe next year or the year after that.

Right, but when you were hitting 120+ shots a round were you making plans for a competitive tournament?  I can understand you doing it now...but 3 years ago it would be putting the cart before the horse IMO.

Yeah I guess that's a pretty good argument.

I'm talking atleast 3-5 years from now. In fact, I won't even play with anyone at all in a regular game until I can shoot 95 or less. I play solo. It's just info for later on because I wasn't sure what type of competitive avenues there were for people who aren't pro.

First of all, consider getting some golf lessons. You say you're competitive, that you like to compete. To be able to play in tournaments and not get thrown out for slow play, you would need to stabilize your swing. If you are even somewhat athletic, a good pro can take you farther in a couple of weeks than you can figure out on your own in a year.

As for tournaments... There's plenty of tournaments for individuals to play in which are not professional. There's US Golf Association amateur division tournaments for highly skilled non-pros. Also, many metro areas have a regional golf association that sponsors two-day weekend tournaments a couple of times a month. Often there's an association championship in late summer. Also, individual golf clubs have club championships.

Charities also have benefit tournaments, usually in scramble or best-ball format. These are team tournaments. Benefit tournaments are a good way to get to play some of the upscale private clubs.

Back to lessons... If you get lessons, practice afterwards. Everyday golfers drive their pros crazy by not practicing after they get lessons. You might consider a golf clinic if you haven't had lessons yet. At a golf clinic, beginners meet once or twice a week and learn the basics of the game. Also, the clinics help network beginners into golf leagues and related events. Phone your local golf course or driving range to ask about clinics and lessons.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

That's cool, I wasn't trying to pee in your cornflakes.  I myself look forward to charity events, I'm not real competitive.

Haha!  I've never heard that one ... I would much prefer you rain on my parade though.

Thanks for the info gentlemen. Two questions that will allow me to watch golf in peace: 1) Why is there no televised college golf?

2) I was watchign the US Open. My assumption was that the PGA was made up of all Americans like Tiger Woods and Phil. I noticed people from all over the world and also a college guy (Spieth),. Why so much overlap? Can collegiate players play in the PGA as well as other players from different tours? I played competitive soccer for a while and it was very rigid so that is engrinaed in my head. Thanks.

Not sure why there's no televised college golf, my guess is there must not be a high enough demand yet.

As for the US OPEN, its actually "open" meaning its not an invite only participation. There was a high school kid (10th grade?) who participated and held the solo lead for a couple holes this year. The PGA tour is made up of players all around the world.

You can actually make a darn nice living on the Web.Com tour if you play well.  I know a guy on the Web.Com tour who doesn't even play that well . .misses a lot of cuts and is nowhere near contention for a tour card and he lives pretty nicely.  Of course I would never ask him how much money he makes but his position on the money list isn't all that great . .some years he did better than 100k but most years not.  He probably gets some side $$ from lessons, clinics, appearances or whatever.

I don't think anybody would watch college golf if it were on TV.  People barely watch the anything but the PGA.  You can actually see high school golf on public access TV sometimes so I bet it's possible to see some college golf on TV once in a while.  You can probably watch a tournament for free.  Tickets to Web.Com tours are crazy cheap, too.   Last time I checked I was considering going to an event in Midland, TX and the tickets were $5.

PGA is a global tour - kind of confusing because so is the Euro tour.  It didn't used to be that way as much.  A lot of guys play the Euro Tour while they're trying to make it to the PGA tour so the Euro Tour is, in my mind, sort of a "minor league" as well (I'm sure objects are being hurled at the screens now - but that's my opinion).  Hey - and don't forget about the Canadian, Australian and Japanese Tours.

As soon as I can regularly break 100 I'm going to start looking into local tournaments.  I have already played in a few "fun tournaments" - like couples best ball, etc and it's just more fun to play when you're competing - even if it's not seriously.  At the local course level, there are a lot of tournaments and you don't have to be particularly good to play in them.  You won't win, of course.  You can find out about these by checking with your local Muni's.  Many have leagues - which I also look forward to participating in . .and I have been to the course on league night and you, for sure, don't need any skills for that.

Out of curiosity, how hard is it to get on something like the web.com tour if your handicap is 0?

Impossible.  (You didn't hear me say that because I hate that word and I give people crap on here for using it, so shhhh!)

Seriously though, I think somebody would have to be well into (well, well into) the plus handicap side of things before they could even consider that tour.  I'm pulling this out of my butt, however I would guess if you were to assign scores to golfing abilities on a scale of 0 to 100, Tiger and Rory being 99's, and somebody who has never played being a 0 ... I would say that somebody with a 0 handicap would be a 50 and the worst player on the web.com tour would be an 85.

Point being, a zero handicap is miles away from the triple-A or major league tours.

Play golf with such a high handicap, you do?  Practice makes perfect, it will.  Here for our input you are... Yes.