Road to becoming a professional golfer

[bplewis24]

i bet people told tommy 2 gloves to be realistic when he was fixing water heaters

That settles it.  Because Tommy Gainey did it, this guy should definitely quit his job and pour all of his life savings into it.

[sambino24]

That settles it.  Because Tommy Gainey did it, this guy should definitely quit his job and pour all of his life savings into it.

glass half empty kind of guy? yeah if he wants to he can, he has a goal and hes going for it. f him for having goals

[bplewis24]

glass half empty kind of guy? yeah if he wants to he can, he has a goal and hes going for it. f him for having goals

No, I'm simply not an imbecile.

You can 'f him' all you want, just don't call people dicks for giving practical and well-thought-out career advice.  It makes you the dick.

[Shorty]

i bet people told tommy 2 gloves to be realistic when he was fixing water heaters

Gainey wold have been shooting in the low 60s regularly.

[jamo]

i bet people told tommy 2 gloves to be realistic when he was fixing water heaters

You're no Tommy Gainey.* *And statistically I can say that because of the 7 billion people in the world, I can count the amount of Tommy Gainey-like stories on a hand or two.

[David in FL]

You're no Tommy Gainey.*

*And statistically I can say that because of the 7 billion people in the world, I can count the amount of Tommy Gainey-like stories on a hand or two.

...and have fingers left over!

[nick1998bunker]

I think there is over 8 billion people in the world. And maybe you can peruse a job like a club pro where its a little easier and you will get a chance to improve. Then you can see how your goals change and motivation levels go from there And I think tommy gainey holds my course record

[Shorty]

And maybe you can peruse a job like a club pro where its a little easier and you will get a chance to improve. Then you can see how your goals change and motivation levels go from there

I'm guessing you mean "pursue".

Not even going to start on subject verb agreement.

To my point......Hhw do you imporove when you're selling Mars bars and maybe playing once a week?

If you want to play golf, don't become a club pro.

If you're a good player and want to get better. Don't become a club pro.

[nick1998bunker]

I'm guessing you mean "pursue". Not even going to start on subject verb agreement. To my point......Hhw do you imporove when you're selling Mars bars and maybe playing once a week? If you want to play golf, don't become a club pro. If you're a good player and want to get better. Don't become a club pro.

what should you do then? I'm interested myself

[Shorty]

what should you do then? I'm interested myself

It's a fair question.

If you want to be a playing pro, you simply become the best golfer in your area (or close to it), win or come close to winning every amateur event in your area and then do well in state tournaments and be known by everyone as a fantastic player.  That might make you one of the top 100 players within 100 miles of where you live.

There are no instructions, but I would suggest close to ZERO time reading golf forums and wondering about the latest golf clubs and gadgets.

To become a club pro, accept that you are essentially going to be a shopkeeper. Volunteer to work for free at all the clubs around you, get a reputation as a nice person and a hard worker. This while getting your handicap to a low level legitimately. You will be offeered traineeships and you take it from there. It's a great job for some but the hours can be long and the financial rewards not great. It not a job you take because you want to play golf.

As a teaching pro - do some historical research on this site. Iacas the owner, (Eric) was a guy who enjoyed golf, got into it more, became better, was interested in different approaches to playing, learning and teaching and discovered that he had a passion for teaching, a way of imparting knowledge and found enough internal drive and ambition to follow his hunches, take a risk and give his students what they wanted. He has developed it into a system that seems to be successful.  I don't think that he is motivated by money, but that might be what eventually makes it all financially rewarding for him. What underpins it all is the love of the game.

But....in a nutshell, become so good that people are telling you how good you are, not the other way around :-)

[nick1998bunker]

It's a fair question. If you want to be a playing pro, you simply become the best golfer in your area (or close to it), win or come close to winning every amateur event in your area and then do well in state tournaments and be known by everyone as a fantastic player.  That might make you one of the top 100 players within 100 miles of where you live. There are no instructions, but I would suggest close to ZERO time reading golf forums and wondering about the latest golf clubs and gadgets. To become a club pro, accept that you are essentially going to be a shopkeeper. Volunteer to work for free at all the clubs around you, get a reputation as a nice person and a hard worker. This while getting your handicap to a low level legitimately. You will be offeered traineeships and you take it from there. It's a great job for some but the hours can be long and the financial rewards not great. It not a job you take because you want to play golf. As a teaching pro - do some historical research on this site. Iacas the owner, (Eric) was a guy who enjoyed golf, got into it more, became better, was interested in different approaches to playing, learning and teaching and discovered that he had a passion for teaching, a way of imparting knowledge and found enough internal drive and ambition to follow his hunches, take a risk and give his students what they wanted. He has developed it into a system that seems to be successful.  I don't think that he is motivated by money, but that might be what eventually makes it all financially rewarding for him. What underpins it all is the love of the game. But....in a nutshell, become so good that people are telling you how good you are, not the other way around :-)

Well alright I guess that is what ill do. There are a lot of good golfers within 100 miles of me though

[clutchshot]

You're no Tommy Gainey.* *And statistically I can say that because of the 7 billion people in the world, I can count the amount of Tommy Gainey-like stories on a hand or two.

