I hate the whole "pro/amateur" illusion!

[Neco]

I would just like to say it annoys the bejesus out of me when a (tour)pro speaks of something one might do wrong in the game of golf as "this is something an amateur would do."

That is relating amatuer to bad and I'm not cool with that. =-)

1 of the two people to ever win a slam was an amateur...

[Jaywun]

Wasn't Jones the only one to win the slam?

[Shorty]

1 of the two people to ever win a slam was an amateur...

I'd love to know who the pro was.

[TXjammer]

I would just like to say it annoys the bejesus out of me when a (tour)pro speaks of something one might do wrong in the game of golf as "this is something an amateur would do."

Now THIS is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! OR when giving a lesson or making a lesson video, the first thing out of their mouth is "One thing I see a lot of amateurs do is...." That really grates on my nerves. As if pros are beyond having swing flaws. I don't think so.

[colin007]

really? for real? youre getting peeved because a pro notices things that amateurs, almost as a rule, have as faults? if they cant criticize you who can?

[jamo]

Now THIS is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! OR when giving a lesson or making a lesson video, the first thing out of their mouth is "One thing I see a lot of amateurs do is...." That really grates on my nerves. As if pros are beyond having swing flaws. I don't think so.

Considering the fact that somewhere north of 85% of golfers in the world slice the ball, there is going to be some common denominators.

[case31]

The reason why a pro says, "One thing I see a lot of amateurs do is...." is to establish a base of knowledge with the student. When I talk golf with other players, I can't tell you how many times I've heard this, "I was having trouble with my swing, so I took a lesson, and it just screwed me up even worse, so I just went back to my old swing." These players clearly don't understand the purpose of a lesson. The whole point is to unlearn bad habits to then learn good habits. I recently went through an entire swing overhaul, and it took a year and a half until I truly felt like it became part of my muscle memory.
When Tiger went through his first swing change, he accepted the fact that he was going to struggle while he was learning new mechanics. I think a reason why a player (usually an amateur) does not accept this is because there is less of a sense of urgency, yet a great deal of impatience. I once heard a good saying that proves so true, especially when it comes to the mental approach to golf: "Amateurs practice until they get it right, Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."

[TXjammer]

Considering the fact that somewhere north of 85% of golfers in the world slice the ball, there is going to be some common denominators.

It's the demeaning tone we were referring to. I'm not a softy, but lets try to stick to the subject here, which was don't let the pro illusion discourage you in your game. Ya know, before the thread went hay wire?

[majorchamp]

The following is a brief rant by TXjammer.

agreed. Hell, I still play my Titleist 962's from High School :) I am missing the ferril (sp?) on my 5 iron, and there is a nice ding in my 7 -iron face. My father has promised to buy me new clubs (that promise has been around for about 5 years now..haha) and I have never jumped on it because I don't feel I play enough to warrant new clubs.

There are obviously certain people in this world who happen to have more talent then others. Some of my college teammates didn't pick up a golf club until 8th grade, and went on to be very successful High School golfers, including getting college scholarships. I picked up my first club when I was 7 years old, and even by 9th grade was still struggling to break 40, but then 10th - 12 grade I did fantastic. Strange how this sport is. it is my understanding some pros (even back in the old days lol) were able to be very successful rarely practicing, hitting a few balls before a round, and simply doing well during competition. I don't know names, but I remember hearing stories about certain pros being able to do this.

[Neco]

I would just like to say that one thing I see a lot in golfing, something an amateur would do, is hit a bad golf shot. A lot of amateurs hit them but it is possible to hit a good shot. This is something you won't see from an amateur.

[65withatriple]

I like how "talent" always manages to come into these types of discussions..

That is just silly. I suppose we are all born as fast as Carl Lewis too. He just ran more sprints when he was a kid.

I love the posts where people think all you have to do is have tons of "quality practice" to be one of the best in the world at something. What about the thousands of mini tour golfers who practice and play as much as all the PGA tour guys. Why have they not made it??? I'm sure many use the same coaches and put in more time on the range. Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard. But the PGA Tour is almost 100% talent working hard

[Par Fore]

I would say about 1% of golfers that consistently break 100 have the ability, with unlimited funds and top shelf coaching, to play at the pro level.....I have a friend who was an All-American in college baseball at a major school.....he grew up on a golf course, but just "plays for fun".....he plays about once every 3 months or so.....he can hit about 20-30 balls on the range and he's ready to go, he'll go out and shoot anywhere from 75-85 with a set of 10 year old blades.....he drives the ball an average of 280 and has a simple, compact, repeatable swing....he never duffs the ball, has reasonable misses.....his contact, on most shots, sounds just like the pros and he still plays a 2 iron on shorter holes, just punching it out to about 240.....he could got pro......in all the excellent golfers I've met over the years, with unlimited funds and coaching, about 5 of them could go pro.....

The rest would be like me.....they'd put up a valiant effort, and many would get to scratch, and they'd probably get within the top 5 golfers that play at their home course.....unfortunately, far short of any pro status....

A good friend of mine is 54.....he was a city champ growning up and loves golf....as a sales rep, he was about to play about 2 rounds a week, and he lives off 2 golf courses and typically plays a round on each every weekend.....even at 54, he's a consistent 260 down the middle with his driver.....he hits the middle of every fairway and every green.....when he turned 50, he worked even harder on his game and went to many a qualifier for the senior tour....even with his game, he never qualified for a single event....he got close a few times, but the course conditions and pressure are huge....and this is a guy that has won several tournaments over the years....

I have no doubt many a person, with the physical ability, could swing like a pro.....but the mental game at that level is something amazing....