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Getting through the qualifying school of an elite tour is very competitive and most Professional Golfer s never achieve it. There can be up to three stages to negotiate, each of them like a regular golf tournament with only a small number of players going on to the next stage. The Final Qualifying School may be played over up to six rounds, compared with the standard four rounds in a professional golf tournament. However players who are successful at Qualifying School can reach the elite level of competition very quickly.

Other methods of getting onto an elite golf tour include:
  • Finishing near the top of the money list/order of merit on the tour's official developmental tour, such as the Nationwide Tour for the PGA Tour, the Challenge Tour for the European Tour or the Futures Tour for the LPGA Tour.

  • Winning a tournament on the tour after gaining entry to it through it's qualification event or as a sponshor's invitee.

  • Winning enough money on multiple events on the tour as a qualifier/sponsor's invitee to meet whatever criteria the tour may lay down for promotion to full membership.

  • Special categories for elite golfers: Most tours offer automatic memberships to golfers with outstanding achievements such as winning a recent Major Championship or making a recent Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team.


Some lower status tours are open to any registered professional who pays a membership fee so they don't have a Qualifying School.


SPECIFIC QUALIFYING SCHOOLS


PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR's qualifying school is officially known as the ''PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament'', but the organization also frequently refers to it as "Q-School". It involves three stages (see this link to the 2005 results ):
  • First Stage: Fourteen tournaments held in October, all in warm-weather locations in the United States. Each is played over four rounds. In 2005, the number of qualifiers to the next stage depended on the size of the field, ranging from the top 17 to the top 21. All players who tie for a qualifying spot advance to the next stage.

  • Second Stage: Six tournaments in November, also in warm-weather locations and each played over four rounds. In 2005, five of the tournaments qualified the top 20 plus ties, and the remaining tournament qualified the top 19 plus ties.

  • Final Stage: One tournament played over six rounds in late November-early December. The top 30 players, plus ties, earn PGA TOUR cards for the following year.



European Tour

In 2006 the European Tour has a three stage Qualifying School:
  • First Qualifying Stage: six tournaments in various European countries, each played over four rounds.

  • Second Qualifying Stage: four tournaments, each of four rounds, at four different courses in Spain.

  • Final Qualifying Stage: a single tournament played over six rounds at two courses in Spain.