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When we speak about people who play golf, we often categorize them as either being professionals or amateurs.

People sometimes place golfers in one of these two categories based upon their perceived skill level. For instance, someone who routinely shoots low scores may be referred to by the general public as a professional, as in "That bye is a professional - he always shoots in the 60's".

While the player in question is clearly of superior skill level, he of course need not be a professional to be so blessed. He just needs to be so blessed.

So, if not one's skill level, what is it that makes someone a professional golfer? It's a very good question, one that can be surprisingly difficult to answer.

Actually, there's a third category of golfer, one that you do not hear very much about. The third category of golfer is when the golfer in question enters the dreaded world of golf purgatory.

Like the world of purgatory in the Really Big Book, this is not an area that golfers want to put themselves. You're betwixt and between, neither one nor the other, and it can be quite messy to those who are relatively serious about golf.

Basically, golfers will find themselves in golf purgatory if they commit an act that contravenes the Rules of Amateur Status. No one ever said that golf was simple and the interpretation and application of the various rules that govern its play can be just as arduous as the sport itself.

Just as there are rules governing the playing of golf, so there are rules governing amateur status, as well as a myriad of decisions that help with the interpretation of these Rules.

There are several acts that an amateur golfer should not commit which mostly relate to receiving financial rewards of one sort or another.

The most obvious way for a golfer to lose their amateur status is to play competitively for, and receive, money. The amount of money so received is irrelevant, as is the skill level of the player.

However, the most common way golfers lose their amateur status is to accept a prize that has a retail value in excess of the permitted amount.

As golf in Bermuda is subject to the Rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the current permitted retail value of prizes that can be accepted by an amateur is £500, which is currently approximately $750.

If an amateur accepts a prize that has a retail value in excess of the permitted amount, he or she then enters the world of golf purgatory. In other words, they are no longer an amateur golfer and can therefore no longer participate in amateur golf events.

Golf is a game that relies on the honesty and integrity of those who chose to play it. The game of golf teaches us that these attributes are fundamental to the sport. Those who chose to run a golf event have a responsibility to ensure that they inform those playing in their event as to whether the acceptance of any prize will have a negative impact on their amateur status.

If event organizers in Bermuda are unsure of this complex issue, they should get in touch with the Bermuda Golf Association who will be happy to provide guidance in this area.

It is important that amateurs be able to make informed decisions when it comes to accepting golf prizes that may be in excess of the permitted retail value.

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