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Majors are the world circuit--the only tournaments you would see on TV in real life. They're meant for players in the top X of the world (X being the number of registrants), with the following descending order of priority:
GSLs, worth up to 2000 ranking points
MSTs, worth up to 1000 ranking points (mandatory for the Top 32)
500s
250s
Most top 16 players don't bother with anything but GSLs, MSTs, and 500s to get to the ~20 tournaments/year or so they need.
Challengers are for players ranked 33rd-200th in the world.
Futures are for players ranked 201st-1000th.
Amateurs are for players ranked 1001st-plus.
Juniors are for players 18 and under.
You can always play up--a 15-year-old can register for senior Wimbledon, say--but it's rarely a good idea unless you're close to the dividing line between one tier of tournaments and the next.
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