Over the past few months, we have seen several social media posts from players currently playing at feeder tour level, with many highlighting the disparity between pay at the very top and the potential loss of taking part in development tours.

• Related: Former LPGA pro shares detailed breakdown of expenses for a year on Symetra Tour

On New Years Day, six-time professional winner Meghan Maclaren took to Twitter to highlight her real-life example of life on the Symetra/development tours.

• Related: Symetra pro opens up on the harsh financial realities of life on Tour

The 27-year-old is no stranger to posting her thoughts, with her regular blog an excellent insight into many things golf and beyond, but this posting set up an uninvited debate with the usual anonymous tweets interspersed with understandably supportive comments from her fellow ‘feeder’ players.

The initial comment was itself quite innocuous, detailing the importance of financial help throughout a career, even one with a couple of LET victories in the bank and a 2021 victory on the Symetra Tour, the main pathway to the LPGA.

In the two tweets, Maclaren thanks her sponsors and team for support, highlighting the ‘VERY unselfish coaches and next to no caddie all year.’

Prefacing the tweet with the comment ‘*not looking for sympathy or a debate about feeder tours, just thought interesting to share’ she makes note of the fact that even after a win, two top-10s and a pair of top-15 finishes she would have, without assistance, been looking at a LOSS on the season of around $31,000.

*not looking for sympathy or a debate about feeder tours, just thought interesting to share-

Without sponsorship or other income, my total profit/loss for 2021 would have been a loss of £23k ($31k).

18th on money list, VERY unselfish coaches and next to no caddie all year

— Meghan MacLaren (@meg_maclaren) January 1, 2022

Replies were of contrasting natures. Many folks understood the point that was being made. Here we have a victorious player that finished 18th on the money list of the league just one below that of the big time, and winner of circa $60k in prize money that would, without help, be paying out for the privilege of playing.

Bradley Neil, formally a hugely promising European junior making his way through the grades, commented simply, ”Could not agree more! If it wasn’t down to the generosity of the team around us, we wouldn’t survive.” Thoughts turn to many players on the Outlaw Tours, EuroPro Tours and the rest that perhaps don’t get the chances to progress their undoubted talent because it simply costs too much, not that perhaps they are lacking the skills.

Of course, nobody will argue that Tiger, Phil et al. have brought countless millions to the PGA and ‘deserve’ to be rewarded, but as covered by the likes of Ryan French (@acaseofthegolf1) it is the mini and development tours that create the stories, that have the players so dedicated to ‘making it’ they sleep in camper vans overnight and work in stores at the end of each round. Perhaps too the players that might make the future as bright as it is now, and many that were almost certainly inspired to play by the likes of those at the top.

Maclaren, who said that, ‘(2021) Q series crushed me completely,’ and eventually finished just three shots from a card after eight gruelling rounds, wasn’t looking for sympathy. She simply thought it would be useful to know the costs behind the glamour.

Meghan’s regular blog highlights all these musings and gives an insight into life on the road, into psychology, self-belief and doubt, and simply, well, Meg Maclaren. It’s well worth a read https://megmaclaren.com/