My argument

[65withatriple]

I have seen several threads and comments to threads where someone will say...."with enough practice anyone can become a pro golfer". For some reason that aggravates me.

Here is my argument:

If that were true:

1. All PGA Tour players would be the ones that practiced the most out of every golfer alive.....not true.

2. The best pro golfer would be the one that practiced the most......not true.

3. With equal amount of practice everyone would be equally talented.....not true.

I could go on.....bottom line is you can't simply pick a skill and decide I'm going to practice until I'm one of the best 150 in the world at it. That will only happen for the best 150 out of everyone who tries. You can definitely get good at something you love and dedicate time to but to say you can become one of the best in the world is foolish. It happens for only a small percentage of all of the thousands that work, and practice as much as the guys on the PGA Tour.


Am I crazy because I seem to be in the minority from past threads?

[Bump-n-MI]

I am totally with you!
Many golfers convince themselves that those who are better got that way because they practice more. I too think that is BS. You either have "it" or you don't. Sure there are exceptions but natural athletic ability will rule just about every time.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I disagre in part. There is talent for the playing of the game involved, but with the proper practice (and no job really) anyone can strike a golf ball ball as well as a tour pro. I believe anyone can learn elite ballstriking, but perhaps not elite play.

[sean_miller]

Am I crazy because I seem to be in the minority from past threads?

I hear ya. Every once in a while a new thread starts where a 14 handicapper wants their potential rated and others draw a line from 28 to 14 through 0.0 and project potential into the + handicap realm. I read those threads for entertainment.

Personally I have the potential to be one of the best players at my handicap. With enough practice, I hope to drop my that handicap into the mid single digits. Pie in the sky, but still 10 strokes worse than a fair-to-middling pro. If someone really has the potential to be a pro, they're not asking for advice on a golf forum - someone has probably already noticed them and is talking about scholarships.

[jonnythan]

I have seen several threads and comments to threads where someone will say...."with enough practice anyone can become a pro golfer". For some reason that aggravates me.

None of those 3 necessarily follow from the statement you have issue with. However, the statement you have issue with is indeed completely wrong. Talent plays a large part in it.

[Bump-n-MI]

but with the proper practice (and no job really) anyone can strike a golf ball ball as well as a tour pro.

You are kidding…right

?

[DavidFehertysBike]

You are kidding…right

Absoultley not. Its a learnable skill.

[65withatriple]

None of those 3 necessarily follow from the statement you have issue with.

Sure they do......if its all about the amount of practice then all pertain to the statement.

[Bump-n-MI]

Absoultley not. Its a learnable skill.

I guess since there is no quantifiable way to prove this we will just agree to disagree……but I couldn't disagree more

!!!!

[DavidFehertysBike]

I guess since there is no quantifiable way to prove this we will just agree to disagree……but I couldn't disagree more

Sure there is. work hard, get in shape, practice the right things and you can hit balls as well as sergio or anyone else. It doesnt mean you are the kind of player they might be, but you could certainly have a range war with them..

[Fourputt]

I disagre in part. There is talent for the playing of the game involved,

Not true. All people are not created equally in an athletic sense. Talents run in different directions and swinging a golf club at a professional level is not something that can be achieved by just anyone, regardless of how much he/she practices. You have a very naive world view if you think that. The OP is correct in that work and practice pay off in differing degrees, and everyone has an upper limit beyond which their natural talent will not take them. Some of it has to do with the mental or focus side, some have strictly physical limitations (not talking about disabilities, just limited in what their body and musculature can achieve).

Just because you have achieved a high level at a relatively young age doesn't automatically mean that anyone can do it. I know that from personal experience over 35 years. At one time I practiced a lot. But I hit a wall and nothing I've done since has made that wall scalable. My wall is a deficiency in ball striking. I can play a mentally solid game, but when the ball won't go where you aim it, there isn't much you can do about it. It's not for lack of lessons, or for poor fundamentals. I'm just not physically able to hit every shot wtih perfect timing, and without that, I can't control the direction of the ball to the degree necessary to ever be at the "elite" level. As a result, I work hardest on my short game, because that is how I keep my game to the best level possible for me. My long game is what it is, and I've learned to accept that.

