What tour would you choose if you were a tour player?

[nitram]

As previously mentioned, if given a choice it'd be where the money is. There are several PGA players who manage to stay within the top 125 for their respective career and live a VERY comfortable life.

[2putttom]

lol I see what ya did there... you rascal

[dan360]

PGA if I got the game. Any other U.S. based tour if I don't, and the Euro Tour if I was almost there but not quite. Why try hard to win $15,000 when for the same effort and result I could get $45,000? Plus, taxes, taxes, taxes.....

[NJpatbee]

If the OP is European I could understand the attachment to the ET. I am an American and I enjoy visiting Europe but the golden standard for me is the PGA Tour. If it is assumed I am a journeyman golfer I would start on the Korn Ferry Tour and shoot for the PGA Tour.

[mat562]

Honestly? The European Tour/Sunshine Tour combo in the late '70s/early '80s. When Simon Hobday was still pegging it up and some of the events in Africa were held amid civil wars on greens that were crafted from mud and engine oil. When you could buy a four-pack of Skol lager for about 75p and cook your breakfast, get changed and engage in amorous activities - not necessarily in that order - in the back of a hand-painted camper van owned by Ian Woosnam, and then meet up with a caddie who could drink Richard Harris under the table and had sparrows nesting in his hair. Yeah, I'd be up for that...

 

[stingerfade]

Travel is actually easier in Europe. I’m talking of course if you’re not flying private jets everywhere.

personally I love traveling and would much rather play a week in Paris or Singapore than Ohio or Palm Springs.

[bscinstnct]

Ha! Mat in the house, nice one ; )

[RichieHunt]

Paris?

 

No thanks....don't feel like getting my stuff stolen, again. Paris will always go down as one of the biggest disappointments of my life.

 

And even in Greensboro, NC...you're getting treated to the best of Greensboro which is very posh and nice. And these guys are not doing a lot of sight seeing anyway.

 

Monday is usually travel day with some club tweaking. Tuesday is practice and practice round. Wednesday is Pro-Am.

 

But the PGA Tour is just far better of a lifestyle to the Euro Tour and it's not even close. That and the much larger purses are why Euro Tour players seek to make it stateside.

 

 

 

RH

[stingerfade]

Funny you say Paris as first time I was there I actually left my small bag on the train going from the airport to the subway. It had my laptop, camera, phone.....all the expensive electronics. Somehow found the Airbnb I was staying at. Was so freaked out I fell asleep out of shock I think. Woke up went to Internet cafe, this was 2006, and boom an email from a random guy who said he saw me leave my bag and secured it for me. He apologized for going through my stuff to find my contact info which was in a notebook. Went and got the bag that night, everything was there and refused the bottle of wine I brought to give him. Sometimes you get the luck of the draw?

i said Europe not for sightseeing but just the general different cultures and food etc. sorry but the Greensboro doesn’t compare to somewhere like Italy. But that’s just me!

[marmooskapaul]

It's all about work while I'm playing...got to be PGA. I'll travel after 50. Lots to see from California to New York.....Minnesota to Florida. I'll probably be fishing/boating and avoiding people/city's anyway..lol.

[RichieHunt]

That's almost a miracle. Paris is widely known for theft. I was warned about it when we went there and put my bags down for a second right beside me and somebody stole it right from me. Probably smelled me as a tourist from a mile away. I found it funny later when I watched the movie 15:17 to Paris and they were traveling around Europe and told people they were going to Paris and everybody tried to talk them out of going.

 

Anyway, I've worked with over 50 full-time Tour players, many of whom played the Euro Tour. Not a single one of them has ever said that they would rather play the Euro Tour. Guys like Carl Pettersson basically took the first chance they could to play stateside instead of playing the Euro Tour. There's only a few players I can think of that didn't really take to playing stateside (Rock and Colsaerts). Not to disrespect their playing abilities, but stateside they would be fringe players on the big Tour.

 

Regardless of what Tour a Tour player is playing, they are really there for the golf and treat it as such. Experiencing the food and culture...they just don't have much time to do it. Even the players that are playing Waialae do not spend much time experiencing Hawaii. The same goes for the Euro Tour. Too much money involved and far more money on the PGA Tour. The other big difference is the PGA Tour provides for a lot more convenience for the player.

