With enough practice can anybody become a pro?

[sean_miller]

If you can shot under par on any course then I suggest you turn pro and get some backers and go to Q school. That person shouldn't be in the office 9 to 5.

Some guys who shoot in the 60s make more in a year than the money leaders on the Canadian Tour. Why would they want that life?

[jamo]

For every MJ that turned into a pro basketball player after missing the varsity team sophomore year there are a thousand guys who are skilled athletes than couldn't be professional golfers, and there are thousands of more people that were good golfers in high school then burned out. MJ is the exception, not the rule. His story is nice to tell to a bunch of kids who just got cut form the varsity team, but it doesn't mean that they'll all grow up to play professional sports.

I believe that golf is a sport (unlike basketball, football, and baseball) where everyone can be a good player, but to say that anyone can be a professional is just not true.

[sean_miller]

For every MJ that turned into a pro basketball player after missing the varsity team sophomore year there are a thousand guys who are skilled athletes than couldn't be professional golfers, and there are thousands of more people that were good golfers in high school then burned out. MJ is the exception, not the rule. His story is nice to tell to a bunch of kids who just got cut form the varsity team, but it doesn't mean that they'll all grow up to play professional sports.

I'm not even sure I'd go so far as saying "everyone can be a good player". There have been other threads where people said that, then added disclaimers regarding physical limitations. There are people with phyisical limitations who can't do sports of any kind. My opinion is, that's kind of the point of the discussion, isn't it?!? "Anybody" means "everybody" - no disclaimers.

[max power]

I'm not even sure I'd go so far as saying "everyone can be a good player". There have been other threads where people said that, then added disclaimers regarding physical limitations. There are people with phyisical limitations who can't do sports of any kind. My opinion is, that's kind of the point of the discussion, isn't it?!? "Anybody" means "everybody" - no disclaimers.

I agree that not everyone can even be "good" at golf. I've played golf with a bunch of different friends across the country, and only a couple were anywhere near "good." These are guys who play all kinds of sports (basketball, football, baseball, tennis, soccer, bowling, squash, even frisbee golf) at a very high level. The fact that most don't take up golf at a young age has something do with this, but I also didn't take up golf at a young age. Golf is different than most other sports, and I'd venture to say that it's harder-at least in the sense that it requires a higher level of commitment and practice just to reach "good."

[Dartguy]

I'm not even sure I'd go so far as saying "everyone can be a good player". There have been other threads where people said that, then added disclaimers regarding physical limitations. There are people with phyisical limitations who can't do sports of any kind. My opinion is, that's kind of the point of the discussion, isn't it?!? "Anybody" means "everybody" - no disclaimers.

I agree. Some people just don't have the coordination to excel at any sport.

One of my best friends throughout school was a good guitarist, and a black belt in karate. He was 6'7" and pretty thick. I was 6'2". Just about everyone I knew played basketball every chance we got. You would think he would be pretty good at that size, but no. He had no coordination at all. I remember going to the gym at U of L and shooting around, playing 21 and just goofing off. I decided to try and dunk the ball for the first time on a 10' rim. He could stand under the goal, jump up and easily grab the rim with both hands, almost dunking it with both hands, but just couldn't get it down. So I said to take a run at it. He could not get the steps right. I mean he would take a few steps toward the basket, and end up on the wrong foot almost every time. And trying to do that and dribble was impossible. So I stood under the basket and tossed the ball straight up next to the rim over and over. And over and over he would mis-step, nearly falling down sometimes. I gave it a few tries and got one down with 2 hands. I was overjoyed, but the frustration on his face made me feel terrible! Here was one of my closest friends realizing, at that moment, that he just didn't have and never would have the coordination to be even decent at a sport. With that said, there is no way possible he could ever be a pro golfer. I believe that some people are born with good coordination and others are not. And a few are lucky enough to have exceptional coordination. I bet pro golfers all have exceptional coodination, even if some are not exceptionally fit. Put that together with exceptional feel and good nerves under pressure (both of which I believe can be developed with practice), and you have the potential to be very, very good.

[Leftygolfer]

Some guys who shoot in the 60s make more in a year than the money leaders on the Canadian Tour. Why would they want that life?

Shooting in the 60s on your home course isn't going out to the toughest course in your area, playing one practice round then going out and shooting par or better on a course that rates 74 a couple of days in a row with really tough pins. This was an argument about what defines a scratch golfer.

[Leftygolfer]

I agree that not everyone can even be "good" at golf. I've played golf with a bunch of different friends across the country, and only a couple were anywhere near "good." These are guys who play all kinds of sports (basketball, football, baseball, tennis, soccer, bowling, squash, even frisbee golf) at a very high level. The fact that most don't take up golf at a young age has something do with this, but I also didn't take up golf at a young age. Golf is different than most other sports, and I'd venture to say that it's harder-at least in the sense that it requires a higher level of commitment and practice just to reach "good."

What defines a "good" golfer? To me a good player is someone who shoots in the 70's almost all the time and has a sub 5 index playing by the rules. To people who don't play very well at all a good player might be someone who shoots 90. I don't think everyone can be my definition of "good". I know many people who play every week and don't ever break 90. Maybe it is a lack of desire, cordination, or I'm not sure what but I used to be that guy and worked hard to improve. I still don't hit the center of the club face very often but find a way to get it around in around 80 shots. I don't have the physical gifts to hit the center of the club face but I am pretty sure I can get to my definition of "good" by being good with the putter and wedge and having playable misses. Am I ever going to be able to play against the best amateurs in my area? I'm not sure. I am still young and love competitive golf but those guys are very good. I want to play in the scratch events and hold my head up knowing I will shoot in the 70s which would get me in the middle of the field. Thats having fun, that is pretty good.

