It's not so easy to get your foot on

the bottom rung of PGA ladder

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

A young golfer who turns professional may have ambitions to become a successful club professional with the best golf shop business in the area rather than become the next Padraig Harrington or Colin Montgomery ... but the Professional Golfers Association still insist, rightly or wrongly, that anyone coming into their profession must be able to play golf to a reasonable standard.

This came to mind this week when Richard Hyland, who was (and still is) a good player in his younger days as a Hazlehead member and spent a year or two at college in the States. He has turned professional and was telling me about the PGA's "playability test."

Just in case I got it wrong, I asked him to spell it out in an E-mail. Here it is:

"Hi Colin,

The playability test was held at Lanark Golf Club for a group of us would-be professional trainees. If you scored 15 over par or better for the two rounds, you qualified and you just have to pass it in order to start your PGA training - unless you are have a scratch handicap or better.

I was one-handicap at the time so I had to do it. I ended up right on the number, shooting 79 ajd 76 for 155 - 15 over par, with a double bogey on the last hole.

I was pleased with the effort. The Lanark course was playing long after heavy rain the previous day, and there was a strong wind.out

Of the first eight players I was the only one to qualify - showing the degree of difficulty on the day and also how difficult it can be to get your foot on the bottom rung of the PGA ladder.

I am now starting my PGA assistant training at Craibstone Golf Centre officially this week so I will not be able to compete in any more amateur events. I am looking forward to the new challenge and also to playing as an assistant pro on the North-east Alliance circuit this winter."

Richard Hyland