This article gives you a simple overview on what it takes to become a golf tournament professional on either the US PGA Tour or the European Tour, a question every striving golf pro craves the answers to.

Understand the type of golfer that you are.

Overall, of course it’s all about consistency. But that answer doesn’t take into consideration the different types of golfer that play the game. Let’s face it. John Daly and Fred Funk have both won multiple tour events but they hardly play golf the same way. So let’s break it down a little and help you as the individual understand what you need to do.

First of all, forget about all the bias opinions that you hear from most golf pundits and golf coaches, and don’t pay too much attention to the highlights that you see on the TV although Butch Harmon (Sky Sports golf commentator and golf coach to Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott) has an excellent interpretation of the game. Understand the facts of the game of golf because they are what counts.

Golf is all about the short game… Actually no it’s not…!

“The closer you hit your approach shot, the greater chance you’ll have of holing your subsequent putt” is a very important fact that you need to understand in the game of golf. The golfers who have the best distance and directional control with their irons generally shoot the lowest scores. They hit a greater number of their approach shots to within a hole-able range and convert more birdies as a result. You see, under the same conditions, even a ten handicap will hole more putts from three feet than Tiger Woods will from eight feet.

Golfers with better distance control can also aim to leave themselves in better positions if they miss the green which leaves easier chip shots. This means they tend to get up and down more often making them look like they have a better short game. The truth is even the best golfers in the world struggle to get those tough chips and tough bunker shots up and down.

So what about the putting?

Believe it or not, there isn’t much to say on putting. Over twenty rounds of golf, the difference in performances of tour golfers is quite small. Don’t be fooled, you need to be very solid from inside 10 feet, but no-one really holes many long putts over the duration of a tournament. The good putters just have superb lag putting abilities. Three putts are few and far between.

Summary.

To win tour events you need to both perform well from tee to green and putt well. But the main difference between the guys who perform consistently well and the guys who tend to struggle is the long game (driving and iron play). The better golfers simply get the ball into good positions off the tee more often and then hit their approach shots closer to the hole, which of course presents them with a greater chance of holing the subsequent shot / putt. You can apply all the rocket science that you want but I’m afraid that’s the game of golf in a nutshell.