[smartpnoi]

I believe that golf is a sport (unlike basketball, football, and baseball) where everyone can be a good player, but to say that anyone can be a professional is just not true.

I think its also because golf has sort of this availability of being "easy" to grasp. You do not need to be a great athlete that can bench X amount of lbs to play this game. Everyone can just start and pick up a golf club, swing away at a range, and get golf lessons to improve.

I kind of relate this to the poker boom. Any joe schmo can play in the World Series of Poker if they had the money. Same thing with golfers. Anybody can enter Q school if you have enough money or join a monday qualifier. It's that ease of getting onto a pro level event that intrigues people that "anybody can do it." When was the last time you had open tryouts for NFL teams? Last I checked, if they had tryouts, they were usually invites.

[max power]

What defines a "good" golfer? To me a good player is someone who shoots in the 70's almost all the time and has a sub 5 index playing by the rules. To people who don't play very well at all a good player might be someone who shoots 90. I don't think everyone can be my definition of "good". I know many people who play every week and don't ever break 90. Maybe it is a lack of desire, cordination, or I'm not sure what but I used to be that guy and worked hard to improve. I still don't hit the center of the club face very often but find a way to get it around in around 80 shots. I don't have the physical gifts to hit the center of the club face but I am pretty sure I can get to my definition of "good" by being good with the putter and wedge and having playable misses. Am I ever going to be able to play against the best amateurs in my area? I'm not sure. I am still young and love competitive golf but those guys are very good. I want to play in the scratch events and hold my head up knowing I will shoot in the 70s which would get me in the middle of the field. Thats having fun, that is pretty good.

I completely agree that everyone has their own definition of a "good" golfer, and I think your post demonstrates how individuals tend to view a good golfer as someone who is one step ahead of wherever the individual happens to be. For the record, I'd rate you and your 10.5 handicap as a good golfer. Online golf forums tend to attract, for the most part, golfers who are more interested in the game than the average player, and the members are

usually better than the average golfer. I'm not sure how many rounds I've played in the last year and a half, but I'd estimate it at around 75, plus a bunch of trips to the driving range. I know there are plenty of single digit golfers out there, but I've seen far, far, far more 20, 30, 40, and even 50 'cappers out on the course and the driving range. Enough that I consider a good golfer someone who can play bogey golf or better while playing by the rules. Whatever the case may be, I still have far more friends, and run into a lot more strangers who are very skilled at all kinds of sports, but wouldn't qualify as a good golfer by either of our metrics.

[max power]

I think its also because golf has sort of this availability of being "easy" to grasp. You do not need to be a great athlete that can bench X amount of lbs to play this game. Everyone can just start and pick up a golf club, swing away at a range, and get golf lessons to improve.

Can anybody enter Q school? I thought a low single digit handicap was required-but I might be wrong.

[jamo]

I'm not even sure I'd go so far as saying "everyone can be a good player". There have been other threads where people said that, then added disclaimers regarding physical limitations. There are people with phyisical limitations who can't do sports of any kind. My opinion is, that's kind of the point of the discussion, isn't it?!? "Anybody" means "everybody" - no disclaimers.

Like some have said, it depends on how you define "good". I guess I take "good" to mean 70s shooter. Maybe I should also clarify: anyone without obvious physical defects can be good at golf.

Can anybody enter Q school? I thought a low single digit handicap was required-but I might be wrong.

Yeah there is a handicap requirement. Somewhere in the low single digits.

[Leftygolfer]

I think its also because golf has sort of this availability of being "easy" to grasp. You do not need to be a great athlete that can bench X amount of lbs to play this game. Everyone can just start and pick up a golf club, swing away at a range, and get golf lessons to improve.

I don't think poker and golf are even close to the same in terms of how much luck is involved. I've played alot of poker a few years back and I remember getting bad beats by weak hands and weak players. There is definitely lots of luck in golf, but it balances itself out for the most part. I know my score is 95% determined by how I play where as poker, not so much. Not saying playing well isn't going to pay off over tournements, but when it comes down to winning NLH tourneys you have got to get lucky. You're going to have QQ, come over the top of an earlier bet, they call with AK, its a race. You both did what you should and now it is a coin flip. If you don't take chances you have no chance. Blinds eat you up. The more expensive tourneys with more chips and longer blinds let the better players not take risk early, but eventually you've got to get lucky. You don't need luck to shoot a good score in golf.

[motteler621]

yea you woulld look like a complete fool anyway if you werent a scratch player.

[Leftygolfer]

yea you woulld look like a complete fool anyway if you werent a scratch player.

You would be a complete fool if you were a scratch golfer. If your not playing to a +3 or better, save your money.

[smartpnoi]

I don't think poker and golf are even close to the same in terms of how much luck is involved. I've played alot of poker a few years back and I remember getting bad beats by weak hands and weak players. There is definitely lots of luck in golf, but it balances itself out for the most part. I know my score is 95% determined by how I play where as poker, not so much. Not saying playing well isn't going to pay off over tournements, but when it comes down to winning NLH tourneys you have got to get lucky. You're going to have QQ, come over the top of an earlier bet, they call with AK, its a race. You both did what you should and now it is a coin flip. If you don't take chances you have no chance. Blinds eat you up. The more expensive tourneys with more chips and longer blinds let the better players not take risk early, but eventually you've got to get lucky. You don't need luck to shoot a good score in golf.

I was thinking along the lines that its easier for anybody to get to play with the pros via these basic entries. I do not see tryouts for pro teams, or rather coaches and scouts saying "nope, you're not good enough" in golf or poker. There isn't anybody really there to say that to you in golf or poker, except yourself.

[motteler621]

You would be a complete fool if you were a scratch golfer. If your not playing to a +3 or better, save your money.

thats true...