Golf: Amateurs 'should be able to take PGA exams before Tour'

The Lothians champion suggested the radical move as a way to increase options for players if they fail to taste success as Tour pros after leaving the amateur game.

"I would like to see the SGU develop a pathway that allows elite amateurs to do the PGA training so they've got something to fall back on," Dick told the Evening News.

"As things stand, players who turn professional don't have anything to fall back on if it doesn't work out for them.

"But having the PGA qualifications would give them another option and it could be (that] someone becomes a top coaching professional instead, meaning they could then give something back to the SGU.

"Surely someone spending 35 hours a week in a pros' shop selling Mars bars isn't necessary in this day and age to become a PGA professional.

"It would make more sense if elite amateurs had a pathway whereby they could do the PGA training before they turned professional.

"That's my suggestion for improving Scottish golf - and I don't think it's a bad one."

Gallacher, who earned a place in the record books after winning Scottish amateur titles at boys', youths' and senior level, wanted to pass on his knowledge of life as a professional to current amateur aces.

He got talking with Ian Rae, the Scottish national coach, at Marc Warren's wedding in Edinburgh just before Christmas.

And the result of that was a session hosted by the former Dunhill Links champion at Kingsfield Golf Centre outside Linlithgow at the end of last week.

Dick, now in the elite squad after breaking into the Scotland side last season, was among the 13 players in attendance and, along with the others, the Kingsknowe man was fascinated to hear what Gallacher had to say.

"It was a bit different for me because, unlike everyone else there, I'm not a young guy with aspirations to be a European Tour professional like Stephen," he said.

"But he gave us a great insight into his career. "We are talking about someone who dominated as an amateur for a couple of years before turning professional.

"However, Stephen soon made everyone aware that it isn't just a case of turning professional, getting a Tour card and off you go.

"He said there is a lot of fighting to be done just to get a foothold in the paid ranks and I think some of the lads there had their eyes opened about sponsorship, management companies etc.

"To hear about some of the pitfalls he had encountered during the 14 years he's been on Tour was very useful indeed."

Gallacher told his audience that, as an amateur, he went into every event believing he could win it - but that had changed in the paid ranks.

"He admitted he had struggled a bit with his mindset after going from being a big fish in a small pool to a small fish in a big pool," revealed Dick. "He said he expected to win events as an amateur and that's the mentality he is now trying to get back."

While not just yet, Gallacher is keen to set up his own foundation to help young golfers, in particular in the Lothians, to develop. He's even been offered Paul Lawrie's template for his highly-successful programme in the North-East that was launched on the back of him winning the Open in 1999.

"Some of the guys in the Aberdeen area benefit from what you could call the 'Paul Lawrie experience', knowing they can ask him for advice," said Dick.

"It would be great to have something similar in the central belt and, for starters, it was good that Stephen took the time out to do what he did last week as it was very informative."

As part of the exercise, the players in attendance were also supplied with details by Rae about the costs of playing on some of the professional circuits.

According to Dick, the figure for the third-tier EuroPro Tour, where the top-ranked player last year made 23,000, was 12-16,000 per season, while the Challenge Tour bill was around 20,000.

That meant the player finishing 80th on that money-list, securing a card for the following season, would actually end up 6,000 out of pocket.