Road to becoming a professional golfer

[sean_miller]

I can do #5 and still not be the best golfer where I work.

Quote:

As has been said a thousand times before:

1. Win your Club Championship

2. Become the best player in your area.

3.Become known as one of the best players within a hundred miles

4. Win some serious amateur events in yoiur area as the favourite.

5. Be able to score legitimate sub par scores on decent courses in fair conditions.

Then.........you start to think about maybe becoming a pro.

There will be a thousand guys who would beat you by 5 shots on any day of the week even if you are off +1, but that's OK.

Let's not put the cart before the horse.

There have been a dozen threads exactly like this.  All of them start with a beginner who wants to be a pro.

I have NEVER read one where someone has achieved ONE of the things I listed above and wonders about how good they are.

Desire is one thing - but don't think that every young man with a passion for golf doesn't dream about being a pro.

Don't be suckered in by the "if you can dream it you can be it " nonsense.  You have to do it.

Get back to us when you're a legitimate scratch player. By that time you'll be one of the better players at your club.

Read Paper Tiger by Tom Coyne first.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I can do #5 and still not be the best golfer where I work.

Quote:

You really need to be shooting sub-70 from the longest tees on every golf course you play, and in serious competitions and in all conditions to have a chance as a touring pro.

[Travis Robinson]

Thanks Shorty,

I just bought the book on Ebay and am looking forward to the read.  I know what you mean, there have been many threads like this, there's many people that want to do the same thing but I like how you put that it's the fact that you have to DO it.

Thanks for the words and advice!

Originally Posted by Shorty

As has been said a thousand times before:

1. Win your Club Championship

2. Become the best player in your area.

3.Become known as one of the best players within a hundred miles

4. Win some serious amateur events in yoiur area as the favourite.

5. Be able to score legitimate sub par scores on decent courses in fair conditions.

Then.........you start to think about maybe becoming a pro.

There will be a thousand guys who would beat you by 5 shots on any day of the week even if you are off +1, but that's OK.

Let's not put the cart before the horse.

There have been a dozen threads exactly like this.  All of them start with a beginner who wants to be a pro.

I have NEVER read one where someone has achieved ONE of the things I listed above and wonders about how good they are.

Desire is one thing - but don't think that every young man with a passion for golf doesn't dream about being a pro.

Don't be suckered in by the "if you can dream it you can be it " nonsense.  You have to do it.

Get back to us when you're a legitimate scratch player. By that time you'll be one of the better players at your club.

Read Paper Tiger by Tom Coyne first.

[Shorty]

The best advice I would  give to an aspiring professional is to go to a tournament and watch a couple guys you've never heard of on the practice tee. Watch how the ball rockets out of sight and how these guys look as good as anyone you've ever seen on TV. Notice how they are playing a different game from what you have seen from club players you think are pretty good .

Then..go home and look these guys up on the net to discover that they have won $5,000 over the last four years.

[Travis Robinson]

Hey LongballGer,

Thanks for the advice!  You're absolutely right, there's nothing magical at all.  The reason why most people aren't pro is because they can't handle the dedication for YEARS.  I don't know if I can but I'm going to try and if I follow everything, I don't see why it'd be extremely improbable in 8-10 years.  Besides, I don't have a time limit, I could have a 20 year window to accomplish this!

Thanks for all the tips, I'll be taking your advice as I continue to tweak my practice regime.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by LongballGer

I believe it is possible although it´s gonna take at least 10 years if you work really hard. There is nothing "magical" about becoming a tour pro. The secret is that there is no secret. It´s simply about working hard and smart for a lot of years.

If you are really serious about this then you need to:

a) find a good teaching pro and take a lot of lessons

b) You need to be able to play year round

c) Put in at least 3 hours of deliberate practice every single day. Don´t do it all at once. I recommend splitting it into two 90 minute sessions. One in the morning and one in the evening or so.

d) Play in a tournament at least once a week

e) Practice on the course whenever you can.

f) repeat c for about 10 years without getting lazy or burned out.

Y.E. Yang started playing golf at 19, so it is possible to make it.

[Travis Robinson]

Hey Pharaoh,

Could you tell me about this Erie instruction place?

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Greg Norman also started late-ish (at 17) and was a solid pro within 4 years. It is possible but extremely difficult. My gut feeling is that at 25 you have left it a bit late.

Why don't you take some time off and head over to Erie for a few days of serious instruction. They'll be able to evaluate your current game and put you on the right track.

Oh, and don't forget, the Champs Tour is another option if you are serious about being a touring pro!