[Par Fore]

To an extent, I agree that with unlimited practice, anyone with decent hand-eye coordination and some athletic ability could become a single digit handicap and have a strong game/ball flight....

As far as Tour Pro, there is a mental edge and confidence required to get to that level......

[jonnythan]

Sure they do......if its all about the amount of practice then all pertain to the statement.

No, they don't.

Nothing about the statement implies that skill is directly proportional to practice and nothing else. The statement that anyone can be a tour pro with enough practice does not proclude the possibility that someone with prodigious talent could be a tour pro with very little practice or be the best golfer with only moderate practice. Nor does it imply that everyone with the same amount of practice will perform the same.

[DavidFehertysBike]

No, they don't.

I agree with that. But i do firmly belive that the skill of hitting a ball as solidly as touring pro does is acheiveable by nearly everyone as long as they get out of their own way.

[65withatriple]

No, they don't.

My points are arguing with someone saying if I practiced enough I could be pro. So with that I conclude that they are saying only practice matters. If only practice matters then all the statements I made would be true. You can argue all you want......I am not a professional writer and may not be able to convey in the exact words for you to understand my point but I believe it is clear enough for most.

[nike_golf]

I agree w/ the OP.

It's kind of the good ol' "pussification" of America at play here. We tell our kids that they can be anything they want. They can be good at anything they set their mind to. Etc etc etc. All people are created equal, right?

In reality, that's just not true. Life isn't fair. Some are meant to do some things better than others. Athletic ability is NO different.

To think ANYONE can learn to strike a ball as good as a Tour Pro is absurd. Like I said, some have the potential to do that, but most DON'T. All the practice time in the world doesn't change that. It's that simple.

It's not a knock on anyone to call it like it is and say they can't do something as well as someone else. I was always a good athlete, but a HORRIBLE math student in school. I could hit a ball better than Johnny, but yet Johnny can figure out the Pythagriam Theorem in a heartbeat while I sit and twiddle my thumbs not having a clue what the hell is going on.

That's life.

[jonnythan]

My points are arguing with someone saying if I practiced enough I could be pro. So with that I conclude that they are saying only practice matters.

Look, that's a completely invalid conclusion. It simply does not follow at all. The argument that anyone can be a pro if they practice enough does not in any way imply that talent and natural ability do not matter.

I agree with your point that it's not a true statement, but I think we can argue against the statement in a logical way. We don't need to reframe "anyone can be a pro with enough practice" incorrectly as "practice is the only thing that matters" to argue against it.

[Fairway_CY]

I was actually thinking about this last night, oddly enough. I feel like, even with a high handicap... I've got some skill. I don't get to practice or play often enough to DEVELOP that skill... therefore, I sit at a 23.0 handicap currently.

I was talking to my wife about how a bunch of people here (on this forum) have sub 2.0 handicaps and that I'd LOVE to have the time to develop my game to reach that level but that, even if I DID have a lot of practice and playing time, I'm not sure I could ever crack 10.0 at any point.

Reason being I don't know enough about the golf swing. I get lost watching shows like The Golf Fix when they talk about certain stuff. I'd love to have my swing speed measured to see where I stack up... but don't even know where to go to do THAT.

I think EVERYBODY, at some point, hits a shot and says to themselves... "If I could do that consistently, I'd be a professional golfer"... but in the end, they know that's not realistic.

Again, for myself... I love the game. I strive to beat MYSELF each round rather than worrying about others. That's why I keep detailed stats for each round... so I KNOW if I'm improving or not. But, the reality is that I DON'T feel like I'd ever have the necessary skills to compete at a professional level... even WITH unlimited practice and playing time.

CY