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Comments? Discussion? Qualifying for a Nationwide tournament by 2011.


tsdnorton
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So let me start this off with, I never played golf while younger. My dad tried to get me to go out and play when I was younger and I played a few times just kinda hacking at it, never really trying.

Last August I started playing quite a bit. Picked up some Rac OS2’s and an R7 and started hitting the course in my spare time practicing. Playing 2-3 times a week. I started off shooting around the 100 mark.

Over a month I dropped into the 90’s and a month later into the 80’s. I played pretty consistently until November when it was just rain and cold and too much to handle in central Cali. Put the clubs away, with every intent of picking them back up in the spring. Bought my x-20 tours and my ft-9 and forged wedges and then I started playing March-June off and on again (with LOTS of play in April and May) and started dropping the Handicap even more. So I went down to an 11.0 in June. Had to take some personal time in July for family matters and back at it in the end of July.

New index came out and I’m now a 7.8

So here’s the catch. Out of all of that, I never, ever, had ONE lesson. It’s all self-taught. I’ve read a few books and just kept practicing. I have a great touch around the greens and my driving isn’t too bad. I need work with my “full” shots. I can hit the woods and hybrids just fine, but it’s my 3,4,5 giving me lots of issues.

Now, with your previous experience and knowledge, is it possible to QUALIFY for a tournament?

I know outside of every tourney they hold a Q tourney to fill the final spots. I had some friends that did this for the tourney up in San Jose a few months back at Stonebridge.

I’ve shaved myself down to a 7.8 with zero help or lessons in less than a year. If I got a decent instructor and spent some time with video and swing aids what’s the probability of me Qualifying for a tournament by next year?

Thanks

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Anything is possible, however, the difference between a 7.8 index and a tour player is tremendous, likely a larger difference then from where you started to where you are now. My index is close to yours, and personally I can't imagine my game ever getting to the level you are trying to achieve. Good luck with your quest.

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Close to zero. I won't say 'absolutely no chance' because if you have an unlimited bank account and no other responsibilities, it might be possible, but highly unlikely. Especially in one year. Do nothing else for the next 2, and you might be getting close. It is much easier to get from a 20 to a 7, than it is to get from a 7 to 0. From there you need to go from 0 to about a +4, which is even harder.

We have a Nationwide Tour stop come through town every year. They hold the Monday qualifier at the same course each year. Usually to qualify, you have to shoot 4-5 under or better. Think about that for a minute. Show up to a course you've never seen before on Monday morning, then go out and shoot 5 under.

So for you, every once in a while go to a random course that you've never played before and see what you can do. When you get to the point where you are consistently under par at those courses, you might be ready to think about qualifying for a mini tour. When you do exceptionally well on the mini tours, then you can think about the Nationwide. I watch those guys every year, they are 50 times better then the best golfer you know at your club. And probably 20 times better than the head pro.

I will judge my rounds much more by the quality of my best shots than the acceptability of my worse ones.

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Try this out. Get some difficult equipment, go on a really difficult narrow course where ballstriking counts, play from the tips, get a local guy with about the same handicap and gamble for a lot of money to simulate the pressure - then report back what you shot and put this in comparison to your handicap.

One more thing - if you have trouble hitting your long irons you obv. have some kind of swing flaw - stuff like that just doesnt go away overnight and will hinder your future progress considerably.

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Well obviously there is a swing flaw :)

I'm not saying there is a HUGE problem with hitting those clubs. I'm saying, I push them a little bit when trying to reach full distances or clip them a tad thin. I'ts my impact I'm struggling with, not my swing itself. But that's beside the point.

I know and play with a few people on the Nationwide, and they don't seem all that much more together than the people I play around. I played with Bob May a few times (he's a friend of the family) and all I really noticed in our difference of play was the fact that his short game is immaculate (not putting, but 100 yards in)

I've already played in 4 amateur tourneys in California and Georgia and I placed decent in all of them while posting 76's and what not.

