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Help me play on a pro tour!


radycardia
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Are you ready to quit your residency right now?

If not, it's simply not possible to devote the time and effort into your golf game along with the demands of a medical residency.

FWIW....and to put it into perspective, while being a physician is an admirable accomplishment, it's far, far, more difficult to obtain (and retain) a card on either the PGA or Nationwide tours......and if you're looking for the "sweet deal"......endorsements, cars, big $'s, et.al., you're really only talking PGA tour.

My recomendation, finish your residency, join a nice club or two and play golf socially......or even at a serious amateur tournament level. You'll have the best of both worlds.

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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One of the coolest replies ever on the sand trap. Someone actually had the guts to be positive in their reply.

Sorry, it doesn't take "guts" to put on rose colored glasses and say "go for it".

When someone with relatively little experience at golf and absolutely no understanding of the level of play necessary to play at the professional level asks a question, those of us that do have some insight would be remiss......hell, irresponsible, if we didn't provide him/her that insight. That's what he asked for in the first place.

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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Not to piss in your wheaties, but there is no way you can pursue medicine, and a career in pro golf at the same time, thay are both just too all consuming. Please try to be an excellent doctor, and average golfer, rather than the reverse.

:tmade: 09 Burner
:cobra: Speed LD F 3 wood
:cobra: Baffler 20 degree hybrid
:cobra: Baffler TWS 23 hy
:ping: G15 5-UW
:snake_eyes: 56 deg SW 
:snake_eyes: 60 - 12 wedge  
:scotty_cameron: Studio Select Newport 2

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Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. After a long nights sleep I have come to the same conclusion as many of the astute posters. It isn't going to be possible for me to practice both medicine and golf at the highest level.

I guess I just missed out on my opprotunity to pursue professional golf.....for now. I chose instead to pursue baseball and I had a great time with that sport. I played professionally for a few years but injury cut my career short. I could have transitioned to golf when I recovered from my arm surgery, but instead I chose to enter medicine. I am very happy with my choice of medicine, but I can't stop thinking about the possibility of a career playing golf.

I think everyone has at one point in their life wished to be a pro athlete/movie star/astronaut. It's human nature to dream, but one needs to be able to separate dreams from reality. The guys playing on tour right now have put in the time and sacrafice needed to get there. For me to do that, I would have to quit medicine. I am not willing to do that. I can't do that. I have a wife and eventually kids to provide for.

For me to quit medicine and focus on golf would be a foolish move. I see people all the time that drop everything, take on huge risks, and some eventually make it big. Many do not. I cannot take those risks at this point in my life.

I like the suggestions of many posters, and that is to focus on medicine, get damn good at golf, and then consider playing later in my career. It is going to take 10 years for me to mature and learn enough about the game anyway.

New plan: Focus on medicine, become a stellar radiologist, and enjoy my time playing golf. I hope to take a few lessons, focus on the short game and hopefully bring the handicap down to around 10 - 12 by the end of my intern year. After that I will re-asses the situation and figure out the next move. I guess the ultimate goal would be to become a scratch golfer in the next 5.5 years. Then I can come out of residency, get a job, and start playing golf in local tourneys. We will see what happens from there.

Thanks to everyone who helped clear my foggy vision.

R7 Driver - Stiff Shaft, Neutral Weighting
Burner 3W - Stiff
X18R Irons 4-SW
2ball putter
bagWhatever ball I find on sale, still trying to find a permanent solution.

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New plan: Focus on medicine, become a stellar radiologist, and enjoy my time playing golf.

Radiology is like printing money. Such an easy job for the boat loads of money they get. Good choice.

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Radiology is like printing money. Such an easy job for the boat loads of money they get. Good choice.

Good choice: Yes!

Easy, not quite. While I won't be rounding or playing with puss, it is far more difficult than you might imagine. Plus, the $ is no longer what it was 5-10 years ago. Still good, but no longer outstanding. Obamacare is going to kill reimbursements even more. I won't starve, but the days of 8-4 reading 30 studies a day with no call are long gone. It's now a 7-5 thing and you are balls to the wall all day long.

R7 Driver - Stiff Shaft, Neutral Weighting
Burner 3W - Stiff
X18R Irons 4-SW
2ball putter
bagWhatever ball I find on sale, still trying to find a permanent solution.

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You're 26 with a 20 handicap and you want to know if you should give up a career in medicine to try to make a living playing golf with the top 1/1000th of 1% of all golfers, most of whom were +3 handicaps in high school?

If you are smart enought to get through medical school you probably know the answer to your question. But if you don't, take some lessons, work on your game and get down to scratch. Win a few club tournaments, while keeping your fall back position in medicine. If you can beat everyone in your surrounding area at some point, then maybe you could have a go at Q School, or qualify for the US Open.


SubPar

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I would say that in your situation, it is extremly unlikely to be both a doctor and a pro golfer. Extremly unlikely is not impossible however. It makes me mad to see people who bash someone for having dreams. Kinda like the 5th grade teacher who tells a kid that he wont ever be a pro athlete. Yes it is extremly rare to be a pro athlete but someone does it. How many people do you think told boo weekly that he was never gonna be a pro golfer? Probablly a bunch. I am not saying that i think that a 26 year old 20 handicapper is gonna be the next Tiger but the only guarentee is that you won't be if you don't try. Life is all about having the guts to try to do things that you want to do. I would way rather live my life being marginally successful at something awesome than being very successful at a boring office job or something like that. Kanye West said "Reach for the stars so if you fall you land on the clouds"--this may sound corny but there is some truth to it. Every single kid who says they want to be an actor, singer or pro athlete has been told that they won't be able to do it. Despite this there are thousands of each.