I will say one thing: this additude will never lead to success. You will never succeed if you don't at least try and you can never play the odds. What where the odds of Bill Gates becoming the richest man in the world? What were the odds of Tommy Gainy making it? It's not about the odds, it's about persistently pursuing it until you have either made it or failed. In my mind, you can never fail if you never try, but if you never try, you will never succeed.

[David in FL]

I will say one thing: this additude will never lead to success.

You will never succeed if you don't at least try and you can never play the odds.

What where the odds of Bill Gates becoming the richest man in the world? What were the odds of Tommy Gainy making it? It's not about the odds, it's about persistently pursuing it until you have either made it or failed.

In my mind, you can never fail if you never try, but if you never try, you will never succeed.

Someone beats the odds and wins the Lottery every week too.  That doesn't mean that playing it should be your retirement plan..... Throw a couple of bucks at it if you like, but don't give up the day job until it hits!

Sorry, but it won't.....

Well alright I guess that is what ill do. There are a lot of good golfers within 100 miles of me though

That's the point exactly, Nick.  Keep expanding that radius out and the number (and quality) grows exponentially.

Some of us may seem like we enjoy squashing dreams.  That's not the case at all, but we've seen an awful lot of these threads over the years where people are going to be the next great thing, but can't dominate their local junior circuit, or even win a small club or city championship.

There's nothing wrong with dreaming, and pursuing your dreams, but it has to be done with a healthy dose of pragmatism.  Plan A without plans B, C, and D well thought out is a recipe for disappointment, much more often than not.

[jamo]

I will say one thing: this additude will never lead to success. You will never succeed if you don't at least try and you can never play the odds. What where the odds of Bill Gates becoming the richest man in the world? What were the odds of Tommy Gainy making it? It's not about the odds, it's about persistently pursuing it until you have either made it or failed. In my mind, you can never fail if you never try, but if you never try, you will never succeed.

Oh spare me.

[dave67az]

Not sure if you guys were ever tortured into watching American Idol, but the audition shows were always the same.  You had a lot of kids who were lied to for years by friends and relatives about their singing ability.  I'm sure their friends and family were all well-intentioned, and didn't want to hurt their feelings or crush their dreams, but the result ended up being kids getting in front of a national camera making total fools out of themselves because everyone around them led them to believe that they had a chance at becoming a professional singer.  Some would break down crying, confused because everyone told them how great they were.

Pretty sad.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with dreaming.  And there's nothing wrong with chasing a dream, so long as it doesn't keep you from realizing your true potential in something that you actually have a chance at succeeding in.  Not to be cruel, but if you're going online to ask everyone else if you have a chance at becoming a pro golfer, I'm betting it's not going to happen.  I have a lot of admiration for pro athletes who go to college (and actually attend the classes) and get a useful degree before going into the NFL, knowing that they will always need something to fall back on if their long-shot of a career fails (and the vast majority of the time, it does).

[Ernest Jones]

I'm guessing you mean "pursue".

Not even going to start on subject verb agreement.

To my point......Hhw do you imporove when you're selling Mars bars and maybe playing once a week?

If you want to play golf, don't become a club pro.

If you're a good player and want to get better. Don't become a club pro.

Shorty, if you're going to jump on someone for a mistake you best be proof reading your post.

Just saying'

[bplewis24]

Not sure if you guys were ever tortured into watching American Idol, but the audition shows were always the same.  You had a lot of kids who were lied to for years by friends and relatives about their singing ability.  I'm sure their friends and family were all well-intentioned, and didn't want to hurt their feelings or crush their dreams, but the result ended up being kids getting in front of a national camera making total fools out of themselves because everyone around them led them to believe that they had a chance at becoming a professional singer.  Some would break down crying, confused because everyone told them how great they were.

QFP.  Truer words are rarely spoken.  +1.

It doesn't happen all the time or even often, but I know my circle of friends won't hesitate to ask me for advice or feedback.  And I attribute that largely (if not exclusively) to the fact that they know I won't lie to them, and they know I'll be objective.  But often times folks who have a particular dream or aspiration will seek out people to be in their circle who will do nothing but praise them.  From a psychological standpoint it is both fascinating and disturbing.

[mmoan2]

RUDY, RUDY, RUDY!!!!!!