 

 

 

RH

[sailfishchris]

I wouldn't choose (sorry) I would play all the national open's - U.S. , British. Irish, Scottish, Italian, French, Australian...etc. Throw in The Master's too. Sort of an endless Summer

[Irishman1979]

Look at players such as Montgomerie, Westwood and Langer for example who both had Hall of Fame careers and were never members of the PGA tour. They played in PGA tour events (mostly Majors) but always stayed over in Europe and are self made millionaires and never once had to come over here to do that. The European tour is a fine tour and provides plenty of players a really great career playing competitive golf. Now that Monty and Langer are over 50 they are playing the Senior tour over here though.

[Hawkeye77]

Exceptions. And exceptional.

 

[Irishman1979]

And superstars. You do not have to play the PGA tour to be a star in golf.

[smashdn]

I'd play the Euro Tour primarily but I wouldn't play events until the end of April if possible. I have no interest in playing in Asia and the Middle East.

 

I guess I would try my best to play US Tour out west until The Masters then play Euro Tour Events.

 

But I am looking at it solely from a "what interesting courses do I get to play" standpoint. The Australian tour has let me down in regards to courses.

[Yank8823]

PGA Tour all day... Purses & Sponsors, Easier travel schedule and more lucrative perks.

[Irishman1979]

The variety of golf would be much more so over in Europe. So many different styles over there than over here. Do we even have a real Links course on the PGA Tour schedule? No we do not.

Point proven that If money is secondary and I’m going to play a tour due to the love of the game then Euro tour all day long.

[Darth Putter]

Do we even have a real links course in the US?

Of course there is one real links course on the PGA Tour schedule, the one that hosts the British Open.

 

Other than links courses, and there aren't that many even on the European Tour, what else does the European Tour have in the more variety department?

 

 

 

 

 

[smashdn]

Every year they play several links at the Dunhill Links. I agree with what I think you are getting at though, the Euro Tour still doesn't play many links though they clearly are closer to them than US. There are very few mainland links but there are some. Logistically I doubt it would work out.

 

But the Euro Tour does have the opportunity to play more types of courses; parkland, links, heathland, etc. I could argue it doesn't do a real good job of making the most of that opportunity though. They are spread around for sure but it doesn't appear to me they are going to the best of the best. They have also for all intents and purposes sucked up the Asian portion of the Autralasian Tour.

 

Bandon is probably as close as you'll get in the US. Canada has some that come much closer in the purest sense.

[bigred90gt]

I guess it is all about perspective.

 

Having been in my line of business for 20 years, and making a pretty good living, if given the opportunity, I would play the ET without hesitation. Even as a middle of the road journeyman, who isnt really fighting to keep his card, and not a superstar, I would be making more than enough money to live far more comfortably than I do now. I'm 40, with a kid in college, and my wife and I have been talking about moving to Europe in the next 5-10 years. To do so, we would basically be taking around a 50% commulative pay cut, but we have priced it out, and would still be comfortable enough to not struggle, and occasionally travel even after that cut. So, to be able to go and play golf, travel through Europe, and still bring home far in excess of what I do now, I would take that life experience over the PGA tour and the "prestige" all day, any/every day, and twice on Sunday. Heck, if I could go over there and play, without worrying about losing my card, and net the same money I make now, I'd jump on it.

[MaineMariner]

I have a family history of skin cancer and am quite pale, so I think I'd be better off on the European Tour.

I'm not even joking.

[PoolPond]

The PGA Tour. Why settle for anything less

[farmer]

Hey, Mat is in here. Haven't seen him in a while.

[jmck]

A good omen for the new decade IMO ; )

[dalehead]

Gotta be the PGA Tour. That’s where the money is. But I do get what you’re saying about the Euro Tour. Those guys do seem to have more fun. On the other hand, first person accounts paint a less glamorous picture about the travel. Like the US tour it’s mainly get to the next hotel, go to the golf course, spend the day there, back to hotel, repeat for a week, then get to the next town and do it again. Not much time for sightseeing unless you miss the cut. And then hitting the practice tee might take precedence overseeing the Eiffel Tower.

[vman]

PGA Tour, definitely, and then onto the Champions Tour.....absolute heaven of a life.

[Irishman1979]

Well if it’s up to dorks like Mickelson the Pga tour won’t be around in the near future. Lol these guys are a joke!!!https://www.yahoo.com/sports/golf-league-gets-interest-pga-players-reports-201731537--golf.html

[Zen_Golfer]

Id probably go Euro tour because you would get to play all over Europe and some of the middle east. Id probably live in England and would get to play all over England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain and places like Dubai. Sounds like a pretty sweet life to me.

In addition, if youre that good, you can still play in PGA Tour events and all of the majors.

[Irishman1979]

Yep that’s right.