Q-School

[demon]

Originally Posted by Augster

Q-school winner got $50K again this year. Amazing. I remember it used to be, like you say, $5K to enter. And the winner got $50K. Now it's like $15K and the winner still gets the same amount.

Raising the price is really only a deterrent to weed out folks that have "declared themselves professionals" and just try to catch lightning in a bottle to make it to the next stage. I'm sure just too many players used to sign up.

Kind of like the US Open. Golf has gotten so popular, and so much more money, in the Tiger era that the US Open has had to keep lowering the handicap requirements to try to qualify. Not so long ago the handicap was like 2.8. I think it's about scratch now and in a year to two it'll be Plus 1 or more. Just too many people, but the USGA doesn't want to raise the paltry $100 fee so as to exclude your legitmate amateurs.

Handicap requirements were 2.00 when I tried out but the cut was really low and this was only for the local qualifiers. I think I shot a -4 at stevenson ranch in california and the cut was -6. Dont make the same mistake I did. If you want to go to the sectional qualifier at least look around the country for the course that the highest scores with the lowest amount of applicants. I know on some of the courses some people shot 75 - 78 and qualified for the sectional. Look at the archives!

Added: looks like you need a 1.4 index now

[Sandpiper3]

Originally Posted by demon

Handicap requirements were 2.00 when I tried out but the cut was really low and this was only for the local qualifiers. I think I shot a -4 at stevenson ranch in california and the cut was -6. Dont make the same mistake I did. If you want to go to the sectional qualifier at least look around the country for the course that the highest scores with the lowest amount of applicants. I know on some of the courses some people shot 75 - 78 and qualified for the sectional. Look at the archives!

If you taking this stuff seriously, that, and look at courses that will play to your strengths and to your shot, that will help your chances a lot and give you confidence going into the next couple rounds where you have to play at certain courses.

[demon]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

If you taking this stuff seriously, that, and look at courses that will play to your strengths and to your shot, that will help your chances a lot and give you confidence going into the next couple rounds where you have to play at certain courses.

Yes it will help, but of course it gets expensive too. Flying out to the ideal location playing it a certain amount of time etc... I played stevenson ranch probably two times before the local qualifier and i still shot a 68 from the tips, just my luck though most of the good players including pros were playing that course too. I was two strokes off from qualifiying though. next time I will show no mercy and open a major can of whoop a$$ on everyone.

You have to remember when playing the qualifiers for the US Open that there are a lot of tour pros that didnt meet the criteria and you have to beat a bunch of them too to qualify. so if you have the chops in sectional qualifying then you have what it takes to make it on tour.

[Sandpiper3]

so if you have the chops in sectional qualifying then you have what it takes to make it on tour.

More or less. Theres still the playing to that calibre week in and out, the guys that your qualifying against are the guys who dont get it done week to week (in general) but are still good enough to be there. The difference between the top 1-50 players and the 125-175 players is the consistency, nobody at all will doubt the talent of any player who even reaches these tournaments.