Miles Bennett
Golf tours are a means of organising otherwise unrelated golf tournaments into a regular schedule. There are over twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organisation. The PGA Tour, for example, organises most of the events on the annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, including the flagship event, The Players Championship. There are separate tours for men and women, and most are based in a specific geographical region. Each tour has members who have earned their tour cards, entitling them to play in most of the tour's events. Members of leading tours can be golfers who have succeeded in an entry tournament, usually called a Qualifying School (Q-School), or those who have achieved a designated level of success in tournaments as invited non-members. Tour golf clubs and shafts are more geared towards better shaping and command of the ball, while normal clubs are made to be more consistent for less solid ball-strikers.
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Professional golf tours
There are over twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organisation. These organisations are responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Most of the major tours are player-controlled organisations that aim to maximise the income of their members by increasing prize money.
The PGA Tour is one of the most well-known golf tours in the world. It organises most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments, also known as the PGA Tour, as well as the PGA Tour Champions (for players aged 50 and older), the Korn Ferry Tour (for golfers who have not yet qualified for the PGA Tour), and PGA Tour Americas. The PGA Tour is a non-profit organisation based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It was established in 1968 when the \"Tournament Players Division\" split from the PGA of America.
The LPGA Tour, or the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is the leading golf organisation for women. Similar to the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour organises a series of tournaments for female golfers.
Other notable tours include the European Tour, the Sunshine Tour, the Japan Golf Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, and the Asian Tour. The International Federation of PGA Tours was founded in 1996 to enable the world's leading tours to discuss common and global issues in professional golf.
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PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (officially styled with all capital letters by its officials) is a nonprofit organisation that arranges professional golf tours in North America. It organises most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, as well as the PGA Tour Champions (for golfers aged 50 and older), the Korn Ferry Tour (for professional players who have not yet qualified to play on the PGA Tour), and PGA Tour Americas. The PGA Tour is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The PGA Tour was originally established by the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) in 1916, when several prestigious golf tournaments offering prize money were established in America. These included the North and South Open, the Metropolitan Open, the Canadian Open, the Shawnee Open, the Western Open, and the U.S. Open. They formed the initial schedule of what came to be known as the "PGA Tour", with the addition of the PGA Championship in 1916. The Open Championship in the UK, the oldest golf tournament in the world founded in 1860, became a PGA Tour event much later in 1995.
The tour, informally known as "The Circuit" for professional golfers in the PGA, became more formalised in 1929 with the formation of a tournament committee. In 1930, Bob Harlow was hired as manager of the PGA Tournament Bureau and worked to formalise a year-round schedule of tournaments. In 1945, Byron Nelson won 18 PGA tournaments out of the 30 he played, including 11 in a row. Both records are yet to be broken.
In the late 1960s, increased revenue from expanded television coverage led to a dispute between touring professionals and the PGA of America over how to distribute the money. The touring professionals wanted larger purses, while the PGA wanted the money to go to the general fund to help grow the game locally. This dispute resulted in the formation of a new entity in August, which eventually became the PGA Tour. The tour players formed their own organisation, American Professional Golfers, Inc. (APG), independent of the PGA of America. However, a compromise was reached in December, and the tour players agreed to abolish the APG and form the PGA "Tournament Players Division", a fully autonomous division under the supervision of a new 10-member board. The PGA Tour officially adopted its name in 1975.
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Tournament players
There are more than twenty professional golf tours, each run by a Professional Golfers Association or an independent tour organisation. These tours are responsible for arranging events, finding sponsors, and regulating the tour. Most are player-controlled organisations that aim to maximise the income of their members by increasing prize money. The PGA Tour, for example, offers nearly 100 times as much prize money each season as the third-tier NGA Pro Golf Tour.
The PGA Tour includes 40 official-money events, with three alternate events played during the same week as a higher-status tournament. The Tour Championship is one of the final events of the PGA Tour season, with the top 30 players remaining from the FedEx Cup Playoffs proceeding to play. Since 2019, the winner has been awarded the FedEx Cup and a 5-year PGA Tour exemption.
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Golf clubs
Tour golf clubs are designed for advanced players seeking maximum performance and precision. These clubs are often used by professional golfers on competitive tours and offer several advantages over standard retail clubs. One key benefit of tour clubs is customisation. They are typically designed to match the unique swing characteristics of each player, allowing for fine-tuning of various parameters such as shaft type, grip, and loft to optimise performance.
Additionally, tour golf clubs may utilise advanced materials and technologies not found in standard retail clubs. For example, some tour clubs feature adjustable weights or movable weight tracks, allowing players to tweak the club's centre of gravity to influence ball flight and shot shape. Tour clubs may also have more compact head designs, promoting better workability and control for skilled players.
It's important to note that tour golf clubs are not limited to professionals. Ambitious amateur golfers can also benefit from using tour-grade equipment. Companies like Tour Edge offer a range of golf clubs, including the tour-winning Exotics line, game-improvement Hot Launch clubs, and beginner-friendly "Get in the Game" products. Tour Edge provides custom club fittings to ensure golfers at any skill level can find clubs that match their swing characteristics, helping them unlock their full potential on the course.
While tour golf clubs can provide a competitive edge, it's worth mentioning that skill, practice, and proper technique are equally important factors in improving your golf game. The right golf clubs should complement your abilities and help you perform more consistently, regardless of your skill level.
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Endorsements
The financial rewards from endorsements can be significant, contributing to the overall earnings of elite golfers. For example, Tiger Woods was the highest-earning sportsman for much of the first decade of the 21st century, with endorsement deals supplementing his tournament winnings.
Endorsement deals in golf often involve equipment manufacturers seeking to associate their brands with top performers. This can include deals with club and shaft manufacturers, as well as those producing other golf accessories and apparel. These endorsements can provide financial benefits to the golfers, as well as access to customised or specialised equipment that may enhance their performance.
In addition to equipment deals, golfers may also receive endorsements from non-golf companies seeking to leverage the athlete's popularity and reputation. These could include sponsorships from companies in industries such as finance, automotive, or luxury goods. These endorsements can further boost the income and public profile of top golfers.
Endorsement deals in golf are an important component of the sport's economics, providing golfers with additional sources of income beyond tournament prize money. These deals can be lucrative for both the golfers and the endorsing companies, creating mutual benefits that contribute to the commercial success of professional golf.
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Frequently asked questions
Tour golf refers to the organised golf tours that make up the schedule of professional golf tournaments.
The PGA Tour is a nonprofit organiser of professional golf tours in North America. It runs most of the events on the annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour was originally established by the PGA of America but became a separate organisation in 1968 for tour players, while the PGA of America became primarily an association of club professionals.
"Tour" clubs are more geared towards better shaping and command of the ball for players with faster swing speeds. "Non-tour" clubs are made to be more forgiving and consistent for less solid ball-strikers.