[Travis Robinson]

Yes slabm7!  Why wouldn't someone follow their dreams.  You've got all the time in the world so why not take a shot?  Maybe 20 years from now I'll see you out there :)

Originally Posted by slabm7

I think every recreational golfer with a love for the game has a dream of being a tour player. Is it doable? Sure it is but it takes alot of work. My goal is to one day be good enough to play in a local open tournament and compete, probably need a +1 Handicap for that and who knows, maybe if I can stay in shape and progress my game over the next 20 years one day maybe even play in a Champions tour qualifying school event. It would be a dream to play competetive golf for retirement, its highly unlikely and I should probably rely on the lottery instead for retirement but hey, everyone needs a dream.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Travis Robinson

Hey Pharaoh,

Could you tell me about this Erie instruction place?

http://thegolfevolution.com/

[Travis Robinson]

Yeah some of you guys are talking about what I'm most worried about:

Time and money.

Although, I've been realizing that I have to cut down on work and I have to start saving up so I started a plan for that too.

I'm trying to get a plan for everything so that my path will fall into place and there won't be many hindrances.  It then will be all about practicing and putting time into my game.

Ha, I'm actually going to skip out of work a bit early to work on the practice green and putting green and then play 9 holes.

I've beefed up on some Bob Rotella last night and took some notes on thoughts for the game, let's see what happens!

[DoGolf Jonathan]

Shorty, I think you're right.  If you aren't out there competitively and know what it takes to be a pro, surrounded by pros, and realizing the sacrifice necessary, then it'll be a real big wake up call to just jump in the deep end.

Originally Posted by Shorty

The best advice I would  give to an aspiring professional is to go to a tournament and watch a couple guys you've never heard of on the practice tee. Watch how the ball rockets out of sight and how these guys look as good as anyone you've ever seen on TV. Notice how they are playing a different game from what you have seen from club players you think are pretty good .

Then..go home and look these guys up on the net to discover that they have won $5,000 over the last four years.

[Travis Robinson]

I agree too, competitive golf is way different from a regular relaxed round.  I signed up for the golf channel's am tour, not exactly like a real competition but it's close and I did feel different.  I'm working on having the same mindset as I would have if I was golfing by myself.  I think the biggest thing with competitive golf is working on the space between your ears.

Originally Posted by DoGolf Jonathan

Shorty, I think you're right.  If you aren't out there competitively and know what it takes to be a pro, surrounded by pros, and realizing the sacrifice necessary, then it'll be a real big wake up call to just jump in the deep end.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

Greg Norman also started late-ish (at 17) and was a solid pro within 4 years. It is possible but extremely difficult. My gut feeling is that at 25 you have left it a bit late.

Why don't you take some time off and head over to Erie for a few days of serious instruction. They'll be able to evaluate your current game and put you on the right track.

Oh, and don't forget, the Champs Tour is another option if you are serious about being a touring pro!

But, of course, desire and dedication are not enough.  Talent is needed.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Travis Robinson

Yeah some of you guys are talking about what I'm most worried about:

Time and money.

Although, I've been realizing that I have to cut down on work and I have to start saving up so I started a plan for that too.

I'm trying to get a plan for everything so that my path will fall into place and there won't be many hindrances.  It then will be all about practicing and putting time into my game.

Ha, I'm actually going to skip out of work a bit early to work on the practice green and putting green and then play 9 holes.

I've beefed up on some Bob Rotella last night and took some notes on thoughts for the game, let's see what happens!

Not trying to rain on your parade, but what makes you think you have the intrinsic talent?

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by turtleback

Not trying to rain on your parade, but what makes you think you have the intrinsic talent?

My thoughts, too.  I play the piano, and even if I devoted 60 hours per week to practice for 10 years, I will never play Carnegie Hall. I just don't have the talent.

A 14 handicap at age 25 signifies that talent is also missing. At some point, additional practice (even perfect practice) won't solve that problem.

[JetFan1983]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

A 14 handicap at age 25 signifies that talent is also missing.

Well this is total BS obviously Sadly, as a 14-15ish index, I'd have to agree.

As per Greg Norman, he started at age 16 and was a scratch player by age 17. When you're supremely talented, improvement comes insanely fast from the beginner stage.

[JetFan1983]

Oh yea, I just want to add this too: There are some pros who did take a while to get into a groove. Paul Azinger for example struggled as a freshman golfer on his college team. I remember reading an article about this where he admitted it was difficult for him to break 80 on consecutive days. He had already been playing golf for a long time at that point.

But by the time he was 19, he was a + index. So I guess it's not insanely fast for every player, but sooner or later, these guys figure out how to get it done out there. He turned pro at age 21.

YE Yang turned pro at age 24, five years after picking up the game. He didn't start playing regularly though until he was about 21 years old.

[TourSpoon]

It's your dream and in 10 years from now it will still be a dream.  I have known too many golfers that had the same dream as scratch and plus who were farther from making it than you are from scratch as a 14. I even had a friend who played 6 months on Tour and he is still dreaming.   Anyway, dreaming is fun so have a blast learning this awesome game.

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

Well this is total BS obviously  Sadly, as a 14-15ish index, I'd have to agree.

Sorry, JetFan.  I didn't mean to say that 14 caps have no talent. I meant to say that they probably don't have the talent to get to the PGA Tour. Mea culpa.