Do the PGA and LPGA players have fun playing

[neophyte]

I played golf today with two men who seemed like they hated golf.

And when I think about it - most of the people seem to hate their jobs. What happened to enjoying going to work, and being at work? I just started to watch last weeks LPGA tournament and their faces seemed to have the same stress and unhappiness that shows on the troops in Iraq and Afganistan.

Is joy and happiness in our lives a choice? Or are our lives so bad.

Do you think any of the LPGA and PGA players are happy, and would they play golf if they didn't make a lot of money or have the chance of making a lot of money?

[goblue107501]

I think they do for the most part. Just like any job, there are good things and bad things about it. As relaxing and fun as golf can be, at that level it can also be pretty stressful. As much fun as it sounds to us, I don't know if I could keep up the fun week after week if you really stop and think about the schedule for the 'regular' guys on Tour. Monday and/or Tuesday practice, maybe a Wednesday pro-am and practice, tournament Thursday and Friday, then hopefully Saturday and Sunday. Travel Sunday evening to the next event, then do it all over. That is probably why the guys that can do a relaxed schedule do it.

I have played with several pros in pro-ams over the years. Most of them seemed to have fun playing. You can tell some of them are out there just to get a check and that is the job. Sure they have fun, but they also realize it is their job and they need to be serious about it. I played with Dicky Pride this year and he had a really good attitude. The guy has been around for several years and is on the Nationwide Tour this year and he is still having fun. My group was talking about him after the round and you can tell he genuinely enjoys playing golf for a living.

[walk18]

I've often wondered that too. Seems like job and leisure are 2 different things, but in the end I think they do enjoy it even if they may not show it. After all, they're living a dream.

[Shindig]

I think it depends on who. When I watch Freddie Couples, I can't imagine that he isn't having fun. Same with Rich Beem.

[CPT]

They are, more or less----happy, if you saw them playing during weekends.

[wrx_junki]

It's the same case for all jobs. Some love it and have fun while some do not enjoy it. Bubba Watson looks to be having fun. Sergio on the other was not having fun out there.

[newtogolf]

It's a job to them, so the question is the same for them as everyone else, do they like what they do for a living? I would think all the travel, pressure, sponsor events and dealing with the press makes it more difficult than many of us could imagine.

[Chief Broom]

I imagine most of them love the fact that they make a living playing golf, but life on tour can be incredibly stressful. When they are playing well and their status on tour is secure they can be more at ease, but when they are in a slump and their status is in jeopardy I can't imagine there be anything fun at all when grinding out their rounds.

[1par2win]

I played golf today with two men who seemed like they hated golf.

It is a choice. I don't know if I am noticing this more but people are getting so uptight about everything that happens on a golf course. Slow play, their own performance, the cart girl not making the rounds quick enough, everything! There is another poster that related a story about his buddy was all ticked off at him because he used a GPS and it "ruined" the other guys game! I mean seriously, people gotta lighten up a bit. It's not the latest equipment or a lesson from "X" PGA pro that they need. They would benefit more from a number of sessions with a therapist.

But more on topic I do think most LPGA & PGA players thank God everyday they are doing what they are doing. We only see them when they are in the thick of an event so we are catching them at a time when "fun" probably isn't the place their heads are at. Just my opinion of course.

[enis750]

It's a job to them, so the question is the same for them as everyone else, do they like what they do for a living? I would think all the travel, pressure, sponsor events and dealing with the press makes it more difficult than many of us could imagine.

what he ^^ said

if your winning im sure your loving life if your not, im sure your wishing you were packing groceries at Walmart all things are relative i guess

[SouthernILGolfer]

I used to hate playing in the wind, last 2 times I played wind gusts in the 15-20 mph range and played above average, even did pretty good on the against the wind holes. Trying not to sweat the bad shots, as I said in a post on another topic bad shots are caused by bad execution of the swing. You get exactly out of a shot what you put in it. Gotten lucky a few times recently even, bad shots turned out with a good result, a couple topped wedge shots that still found the green and a tee shot that missed a tree branch by inches, stuff like that. Still not hitting the mid irons(6-7) that well, might be looking to find hybrid replacements for those as I love hitting my 5 hybrid whenever i can, been choking down and using it instead of those clubs a lot lately. Guess I got kinda off topic here but just a few months ago i was struggling so badly after 2 years of playing and actually playing well earlier in the year that I just wanted to put the clubs away and give up the game. I know that this is something that i want to continue to do for the rest of my life as long as I can physically swing a club.

[stealthduffer]

Like everyone says - its a job (a potentially very lucrative job) and sometimes your job is great and other times not so much. The payoff for a successful career is a lot of cash, an early retirement and a moderate amount of fame. But even when playing well there has to be times that the players would rather just be at home with their families - especially those with families. Travelling for a living can be very much not fun - even if you are living at the high end like a lot of tour pros.

Hopefully those who are not happy will look at their other options and maybe that would perk them up!

[Zeph]

What I enjoy most about golf is the challenge, the challenge of always trying to improve and beat the course. I can never get good enough, so there is always something to work on.

[usgmagolf]

Like any job I'm sure the luster can wear off. It's gotta be fun some times tho.
-John

[ohiolefty]

I don't know any pro golfers, but I do have the acquaintance of a few pro athletes in other sports...


What I can tell you is that, YES, it's a job for them UNTIL the game starts. The game is the game is the game. If you/they approach the game like a job, they're toast. I'd imagine that for a PGA/LPGA/Champs. Tour player, the travel grind, the practice grind, the corporate/pro-am/a$$kiss grind -- it sucks after a while. But golf is golf. It's more fun to play well. It's stressful as hell, especially if you allow the dollars at stake to creep into your thoughts, but you still have to hit each golf shot at a time in the same way you would in a 25 dollar sunday game with your buddies. If you get ahead of yourself, you're screwed...whether it's on the PGA tour or playing by yourself in the rain.

[WUTiger]

I've been to a couple of pro tournaments. The lucky country club pros who qualified on Monday, or journeymen who snagged a spare sponsor's exemption, have fun, especially if they make it to Saturday. The Saturday and Sunday AM rounds are the most fun: guys who got hot briefly and will make several thousand extra $$ for four days of golf.

These guys celebrate getting to play, while most others are bummed out if they miss a top-10 finish.

[Topper]

I mean seriously, people gotta lighten up a bit.

Amen.

In my case, golf would probably be more fun if I could hit the ball cleanly once in a while. I don't throw tantrums but the game is just not as much fun as I thought it would be. I imagine pro's who are basically grinding it out week after week in relative anonymity might not be having a lot of fun either and probably look at golf much like many of us look at out jobs. BTW, I actually like my career and the company I work for (most days). Conversely, I would hate going to work if I screwed up every time I tried to accomplish something....like I do when I try to hit a golf ball.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I guess Julius Boros enjoyed it. When he was asked late in his career if he was going to retire soon, he said, "I play golf for a living and fish for a hobby. What would I retire to?"