But yea, I know it's unrealistic. I'm not asking to win or even place close to winning in one of these. Just curious if I can qualify. I watched a buddy of mine, that I usually have a lot of fun with on our home course, qualify to play in it.

New to the forums, looking for a little feedback was all :) He tells me to go for it and hope for the best. His exact words, "You don't have to play amazing every day to play in one of these tournaments. You just have to play amazing on THAT day."

But yea, haven't been playing too terribly long. I just seem to have picked up the game very very quickly. In less than a year of play, and not 24/7 practicing, I've jumped to a single digit handicap and can outplay most of the people at our club that have been playing for years.

Only reason I asked. :)

Thanks for the response though!
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It's possible but very hard. Those last 5-6-7-8 strokes to get to around scratch are the hardest to drop. Monday qualifying is not easy, but one good round is possible I guess. But highly unlikely.

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I watch those guys every year, they are 50 times better then the best golfer you know at your club. And probably 20 times better than the head pro.

I think you have that backwards. Head pros in my experience mostly aren't the best golfer at the club.

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Try this out. Get some difficult equipment, go on a really difficult narrow course where ballstriking counts, play from the tips, get a local guy with about the same handicap and gamble for a lot of money to simulate the pressure - then report back what you shot and put this in comparison to your handicap.

Don't even bother with the difficult equipment - just play really hard courses with a lot of money on the line day in and day out.

Then imagine that you have to do that in order to make a living. EDIT - sorry, didn't realize the original question was about qualifying for one tournament. To answer that question, I'd put the chances at zero or close to zero. Alternatively, play a couple of rounds with your club's pro/assistant pro - while there are many club pros who simply decided that the life of a touring professional wasn't for them, these are very often guys with outstanding game who for some reason or other just didn't 'have what it takes' to play competitively for a living, whether it be maturity to handle the pressure, a minor swing hitch, etc.. Compare your game against theirs and see how you feel about your chances of making it and keep in mind that these guys have chosen not to play professionally (for now, at least), despite their ridiculous skills. It's a humbling experience to say the least. I'm also a self-taught 7.8 (as I imagine many of the single digits on this board are) and I know I don't have the game to do anything with golf but have a lot of fun.
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No chance. I favor "realistic" instead of "optimistic," particularly when "optimistic" borders on flat out crazy.

No chance.

Heck, I'm scratch and I have no chance.

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I've played with several club pros and assistant pros, and can generally keep up with, or even beat them. Their games are generally too inconsistent because they don't get a chance to play all that much. Then I played recently with a current Hooters and Canadian Tour player, who also played in the US Open at Torrey Pines. It was like night and day. He hits it so far and so accurately, and his putting stroke is so pure that it was a pleasure just to watch him play the game. After seeing him, I know how far away I am from the so-called "professional" level. And he hasn't yet qualified for the Nationwide Tour.

So, in short, if you think that you can do it, give it a try. Jerry Rice thought he could do it, too.
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I've played with several club pros and assistant pros, and can generally keep up with, or even beat them. Their games are generally too inconsistent because they don't get a chance to play all that much. Then I played recently with a current Hooters and Canadian Tour player, who also played in the US Open at Torrey Pines. It was like night and day. He hits it so far and so accurately, and his putting stroke is so pure that it was a pleasure just to watch him play the game. After seeing him, I know how far away I am from the so-called "professional" level. And he hasn't yet qualified for the Nationwide Tour.

No doubt. There's nothing better than playing with a pro. It's the coolest thing to see their pretty swings and the variety of shots that they can play on demand.

A close second is watching a pro play your home course or a course with which you're very familiar. They make it looks so easy and it really makes you realize how good they actually are.
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Heck, I'm scratch and I have no chance.

+1, exactly what I was thinking. Even when I was flirting w/a consistent +3 I didn't think that I had a chance. I've played enough golf with guys at that level to understand that their game was drastically different than my own.

