With enough practice can anybody become a pro?

[Elvisliveson]

It is pretty obvious to me that you have never seen a top level player hit the ball. These guys play a different game.

True dat'. I still remember when I was 16, on my high school golf team, and full of hope that I still could become a great golfer. Then, my dad took me to the 1980 US Open at Baltusrol. I started off the morining following Arnie. I could not believe the trajectory his shots had...like a jet taking off. I was amazed how straight his left arm remained and the huge shoulder turn he had while still keeping an extremely compact backswing. After lunch, I saw Jack. Well, I'd never before or since seen someone hit long irons that high, like most people at the time hit PWs. And his swing, with it's non-traditional (at the time) flying elbow, yet done in such a beautiful rythmn with an enormously strong leg drive, you couldn't picture it ever going wrong. I knew right then and there the dream was dead.

[limoric]

Anyone with an athletic background from youth with the right coach and dedication can play on some tour (maybe not PGA). I played hockey and baseball as a kid. got serious about golf 5 years ago, went from breaking 100 to playing in the 70's. I only play once per week. Because I had some athletic success as a youth, I understand what it takes to reach a specific goal, learn a skill. No doubt in my mind that a person could play the mini tours as a pro and even grace the higher levels with enough practice, the right coach and a lot of money. It's simply not practical for any single digit handicapper to spend 30-50K per year to realize his/her dream. In my case I have a wife and 4 kids, they cost me 100k a year...

Unless a person with no athletic background is athletically predisposed and understands the physics behind the swing...now way in hell...

[smartpnoi]

Anyone with an athletic background from youth with the right coach and dedication can play on some tour (maybe not PGA). I played hockey and baseball as a kid. got serious about golf 5 years ago, went from breaking 100 to playing in the 70's. I only play once per week. Because I had some athletic success as a youth, I understand what it takes to reach a specific goal, learn a skill. No doubt in my mind that a person could play the mini tours as a pro and even grace the higher levels with enough practice, the right coach and a lot of money. It's simply not practical for any single digit handicapper to spend 30-50K per year to realize his/her dream. In my case I have a wife and 4 kids, they cost me 100k a year...

Ha, I know how true this is. I played baseball and soccer all throughout my youth as well. Even got to the point where I got looks from baseball scouts from tryouts and played D1 college soccer and was on a USL team (United Soccer League, warmed the bench though).

The key point here is that it's all about the sacrifice, and how much work you're willing to put into the goal. Many people tend to say "well I would of made this professional league if it wasn't for ." Professional athletes sacrifice to get to their goals, whether it means leaving their families with huge debt or not spending time with them. They don't make excuses to get to their level. Everybody had to work their butts off to get where they are, and that in itself doesn't guarantee them making money to break even. Athletic ability and will power potentially can get you to become a professional. It doesn't guarantee it.

[ronaldkuntoro]

Just wondering if with enough practice any golfer could become a pro.

I know some people who took golf only for 6 months and score a single digit. Talent is also a big part to become a Pro.

[Shorty]

I know some people who took golf only for 6 months and score a single digit.

Not officially single digit. These are all DIY handicaps. Under competition conditions these people wouldn't break 100.

And you say "some". Very unlikely.

[sean_miller]

Not officially single digit. These are all DIY handicaps. Under competition conditions these people wouldn't break 100.

I shot in the 60s my first round ever. Not sure how I did on the back nine though. I was tired, hungry, and my hands hurt.

[motteler621]

yea I dont get how some of these guys get to scratch in like the first year of ever golfing. Must be extremely atheletic and young. I think CrazyXGolfer or whatever his screen name is , real nice guy, but hes only played for like a year and his handicap is like 0

[steelernation]

if i had noting to do ...living in the parents basement....working nights at the golf course....yea maybe scratch in a year.....oh welll....i had that chance.....had no idea how fun the game was

[wrx_junki]

If he has the right coaches, it certainly is a possibility.

A kid that is 25 and very good friends with AK from Oak State. He's still working hard on his game to try and make the nationwide so the sky wasn't the limit for him. His parents are wealthy so he holds no job and just plays golf. AK made it to the PGA and he's still trying to make the nationwide.

yea I dont get how some of these guys get to scratch in like the first year of ever golfing. Must be extremely atheletic and young. I think CrazyXGolfer or whatever his screen name is , real nice guy, but hes only played for like a year and his handicap is like 0

Think its possible if you live, eat, and breathe golf. Especially if you are coming over from another competitive sport where you can take advantage of the work ethic and mental toughness. Baseball and hockey would be ideal out of the "major" sports.

[airball7]

"Talent" is just a made up word by the lazy to justify their failures. It doesn´t exist.

I thought the McNabb contract was the dumbest thing I'd see all day (or decade). I was wrong - the above quote wins.

