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Tune in to your favorite golf tour-nament on television
and you will see many familiar names and faces playing
top-rated courses. Look in the newspaper and dream about the
big dollars that you could win, if only you were a
professional golfer. Sounds like a great life, doesn't it?
Well, for every Michelle McGann, Greg Norman and Lee
Trevino, there are hundreds, even thousands of excellent
professional golfers who have never even qualified for the
Tour.
To compete against the best in the world, you must first
pass a test (or several, depending on your age and sex).
There are several ways to get on the professional golf tour,
but the most difficult route is through qualifying school.
This is a brief look at what it takes to get on tour, and
how hard it is to stay there.
LPGA Tour
Over 200 of the world's best female golfers begin a two
stage qualifying program in September. There are two
opportunities to advance to the final stage; one in Florida,
one in California. A total of 50 women from the first stages
advance to the finals at LPGA International. At the final
stage, the 50 first-round qualifiers compete against another
60 current and former LPGA Tour players who have lost their
cards (you lose your card when you don't earn enough money).
The top 10 players, after 4 intense rounds of golf, receive
full LPGA tournament status for the next year. Players
finishing eleventh through twenty-fifth receive conditional
status for the following year. Total cost to attempt to
qualify is $2,500 plus expenses.
PGA Tour
Approximately 1,000 golfers begin a 3-stage qualifying
process in October at 10 different sites. About 30 golfers
advance from each site to the second round, where they must
compete against another 100 golfers at 1 of 6 second-stage
sites. The final stage consists of 140 golfers competing for
15 exempt spots and 15 conditional spots in the big show. It
is a six-round event that can make a strong heart flutter.
After the top 30 positions, the next 50 players receive
exempt status on the Nike Tour. The odds of making the tour
through a 3-stage process is something like 1 in 100, or
about 1%. Total cost to attempt to qualify is $3,200 plus
expenses.
Senior PGA Tour
Only 10 spots are available each year on this tour,
making it very difficult to qualify. About 100 golfers reach
the finals of the Senior Tour Q-School. There are many great
players who automatically qualify because of regular tour
earnings. The 4-round finals are tough going, with a cut
after two rounds. The top 10 finishers are exempt;the next 5
have conditional status. Total cost to attempt to qualify is
$2,750 plus expenses.
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Annette "Babe" DeLuca, a
two-year LPGA player, demonstrates forearm curls
that are important for strengthening arm muscles
below the elbow, as well as the wrists. Be sure to
include at least three sets of forearm exercises
every golf workout. This is a two-arm reverse curl
using a curl bar.
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Buzz Thomas has played
golf all around the world, including the Senior PGA
Tour this year as a Monday qualifier. He has been
working out with weights to gain upper body
strength. This is a one-arm triceps extension that
can be done with a dumbbell or a water bottle.
Support one elbow with your hand and then slowly
raise and lower the weight with the other hand.
This isolates the triceps muscles, which are vital
for hitting the golf ball longer.
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Getting on the Tour is a big gamble. If you play
great and get a little lucky, the odds can be in
your favor. But, one mistake can be costly. So, the
next time someone in your foursome makes the
statement, "It would be great to play on tour,"
just inform him of what it takes to play with the
best in the world. He might just change his mind.
The following golfers all have played major
tournament golf and are looking forward to gaining
full-time status in the big leagues. Each believes
that fitness is a big factor for golf conditioning.
Until next month, keep pumpin'.
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