I'd suggest starting with your state open and/or amateur tournaments. It's still going to take a few rounds under par to be in the hunt (IIRC, the MN amateur winner shot -11 over 36 holes to win) but you should be able to qualify for the tournament and even make the cut if you can keep it at, or nearly at, par. You'll still have all the pressures of tournament golf, a championship course layout and some phenomenal opponents.

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Here is a good reference point for how good you need to be to monday qualify on the Natiowide tour: The best golf player at my high school ever qualified for the US Open this year, but can't get on the Nationwide tour regularly. He has tried 4 monday qualifiers and made 3. He is currently playing the Hooters tour. And I can't overstate how good he is. He broke the course record at his home course with a 62 when he was 16, then broke it a few years ago with a 61. I would estimate his handicap at +3 at the highest.

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Qualifying for a professional tour event is a significant feat. The club I'm a member of is the home course for the local university golf team. You can see some pretty hot shot young golfers out there on a regular basis and when they hold collegiate events there it's always amazing to see what the top college level golfers are capable of doing on a course you're familiar with playing. I would never discourage anyone from pursuing a dream, but you do need to be realistic about how you go about fulfilling that dream. It sounds like the OP has some experience with amateur tournament golf, and that certainly is a good place to start. I'd set certain goals for myself so that I could determine my progress and ability to perform under pressure. Then just see how it goes. I do know from talking with some of the college golf coaches playing ability is just one aspect of the equation. They talk about skilled players who lack the financial backing to be able to hone their game and to pursue the opportunities of tournament golf when they arise. Guys who have the game to play at or near the top level, but who just aren't able to pursue golf as a career. I don't know what it costs to play in a Nationwide qualifier, but if you've got the cash and the confidence in your game then by all means give it a try.

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Also, dont forget, shooting a 65 on your home course is nothing like shooting a 65 on a Tour course.

Kyle Paulhus

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Career Low Round: 67 (18 holes), 32 (9 holes)

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I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but basically zero chance of qualifying. Even with instruction, you're going to quickly find out that going from something like a 15 or 20 handicap to where you are now is much easier than going from where you are now down to around scratch. I can't remember who said it but the quote went something like "it's easier to from a 10 to a 2 than it is to go from a 2 to a zero."
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"it's easier to from a 10 to a 2 than it is to go from a 2 to a zero."

I know this is true, but damn it sucks :) But then again, to shoot even par 10 out of 20 rounds is pretty difficult.

Kyle Paulhus

If you really want to get better, check out Evolvr

:callaway: Rogue ST 10.5* | :callaway: Epic Sub Zero 15* | :tmade: P790 3 Driving Iron |:titleist: 716 AP2 |  :edel: Wedges 50/54/68 | :edel: Deschutes 36"

Career Low Round: 67 (18 holes), 32 (9 holes)

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If I got a decent instructor and spent some time with video and swing aids what’s the probability of me Qualifying for a tournament by next year?

I'll tell you what. If you can play all of the courses in your area in fair conditions and shoot, say 66 on each of them comfortably, you might have a chance in 1000. In other words, you are not even close to approaching a point where you would qualify for a club championship. How in the hell do you think that you would be within 15 shots of qualifying for a Nationwide event. Nothing wrong with ambition, but this is bordering on the ridiculous. Set yourself a realistic goal. For example "I aim to break 80 legitimately at least five times this year." You might even find that goal hard to achieve. And...even if you broke 75 100% of the time you played, there'd still be 5000 players within 50 miles of you who would thrash you every time. Get a grip on reality

Posts like this crop up quite regualarly, and it's pretty obvious every time, that the OP has never actually seen a really good player. And by a "really good player", I'm not talking about a buddy who takes gimmes and mulligans and claims a 3 handicap. He's probably never broken 90. Five minutes watching a bottom tier professional player hit balls will give you a sobering perspective. He will be playing a different game.

In the race of life, always back self-interest. At least you know it's trying.

 

 

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