The average Joe in professional golf......

[steve8820]

I am curious if there is any "average joe" who has dropped a 9-5 job and made it in professional golf? I am aware of Tom Coyne's adventures in Paper Tiger, but has anyone EVER succeeded at this?

The reason I ask is my wife has come across 2 of her Physician's Assistants whos husbands are attempting to make the Tour. One is older and is shooting for the Champions. What are the odds of coming across 2 people in a matter of weeks who have dropped jobs and are trying to accomplish a seemingly impossible task?

What would you need to get your handicap down to in order to seriously get the itch to make a run at golf full time?

[Wisco-Kid]

It probably because of those new PING commercials. Maybe they didnt wait to see the end where they have the WARNING about not quitting your job.

[crawf061]

I love those ping commercials. I've had times where I felt like the one guy that was going to play the club champ with no strokes... "mano e mano".

I've never known someone that quit their day job to attempt to make the tour. However, I could see a doctor that is frugal with his/her money retiring early and then giving it a go.

I think if I were to come upon a large sum of money >$10 mil, I would quit my job and see how competitive I could get with golf. Then after a year or so I would reevaluate and consider going into teaching so I could coach some high school basketball. Those are two jobs I think I would enjoy the most (coaching bball or playing professional golf).

In the meantime I will enjoy my life as a cube monkey.

(Wow, this reply is all over the place... sorry if it is tough to read )

[Wisco-Kid]

I love those ping commercials. I've had times where I felt like the one guy that was going to play the club champ with no strokes... "mano e mano".

Ping commercials RULE!

Yeah the lotto would be nice! I would give it a go then. KNowing that I wouldnt make the tour but I sure would be one heck of a golfer.

[Franco!]

+6ish.
Around there.

[Pinseeker81]

I would quit my job and give it a try for $30K, lol. The one benifit of having a low paying job is that it doesn't take much to scrape together a years pay.

[AmenCorner]

Considering how little I've tried to get to where I am right now, I would totally give it a go at my age (31 years old). However, I'm totally willing to accept the fact that I might not even come close either. I have that sort of honesty with myself. :)

If nothing else, it is fun to think about.

[Shindig]

Considering how little I've tried to get to where I am right now, I would totally give it a go at my age (31 years old). However, I'm totally willing to accept the fact that I might not even come close either. I have that sort of honesty with myself. :)

It's very fun to think about. I wonder if I'd even dip into my F.U. fund if I ever had a Coyne-type opportunity.

But all I do is wonder and continue to play golf for the fun of it .

[Three Putt]

Obviously it takes a special gift to be a pro, but also it takes TONS of repetition on the same yardage with much different lies (fairway, perched in the rough, buried in the rough, thin part of rough...with thick wave of rough behind the ball,,, etc, etc...) I think that what seperates the excellent golfers from the tour pro's.

Sort of like Poker players who play all day and see hundreds of different hands...PS, I hate poker, and poker on tv, but I see a resembalence (spelling?).

I've been spending my time on working on different lies with the same yardage shot, I have noticed improvement. Basically to be scratch and maybe a tour wannabe....you have to be an artist, ...through the green.

[LottaBalata]

From what I've seen, some guys straddle a fine line between making it thru Q-school/getting tour or event exemptions & selling ski boats in Florida.

I heard of a guy earlier this year, not sure if it was the PGA or Nationwide, but he was selling used cars or farm equipment just last year.

ANd then you have to make it into the money. . .I don't think I could risk my whole life on a "chance" to play pro. Hell, I get nervous playing one on one in the city tourney and there's never a "gallery" just a wife and a kid following along usually.

I don't see how they stand the pressure.

[J_Bone]

If I'm not mistaken, Boo Weekly attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia before working at a chemical plant in Florida for three years.

[steve8820]

It's very fun to think about. I wonder if I'd even dip into my F.U. fund if I ever had a Coyne-type opportunity.

Have you every looked up Coyne's handicap? I was really surprised to see that he has difficulty breaking 100 nowadays. I think all of his rounds from April 08 were in the mid to high 90's.

[extremeld]

i seem to remember a guy over here, forget his name was looking to make it on to the seniors tour in the usa he was scratch or plus 1.

went to usa and before qualifying for the tour joined a club and attempted to become club champion, where he came across tom kite who played of plus 8.

there ended the dream - as the advertising says - these guys are good

[DJYoshi]

there was a GREAT article about the ONLY TOUR PRO to come out of NJ now.
I forgot his name. It talks about how he struggled thru the nationwide and PGA and he keeps going back and forth.. q school etc... his wife's a lawyer and has to work 2 jobs....he speaks about how he shares hotel rooms with a lot of people on the tour...or even how he has people he knows carry for him. it speaks about the struggles of everyone not in the top 20 b/c...well sure even though someone random might win an event...they're still not banking...we're so used to seeing paid people like Tiger & Phil that you're like damn..they're rich... well..Tiger's just WEALTHY....but it's a great article..i'm trying to find it now....

[Shindig]

Have you every looked up Coyne's handicap? I was really surprised to see that he has difficulty breaking 100 nowadays. I think all of his rounds from April 08 were in the mid to high 90's.

Wow, he got that low and is not that high? Any word what happened to him to cause this?

i seem to remember a guy over here, forget his name was looking to make it on to the seniors tour in the usa he was scratch or plus 1.

Yeah. For every man in his 40s who has all the money he needs and just wants to play the senior tour, there's a guy who is in the same boat but was on the PGA Tour.