Trying to earn a living, as a rookie tournament professional is both an extremely difficult and expensive way of life, although to the outside world it would seem idyllic playing golf virtually every day.
It is difficult because in each tournament you have to perform at a high level in order to try and win enough money to live on. Unlike professional footballers who, once they secure a contract get paid regardless of whether they play first team football or not, tournament golfers have to finish in the top places to pick up any prize money.
It is expensive because all tournament players have to pay their own expenses with entry fees, accommodation, travelling, and food, unless they can find a sponsor to help along the way.
The Jamega UK Professional Golf Tour is an ideal way for aspiring professionals to “cut their teeth” to find out if they are good enough to earn a living at the game by playing competitively week in week out. Jamega is an extremely professionally run tour that attracts around 100 players each week playing at different venues from the South Midlands and throughout Southern England, on all types of different courses.
There are some 20 Jamega Pro Golf Tour – Professional Golf Tournaments held between March through to September each year and they provide players the opportunity to test out their abilities and become “Tour Hardened” in an attempt to later gain a Tour Card that enables them to play on the lucrative Main Tour through the European Tour Qualifying school held at the end of each summer.
Any professional can play in a Jamega UK Professional Golf Tour tournament as long as they pay the £220 entry fee for each event. A typical field will contain seasoned professionals through to fresh new comers, with quite a mix of overseas players and even category one amateurs, however amateurs cannot receive prize money should they finish high enough up the field. The format is the same for each event, 36 holes stroke play played over 2 days, with the leading players going out last on the final day. With a minimum first prize of £3000 on offer, there are some serious players taking part shooting very low scores and numerous course records being broken.
Spectators to each event will find that Jamega create a real, proper tournament feel to the occasion with banners flying, lots of advertising boards, players announced by the starter on the first tee before starting their round, Jamega marshals out on the course helping with any problem that may occur and a full outside scoreboard showing all scores and leader board.
So if you are an interested player go along and compete. If an interested spectator go along for free and see the stars of tomorrow playing in a well run professional tournament.
Visit the Jamega UK Professional Golf Tour website at: www.JamegaTour.co.uk