The next six days of Final Qualifying at European Tour School at the PGA Catalunya is not a place a professional golfer wants to be as it has many of the negative connotations that players spend time staying away from. However given the choice of not being there - or looking on from a distance wishing you were - it is clear which option is preferable.
For Simon Thornton that will definitely be the case as he tries to hang on the privileges he worked so hard to get in Catalunya last December. But for others this week will be not be easy.
None more so than Gary Murphy who faces next season living off invites to the main tour perhaps, the odd Challenge Tour events and or the Irish Region PGA in order to keep his game up to scratch. But based on my personal experience that is easier said than done and the only advice is that Gary needs to be careful that it is not the start of a decline that makes the leap back to the European Tour almost impossible. At 38 years of age it will become more difficult – physically - to compete at Q School as the more athletic younger golfers stream into the game.
For Gareth Shaw the switch to the professional code in 2008 has lost momentum having failed to progress from Stage 2 this year and the breakthrough is now deferred for another year.
For fellow Northern Ireland player, Jonathan Caldwell, a member of the 2007 GB&I Walker Cup team at Royal County Down there is also an uncertain outlook given he also missed out on a place at the Final Stage. Having seen those team mates from three years ago - Rory McIlroy and Rhys Davies - make the stratospheric jump to the Race to Dubai in the intervening years - it cannot be easy to keep up the day-to-day grind of practice when Tour School still remains a major hurdle.
For Michael McGeady the plan must be to consider alternative options other than making a life on the European Tour a major objective and having withdrawn his card at Stage 2 last week - after a couple of high scoring rounds - he may be closer to that way of thinking as I write.
My own recollections now suggests that they were some trips I made to W School that were based on inertia rather than really being mentally ready for the challenge. So with hindsight some of the attempts were really a waste of time and eroded some of the hard earned self confidence. Consequently you reach a point where there is little point in really believing there is a “next year”.
FORE Ireland team mate Michael Collins was unable to do better than 46th place and showing no major improvement since last year so it will be a long wait for next September – should he decide to return – with the Irish Open the only taste of the big time on offer at the moment.
For David Mortimer - in his best ever season yet – next season at least brings a trip to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May, the PGA Cup in the USA in October, as well as the Irish Open - all courtesy of his wins this year. It remains to be seen whether Q School is on the agenda as approaching forty years of age he may feel the moment has passed him.
But if Damian Mooney gets his card at the of the next six days – at the age of 42 – then it will give Mortimer even more motivation perhaps.
For Niall Turner of Muskerry the year ended with his two sided attempt to get a tour card - trying the PGA Tour in September and also the European Tour – falling short and unable to make the breakthrough this year. There comes a point when fortune also needs to match desire and ability and the quality of golf needs to be impeccable and error free in order to pass through the eye of the needle that is Q School
Already some of his fellow Irish players in the USA have decided that they might let the dream go now with Waterville's Mark Murphy already making that decision in recent weeks following PGA Tour Second Stage
Although Barrie Trainor has time on his side it will be a long twelve month ahead in which a lot of things can happen – not least of is funding a playing season of significance - given that access to Challenge Tour will be based on invites and the EUROPro Tour being the only other alternative.
Regardless of the choices the key for Barrie Trainor - and all the players - will be to remain competitive so that when Q School comes around next September they are ready.
But for bow I will just follow with interest how Mooney, Thornton, Colm Moriarty and Niall Kearney fare at the PGA Catalunya. It will be a tough few days with much attrition and moments that will be truly testing.
But given the choice it would easier to be there competing than watching from afar.
Take it from me.
