Leaving the amateur nest to fend for yourself is one of the biggest challenges facing Ireland's budding tour pros.

What better contrast than the image of some members of the eight-strong Irish contingent that travelled to South Africa recently, leaping into the pool with Jack Hume to celebrate his spectacular South African Strokeplay Championship victory.

Free travel courtesy of the GUI, decent hotels and the support of team mates, the team captain and the national coach mean there's always a shoulder to cry if things go wrong in the amateur game.

It gets tougher when they turn professional and have to do thing for themselves. Check out this tweet from Cork's Niall Turner on his arrival in Bangladesh from Myanmar for this week's Bashundhara Bangladesh Open at Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka.

Just getting to Bangladesh in one piece is a challenge, never mind playing good golf wjhen you get there.

Despite the difficulties, things are going well for Turner, who is 25th in the Asian Tour's Order of Merit having finished 23rd and 35th in his first two events of the year in Singapore and Myanmar.