Attending a golf tournament is easy.

You’ll need to visit the website for the event sponsor such as the LPGA, PGA, PGA Tour or USGA. There you’ll find a tour schedule and links to the specific tournament. Contact the tournament via email tickets. At many tournaments, tickets may be purchased at the entrance. Daily tickets for most LPGA and PGA Tour events not expensive (under $50 per day). However, a few like the PGA Championship are very expensive – $90 on the final days.

When you go to a tour event, be prepared to walk and to sit on the grass. Also, cameras are prohibited (except for the press) at most tournaments as are backpacks. It’s best to travel light and comfortable. I guarantee you will learn something about your swing from attending an actual tournament and following the experts around the course. And, you will definitely have fun!

The British Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world played on the most historic course of all – the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.

In April 2005, it was announced that, for the first time, women may qualify for a spot in the 2006 Open. The qualifying rounds are played at several locations around the world.

Another route to the British Open is through winning a prior tournament such as the Masters or a PGA Tour event. In fact, if Michelle Wie had won the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic this year, she would have been invited to the British Open and been the first woman ever to play in it.

The British Open is one of the four “major” tournaments that men have historically competed in. The others are the PGA Championship, the Masters at Augusta National, and the U.S. Open. The women’s best golfers have their traditional majors as well. They are the LPGA Championship, the Kraft-Nabisco Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open and the Weetabix Women’s British Open which is organized by the Ladies Golf Union of Britain.

If you are a little confused, it’s not surprising. The bright line between all-male tournaments and all-female golf tournaments is becoming blurred. For example, Wie made headlines the week of July 4th playing in the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic – as the only woman golfer. Although the PGA Tour does not prohibit women competitors, only three women in recent history have played in PGA Tour events.

What about the USGA sponsored U.S. Women’s Open? The USGA is organized to maintain the rules of golf in the U.S. including the Handicap System) and to promote fair competition. Its members are golf courses and individual golfers.

The U.S. Women’s Open – sponsored by the USGA, is one of the most famous women’s tournament. The U.S. Women’s Open is organized differently from the LPGA and PGA Tour events. The “Open” is exactly that – all over the country there are regional qualifying events that are “open” to both amateur and professional women. in addition, the USGA invites other golfers who have won or qualified through other tournaments. The British Open and the Women’s British Open also use the “open” qualifying format.

The PGA Tour sponsors about 20 major tournaments each year – many are televised and net proceeds are donated to charity.

In addition to tour events, the PGA Tour also owns golf courses: The Players Championship courses – often called TPC courses. The Champions Tour is for senior golfers and is also organized by the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour logo has a male golfer, but female golfers have played on PGA Tour events. The first female golfer to play in a PGA Tour event, was Babe Didrickson Zaharias – over 50 years ago. There are no rules prohibiting women from PGA Tour events if they qualify or receive an exemption from the tour sponsor.

The PGA

First of all, it’s important to know that the PGA Tour and the PGA are two different organizations. The PGA is devoted to training professional instructors and managers in the golf industry.

There are about 28,000 members of the PGA. Although the PGA permits women to become members (unlike the LPGA, which currently does not allow men to become members), there are only about 800 female members of the PGA. Many of those 800 PGA women are also members of the LPGA.

The PGA sponsors many golf competitions at the regional level and one major national competition – the PGA Championship. The PGA also sponsors the Ryder Cup team matches played alternately in the U.S. and Europe. The LPGA sponsors a similar women’s team event called the Solheim Cup.

The LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association and is the longest-running women’s sports association in the world. The LPGA is a “ladies” golf association. Under its charter, men may not join. The LPGA was founded over 50 years ago by a group of dynamic and talented women golfers.

The LPGA has two major divisions – the Tour division and the Teaching and Club Professional Division. The LPGA Tour is very international. Many LPGA Tour events are played outside of the U.S. and the women competitors come from many countries.

In order to play on an LPGA Tour event, a female golfer must be 18 or over, declared herself a “professional” and have demonstrated the required skill through previous tournament play. Amateur golfers are not allowed to accept prize money or commercial endorsements.

In addition to LPGA tournaments, there is also the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division, which is led by my friend, Dr. Betsy Clark, Vice President of Professional Development. There are only about 1,200 female LPGA instructors. It is difficult to get accepted into the program so, when you link up with an LPGA teaching pro, consider yourself fortunate.