Im not trying to look through rose colored glasses Im just saying that all the bashing of people who dream big can be annoying.

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Hyper-X 9 Degree Stiff
Redline 13 Degree Stiff
Halo 19 Degree Hybrid Stiff
BH-5 3-PW Stiff SV Tour 52 Degree Stiff Rac Chrome 56 Degree Stiff Scotty Cameron Oil Can Santa Fe 33" Burner

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You're 26 with a 20 handicap and you want to know if you should give up a career in medicine to try to make a living playing golf with the top 1/1000th of 1% of all golfers, most of whom were +3 handicaps in high school?

I never asked this question. I had no intention on quitting medicine.

I simply explained my situation and asked what I needed to do in order to reach the pro ranks. Through the discussion it became apparent that trying to do both wasn't realistic. While I have some time, I simply do not have enough time. I cannot devote the necessary time/resources to this goal. So I changed the goal. I plan on doing exactly what you said in the rest of your post. Work on my game, get better, and then see where I am at in 5 years. Who knows, I could be signing up for Qschool, or chillin on the course happy shooting 80.

R7 Driver - Stiff Shaft, Neutral Weighting
Burner 3W - Stiff
X18R Irons 4-SW
2ball putter
bagWhatever ball I find on sale, still trying to find a permanent solution.

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It would be a dream come true to play on tour and to seriously consider it as you have is admirable. That being said, there are harsh realities to this game at that level.
There are great professional athletes, such as Ben Rothelsberger, who play some competitive golf and look great out there. Ben Rothelsberger is a phenomenal athlete, and his game is solid, but I don't think he would even be a decent player on the Nationwide Tour.
Point being is great athletes dont always translate into great golfers. One poster really made a great point about competitive playing too. Its something that you really have to be used to from a young age.
Despite all that, I am sure the reason you were successful as an athlete and in your career is somewhere along the line someone told you that you could not do something. I am sure it motivated you. Hopefully we can see your story in a few years as one of those dream come true moments. Best of luck!

EGS

910 D3 9.5* Aldila RIP S 70 g
Burner 3 wood 15 * S
Bruner Hybrid 19* S MP-60 S300 4-PW CG 14 52*/10* TP Z 56*/12* TP Z 60*/6* Studio Select Laguna 1.5

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I never asked this question. I had no intention on quitting medicine.

I think some us assumed you would since trying to become a pro golfer is not really a part time undertaking. It is easier to work full time and pursue something like this if you have an easy mindless sort of job. Obviously doctors don't usually fall into that category.

Work at your game. Play your best and see what happens. SubPar
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Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. After a long nights sleep I have come to the same conclusion as many of the astute posters. It isn't going to be possible for me to practice both medicine and golf at the highest level.

What? A post on the internet, some replies from very well meaning, mostly helpful strangers, now you've slept on it and are sure pro golf isn't for you? All in 24 hours? Sorry, but pro golf was never for you and it's pretty clear you knew that, anyway. There's a pretty good thread on here from someone who is serious about getting there, and you could probably learn a lot from that, but I think the original post was self-indulgent, having read this epitaph, and I think good people that bought into your non-issue were misled. I'm all for encouraging people who are serious, but you never were nor had a basis for being serious, other than ripping a few long balls. Learn the game and enjoy it. Again, sorry, but sometimes strangers throw wet blankets, not snuggly ones.

909D3 (Voodoo, stiff)
King Cobra Comp 5w (YS 5.1 Stiff)
AP1 4,5; AP2 6-P; Vokey 252 08, SM56 14, SM60 08 (Nippon N.S. Pro 950GH Regular)
Newport 2 Mid Slant

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Get really good at the short game. Really good. It doesn't matter that you can drive it three fifty. Work on chipping and putting for 2 hours a day at the course. Work on short irons for another 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Work on everything else for an hour. Putt two hundred putts a night on the carpet. Play in as many tournaments as possible. Work on the mental game. I would suggest Zen Golf By Dr. Joseph Parent.

I think today's PGA Tournament is a great example of someone who started at the age of 19 and thought he could make the tour. Who knew he would beat Tiger Woods...

Food for thought!
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I think today's PGA Tournament is a great example of someone who started at the age of 19 and thought he could make the tour. Who knew he would beat Tiger Woods...

That's the truth.

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Callaway XHot Pro 15* 3Wood w/Project X 6.5
Callaway XTour 18* 2h w/S300
Callaway XHot Pro 4/5 irons w/S300
Callaway XForged III 5-PW irons w/S300
Callaway Forged 52*/58* Wedges
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Callaway Hex Black Tour

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What? A post on the internet, some replies from very well meaning, mostly helpful strangers, now you've slept on it and are sure pro golf isn't for you? All in 24 hours? Sorry, but pro golf was never for you and it's pretty clear you knew that, anyway. There's a pretty good thread on here from someone who is serious about getting there, and you could probably learn a lot from that, but I think the original post was self-indulgent, having read this epitaph, and I think good people that bought into your non-issue were misled. I'm all for encouraging people who are serious, but you never were nor had a basis for being serious, other than ripping a few long balls. Learn the game and enjoy it. Again, sorry, but sometimes strangers throw wet blankets, not snuggly ones.

True dat.

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