Play Like The Pros

[ks8829]

What part of our game can we practice so that we could be as good as the pros?

I believe that is putting and the short game. I personally will never hit a 300 yard drive but with hard work and lots of practice, I can learn to putt and scramble like to the pros.

Whats your thoughts?

[Travtex]

I tend to think, "Nothing". (There's no way in hell I could play like any given pro.)

But, to put more focus on the question... I can already blast it, and my putting has gotten surprisingly decent... so I'll have to go with Short Game. Chips and pitches, from say 80 yards in. Short game short game short game.

[Leftygolfer]

Nothing we can be as good. I agree with the putting and chipping part as the closest. It doesn't take anything special athletically, it is just consistancy.

[Tiger Spuds]

You could probably get close on the chipping with enough practise.But that's chip's from good lie's..
And Putting?I don't think so.The accuracy with which Pro's read a green is intimidating at times.On Phil's short game dvd he talks about playing in nearly a thousand Pro-Ams and having rarely or never seen an amateur read a putt correctly.Drivers and Long Irons will typically be hit well, but a lot shorter than a pro, or if they are hit as long, much less accurate.Short Irons I suppose you could get close to a pro's level, but it's unlikely you'll ever be able to get it as consistently close to the hole as they do.

[Randy4h]

From a purely physical standpoint, we can never strike the ball as a tour player. However, we could become as good a chipper or pitcher of the ball, as that does not require the pure physical skill that a full shot does. With enough correct practice, it could happen. Now, have I ever seen someone who has a tour quality short game? No. But it is physically possible.

As for putting, anyone could putt as well as a tour pro. This has been proven in putting competitions in the past. Being able to read greens correctly would be the most difficult area, what separates them from us.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a tour caddy read your putts for you just once? Would sure be interesting to see just how well (or how poorly) I am at reading greens.

[deronsizemore]

You cannot practice anything enough to be as good as the pros. Given how good the pros are around the greens (this is really what sets them apart from the very good amateur player) I'd be inclined to say that with enough practice under the watchful eye of a knowledgeble teacher, you'd have the best chance of getting close to their game from tee to green and even that isn't likely.

The guys are tour are good, scary good. I don't know if you have been or not, but you really have to attend an event in person to respect how well these guys hit the ball and play the game. Watching on TV doesn't come close to showing you.

[sean_miller]

What part of our game can we practice so that we could be as good as the pros?

Do you mean posting scores or having their individual skills? I'm sure there are pros who are really weak (relatively speaking) in one area - if someone could outdrive Corey Pavin (distance) and hit more fairways than JB Holmes they'd be doing pretty good job.

As far as score goes, the one area where I could potentially beat a pro is by taking mulligans, gimmes, generally fogetting strokes, writing down the wrong score, and always "finding" my ball just outside the hazard. I could easily shoot mid-60s if I work on my cheating skilz.

[Randy4h]

I just picked up a book by Hale Irwin from the library. He talks about just this issue:

"So many golfers waste strokes when they get within 30 yards of the green - and I'm not talking about three-putting. I'm talking about an inability to regularly get into the hole in two strokes.
"This shouldn't be the case because, relatively speaking, these are the simplest shots in golf, and the shots on which pros really have little advantage over even high handicappers.
"Think about it. I may be able to hit long, straight drives - 270 yards and longer - with the consistency that an amateur just can't match. And I can hit middle-iron approaches with much greater accuracy than an amateur. These are full-swing shots that benefit from the technique and the hours of practice that separate the pros from amateurs (and even some other pros).
"But the short game? You and I both can hit a golf ball 20 yards. We don't need to employ full swings, either. Arc, swing plance, swing speed - all these things have less importance in the short game. The chip I hit to three feet is a shot you can easily hit.
"Yet this is an area that pros and amateurs seem to be farthest apart.
"The reason, I think, is that pro golfers realize the importance of the short game to scoring well, and focus more on it. We don't see a short-game shot as an exercise in moving the ball closer to the hole. We see it as getting the ball right next to the hole, and sometimes even in it. Having reached that decision, we know that the only we can do it is to consider every aspect of the shot." Hale Irwin -- Smart Golf - Wisdom and Strategies from the "Thinking Man's Golfer"

He goes on to say that amateurs rarely pick an intermediate target to aim at. Pros, with very few exceptions, do. Hitting to a target only 20 yards away is something anyone can do. It can be practiced just about anywhere, not just at the course. With a little practice, Irwin said that an 18-handicapper can choose a target just as easily as a pro.

[James_Black]

Well seeing the difference in my swing after 2 weeks and 2 lessons was amazing.

Now think if your a tour pro who dedicates all their time practising and working on their swing.
When they aren't practicing golf most of them are keeping fit.

Short game is the only thing that practice can make you SEEM to be the same as a pro.
But then you have to remember that they play on courses that have super fast greens and deep rough.
Everything is different.

[Shanks A Million]

You cannot practice anything enough to be as good as the pros.