Answering someone's question, the golfer I was writing about was Tommy Gillis, for whatever that's worth. When I got out of law school I went and worked in 1995 as an attorney for a very bad team in the Canadian Football League. We'd signed an NFL QB as our "marquee" player (each team could contract one player who would not count against the salary cap). His name is Billy Joe Tolliver and we became friends, both playing out of Southern Trace CC. Tolliver grew up in a tiny town in Boyd, TX and never held a golf club until being drafted by the Chargers in '89. He said he played about 8 rounds of golf his first off-season and became an 8. The next summer he played a bit more and got to scratch. The summer after that he was well into the plusses. He's nowhere near a tour-level player, but with another five years of play and practice I'm sure he'll give the Champions Tour a try (if it even exists by then). I have worked both for teams and as a player agent, and there is one constant. These guys aren't like you and me. They're freaks of nature. They possess a degree of hand-eye coordination which you or I will never, ever know. Thinking it's all about determination or hard work is as silly as believing you will run a 4.35 40 yard dash or have a 43 inch vertical leap if you just try a little more. Most of these guys ALSO work harder than one can possibly imagine, and in tandem with ridiculous God-given talent, they perform at levels that mortals cannot comprehend. Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods didn't become the very best because they worked harder; they became the best because they had the most innate talent by light-years AND worked as hard or harder than the rest of the field. There are guys that can hang on the work ethic side, but as gifted as Jim Furyk is, he's one in twenty million and Woods is one in a hundred million. When everyone works equally hard, it boils down to raw talent. I'm a good athlete and work harder than Tolliver at golf. It's irrelevant; his coordination is simply better - way better - than mine. Enough that he can become a legit +4 in three off-seasons. Trouble for him in golf is the same as it was in football; there are the tiny handful of guys walking our planet whose natural talent and desire/work ethic is even greater than his. It's hard to accept the fact you just aren't as good at something and never will be as you'd like, but it's just a fact nonetheless. Same goes for Gillis; he is NOT outworked on tour. There are just 100-150 guys who are blessed with greater natural gifts. He can make a terrific living these next few years if he can keep it up, but he will never, ever be a top ten guy. Hopefully he'll have a lot of cash to assuage his disappointment.

[CrazyXGolfer]

I have not read the whole thread, ive read first 3 pages.
My standing on this is no, most people imho do not have the mental side to be able to play at such a high level. If you do have the mental abbility to do so, then yes, of course you could make it. Having talent always helps as well as good hand eye cord.

[LongballGer]

I thought the McNabb contract was the dumbest thing I'd see all day (or decade). I was wrong - the above quote wins.

Thank you Mr. Rotella. That´s a heart warming story you brought up there.

The people that pick up a golf club for the first time and immediately seem to have a good swing and post decent scores don´t posess some mystical talent. There are two reasons: 1) They already honed their hand eye coordination doing many other sports growing up. Hockey players, baseball players etc... will always pick up the game faster than a guy that sat on his ass his whole life. Tiger and Phil for example learned by watching their fathers swing the club. 2) They can´t count. How do you explain a guy like Zach Johson who couldn´t get a scholarship from a decent college because he wasn´t good enough? How do you explain charlie wi? He basically sucked at golf when he was younger and nobody gave him a chance in hell that he would even win a club championship someday. How do you explain Ian Poulter who was only a 4 handicap at the age of 18? Michael Jordan got cut from his high school team because he sucked. There are so many examples that disprove your loser mentality theory.

[gators13]

You have to be mentaly tough also. There is a guy where i play that can shoot under par every round, but the second he plays for money he will shoot somewhere between 5 and 10 over, he just can't deal with the pressure

[i-Guy]

You have to be mentaly tough also. There is a guy where i play that can shoot under par every round, but the second he plays for money he will shoot somewhere between 5 and 10 over, he just can't deal with the pressure

Very good point as to the OP can you practice enough to be come a Pro...I know a guy who is a legendary ball striker in these parts and at the range he can hit every shot and his swing is something to just watch in amazement...well he turned 50 recently and decided to try and qualify for the Senior US Open...I got to be his caddie...well we went and played a practice round and as we worked our way around the course he could every shot he needed to and I thought we have a chance...I might be caddying in the Senior US Open

However, on the day of the qualifier he hit the ball all over the place and a couple of times admitted to me he was very nervous…then a couple days afterwards he told me he thinks he is not cut out to play tournaments...he really wants to teach the game.

[steelernation]

reminds me of myself....in basketball practices,, pick up games, i could dominate during a game.....


.Once you put a clock, buzzer, ref crowds and cheerleaders in I become the clumbsy, slow, tired ogre.

[i-Guy]

reminds me of myself....in basketball practices,, pick up games, i could dominate during a game......Once you put a clock, buzzer, ref crowds and cheerleaders in I become the clumbsy, slow, tired ogre.

Funny I am the opposite and look forward to my skills catching my ability to handle the pressure...when I played volleyball for the USAF I got assigned to the UK and I was such a poor practice player that my coach did not even start me...I was furious...well in the first match of the season one of outside hitters was struglling so the coach puts me in...needless to say I started every game from then on out and at the USAF Championships I was voted MVP of my team...practice is boring and my coach used to get in my crap all the time about how I practiced...put somehting on the line and for whatever reason (cannot explain it) my attention and focus become more keen...

[jgreen85]

The opposite for me, kind of. I would excel in practice, but, for whatever reason, the coach didn't think it would translate on to the field (football). Finally, the guy in front of me on the depth chart had his shoe come off. I had to go in for one play, and I never left the field after that.

[Leftygolfer]

Golf is a sport. Not everyone can be a pro. There are 1000's of kids who work there ass off and can never play in college. It is just like everything else. Not everyone can be a great musican, surgeon, scientist, whatever. There is a heck of alot more to being great at golf than a good work effort. Most people can't find the center of the club face habiatually and that is the key to being great at golf.