Tour
The tour is the series of tournaments of professional golfers, on which pros play for prize money and ranking positions.
Tour refers to the organized tournament series in professional golf. The best known are the PGA Tour in the USA and the DP World Tour in Europe, alongside the LPGA Tour for ladies and numerous development and senior series. A tour consists of dozens of tournaments per season, for which players have to qualify. Anyone without a tour card tries their luck via the Qualifying School or invitations. The season's performance feeds rankings such as the Order of Merit, and the top spots of the season are the four Majors.
For you as an amateur golfer, the tour is above all a role model and entertainment. For example: you watch a tournament on TV and see how a pro out of a difficult lie does not try the miracle shot but lays the ball safely back onto the fairway. It is exactly this decision-making culture that separates pros from amateurs — they play the percentages, not the highlight. The equipment of many hobby players follows the tour as well: clubs, balls and shafts played there later end up in specialist shops.
Typical misconception: tour results are not a realistic yardstick for your own game. Tour pros play courses under the toughest conditions, with fast greens and long holes, and belong to the best players in the world. Comparing yourself with them only makes the hobby harder. Better: copy their routines, such as the Preshot Routine and the calm pace of play, and leave the shot numbers where they belong.
FAQ
Can I take part in a tour tournament as an amateur?
Not directly, but in theory there are routes via open qualifying. Some professional tournaments have preliminary rounds or open qualifiers for which you can enter with a sufficiently low handicap. The classic route to the tour card leads through Qualifying School, where players qualify for tour participation in several stages.
What can I learn from tour pros for my own game?
Not the shot distances, but the decisions. From difficult lies, pros rarely try the miracle shot; instead they get the ball safely back into play and play the percentages. You can also copy their firm preshot routine and their calm tempo one to one without changing a single practice swing.
Why do the course conditions on tour look so different from mine?
Tour courses are prepared hard especially for the tournaments: faster greens, longer holes, high rough and difficult pin positions. On top of that come the best players in the world, who still fight for every single shot. That is why tour scores are no yardstick for your hobby — compare yourself with your own last round instead.