So, then, by your logic, no one can ever become a tour pro? Not buying it. Tour pros are merely mortals who have dedicated their lives to practicing golf. Same as session musicians, I don't have that much more inbuilt talent than the average person. A lot of people claim that I must have been born with massive talent to play music as well as I do, but that's absolute crap. I started out playing "twinkle twinkle little star" just like every other musician, but I stuck with it, and I spent my entire life practicing, and practicing, and practicing, and practicing.

That's all that it is. A little talent, and a lot of practice. Remember Edison said that genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration? That's completely true. The difference between us and them? 98% more perspiration.

[deronsizemore]

So, then, by your logic, no one can ever become a tour pro? Not buying it. Tour pros are merely mortals who have dedicated their lives to practicing golf. Same as session musicians, I don't have that much more inbuilt talent than the average person. A lot of people claim that I must have been born with massive talent to play music as well as I do, but that's absolute crap. I started out playing "twinkle twinkle little star" just like every other musician, but I stuck with it, and I spent my entire life practicing, and practicing, and practicing, and practicing.

I was waiting for the first reply saying that.

Of course you can practice enough to be a professional golfer (on the PGA Tour, not just a club pro). It is possible to become a tour pro, I agree with you. BUT a study was done by the USGA (can't find the link right now) and their study concluded that only one tenth of one percent, that's 0.001% of golfers are ever able to shoot par golf consistently. And, only 2.5% of golfers are a five handicap or below. Again, I do realize new people become tour pros every day (I'm not that dumb ), but it's very, very, very, very unlikely. You're better of practicing to be the best that you can be and enjoying the game because the odds are way against you to ever be good enough to make it on tour.

[Shanks A Million]

I was waiting for the first reply saying that.

Yeah, but it's never about facing the odds. If everyone took that advice, and no one even tried, then there would be no tour pros. That's what makes it so special, the fact that the odds are so great. I would also say that only .001% of all golfers practice enough, and get the right instruction. Heck, it's the same for musicians. I had great instruction from the beginning, and practiced and studied day and night. Within 2 months of my first lesson, I received an award for being among the top in the state in music theory. Do you know what percentage of musicians have a proper grasp of theory? It's about the same percentage as people who make it on tour.

[Randy4h]

My take on the OP was that he wanted to know what part of the game to practice in order to be "as good as a pro". I didn't get the impression he wanted to become a pro. From that perspective, we could all become as good as a tour pro in some area(s). The most likely would be in the short game and/or putting as that does not have the physical requirements that the full swing does. Doesn't mean that anyone reading this post will become a pro.

[Kcas77]

Short game is also the difference between pros tour the best and the ones hoping to make the weekend.
Tiger and Phil have the best short games consequently they are 1&2 in the world. John Daly, Sergio and Adam Scott are examples of great players but just cant make it happen with the short game.

[Shanks A Million]

Short game is also the difference between pros tour the best and the ones hoping to make the weekend.

That's not entirely true. Hogan was not a great putter, Faxon is. Who's won more? It's not about any one part of the game, it's about the number of strokes it takes to get the ball in the hole, period.

[65withatriple]

[QUOTE=Randy4h;426262]From a purely physical standpoint, we can never strike the ball as a tour player. However, we could become as good a chipper or pitcher of the ball, as that does not require the pure physical skill that a full shot does. With enough correct practice, it could happen. Now, have I ever seen someone who has a tour quality short game? No. But it is physically possible.

I can strike it as good as a tour player. I can hit some amazing shots. Physically I can do almost anything they can. Its the mental gift they have and the quality of their misshits that seperates us. You rarely ever see a pro really miss a shot...i.e...top, shank etc. They do, but very rarely. I can still have some pretty terrible misshits. Just my opinion.

[65withatriple]

Not everyone can practice enough to become a pro golfer. For every one PGA Tour pro there 500 wanting to get there who are working just as hard and putting in just as many hours. Of course everyone there has to put the work in....some much more than others. Just the same as not everyone can get to scratch. I'm sorry but I know too many guys who work their ass off on the mini tours and just never get there. Pretty arrogant to think that anyone can reach the top 150 or so in the world at anything with something so simple as just practicing. If that were true then the one who practiced the most would be the best and we all know thats almost never the case.

[Fatphil]

Yeah, but it's never about facing the odds. If everyone took that advice, and no one even tried, then there would be no tour pros. That's what makes it so special, the fact that the odds are so great. I would also say that only .001% of all golfers practice enough, and get the right instruction. Heck, it's the same for musicians. I had great instruction from the beginning, and practiced and studied day and night. Within 2 months of my first lesson, I received an award for being among the top in the state in music theory. Do you know what percentage of musicians have a proper grasp of theory? It's about the same percentage as people who make it on tour.

My wife is a musician and I've had this exact conversation with her. What keeps me a lowly 8 hndcp and her probably a 1 or 2 handicap musician? Is it my lack of physical talent, lack of practice, coaching,,,for her what keeps her from the big symphony's is it 10 years lost raising kids or other things that I as a non musician don't understand. Golf is strictly a numbers game...not only score but money..(Dad's club membership, pay for lessons, pay for junior golf experience, etc) Music seems to be all that plus a subjective level..(who you know, who knows you, ability to get & perform at auditions, subjective conductors)

It's a interesting analogy, hard to admit, I agree with Shanks...OMG signs of the apocalypse!