Information on Joining the Nationwide Tour

There are many ways to get on the Nationwide Tour. The tour has more than 25 ways to qualify. Most of them are past champions, top performers, top finishers on the money list and earned exemptions. In almost all of them, you have to already have been playing professionally to achieve status. For players trying to make the tour, there are a couple of options.

The first step in qualifying is to look for information on Q-School. This is the main qualifier for the PGA Tour. Some of the requirements for signing up for the qualifier are professional status or amateurs with attested handicaps of 2 or less. The entry fee for each stage is between $100 and $350, depending on whether the player is a pro or amateur. This information can be found on the PGA Tour website (http://www.pgatour.com/qschool/). There are four stages to get through if a player is not exempt. Pre-qualifying, first stage, second stage and final stage. Pre-qualifying, first and second stages consist of 72 holes played over four days. The number of qualifying spots is determined from the number of players. A percentage from each stage will advance to the next stage. The final stage is 108 holes over six days and that determines the final qualifiers. The top 30 and ties gain status on the PGA Tour and the next 50 gain status on the Nationwide Tour. It is a very grueling process and one of the hardest qualifiers in any sport.

Another way to play on the tour without any status is to do open qualifying at the site where the Nationwide Tour is played each week. If all the available spots for that tournament aren't filled, an 18-hole open qualifier is held. The odds are not that great because sometimes a tournament will have between 20 to 50 golfers attempting to qualify for a few spots. If a golfer qualifies, a high finish can earn some money to possibly gain exempt status for one of the Q-School stages.

These tours are for the very serious golfer who has played most of his life. It is one thing to be an accomplished player throughout your high school and college career because then you have tournament experience. For a weekend golfer who has a low handicap, it is quite different. Many scratch amateurs try to qualify and end up shooting higher than they ever have before because of the mental aspects of competing on this level. Consider the financial commitment, too. Entry fees are just the beginning. There also are traveling expenses, hotel rooms, caddie fees and more.

Many PGA Tour players have started on the Nationwide Tour and many more will come from it. It is a long process and many players stay on the Nationwide Tour their entire career. Players can make a good living off it if they are on top of the money list. But most players in that position want more. The Nationwide Tour is a great start, but is still considered the minor league of golf. To reach the majors, a player needs to aspire to qualify for the PGA Tour.