Is 39 Too Old?

[pipergsm]

you can't compare that.

once you pass a certain age (about 30), it becomes fysically impossible to reach a certain speed/coordination in your fingers which is absolutely necessary

to play any instrument at a high level. (I play the piano, violin and bagpipe, I know what I'm talking about!)

this isn't the case for golf!

As long as you remain in good fysical condition, have enough talent and the right approach (training/teaching), any person up untill 55-60 years old  is theoretically able

to become a scratch player or even better (on a "normal course"), because the required fysical coordination is simpler.

[x129]

It not like I want to be the worlds richest person person either.  It isn't like I want 50 billion dollars like Bill Gates. Just something like 18 billion like Larry or Sergey. Shouldn't be that hard to do that in less than 10 years right?

In case your missing the clue, the difference between reaching the PGA tour and winning on it is minimal compared to the difficulty in getting there. You don't need to get to scratch to be a PGA pro. You need to get to like +5 or so. Will it take 10-15 years? Probably not. But it will take 5-6 minimum (look at Larry Nelson , Calving Peete or YE Yang for examples) which puts you at an age when everyone starts the major physical decline. Winning between 40-45 isn't uncommon. Winning afterwards is.

Have fun playing golf. When you have a +3 handicap you start thinking about minitours and going pro.  But please let us know your score progression. It is always fun to see how long it takes someone to drop sub 100,90,80 and then becoming scratch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pipergsm

Hi everybody,

thanks a lot for all your reactions.

Let me just clarify a few points : I don't dream about acually winning real PGA tournaments or beating players like Mickelson or Schwarzel.

I just believe it's not entirely impossible to actually join the tour and maybe have a few top 20 or top 40 finishes,

even when starting at my age and without having to practice for 10 or 15 years before being able to shoot under par

and join the tour.

When I analyse my own progress on the driving range in just a few months time (not yet transferred to the course, I admit!),

I just can't believe that it would take me 10 years before being able to play scratch or under par.

And once you reach that point, it's all a matter of self-confidence and building up experience on different courses.

Keep on posting you thoughts on the subject guys (and girls)!

[shockingslicer]

im 45 and ive just taken up the game , id be happy if i wasnt embarassed every time i took a shot lol , obviously when your new you dont know how good or shit you might be in the end , presumably everyone has the potential to be reasonably good

[x129]

i agree that a huge chunk of the population can be reasonably good. To have a single digit handicap doesn't require insane physical ability.  Go through your course and figure out how well you can score if you can drive 200yards+-10s in accuracy, hit a 150 yard shot +-10%, and pitch from 20-40 yards+-10s and then sink 80% of your 5 footers. None of those are insanely hard tasks. Spend a hour or two a day for a couple years and 2/3s of guys under 60 can probably learn to to them. But the OP doesn't want to be reasonably good. He wants to be one of the top 200 or so players in the world.

Quote:

im 45 and ive just taken up the game , id be happy if i wasnt embarassed every time i took a shot lol , obviously when your new you dont know how good or shit you might be in the end , presumably everyone has the potential to be reasonably good

[MEfree]

As others have said, its a real long shot- to even consider it, I think you need to get to a single digit handicap within 6 months, sub 5 within a year and scratch within 2 years.  Then comes the hard part.

If you have some natural talent, it is much easier to go from shooting 90 to 75 than 75 to 70.  To have a shot of getting out on the Champions Tour, you need to be able to shoot in the 60s on a hard course and low 60s on average courses.  And then you need to be able to do this under tournament pressure.

If you enjoy the game, give it a shot, but don`t plan on it to supplement your retirement income.

[pipergsm]

honestly, apart from the top 50 or so in the PGA, I dont believe that the PGA-players form the absolute top 200 or 300 in the world.

I am quite certain that there are hundreds of people out there who would be able to play in the PGA, but for a variety of reasons,

they don't : no desire, no time (to intensify practice), no money to waist, believing the're not able to,.....

therefore, joining the so-called "top 200-300 in the world" is less surrealistic then it seems (for a serious, talented and dedicated player that is)

Many years ago, I decided to join a local bowling-club.

without any teaching, but a lot of dedication and training, I reached a personal high of 268 and an average of over 200 after only 6 months!

that same year, I played the final of the club's championship, and there were some very good, experienced players in that club.

For personal reasons however, I decided to stop the year after.

just as an example of what you can realise with enough talent and dedication, and sometimes in a surprisingly short time! (golf being a little more complicated then bowling, I admit)

[Kapanda]

I certainly believe that anything is possible.

But let's not pretend your reasoning is fool-proof. You base your views on superficial and weak assumptions without really assessing how plausible they are.

[Parker0065]

Having hopes, goals and dreams can be a healthy productive thing. Starting threads about making it on the PGA Tour as a 39 year old beginner when you have zero accomplishments in the game from a tournament aspect is probably unhealthy, in my opinion. It's the same as if I put a band-aide on my kids skinned knee, then state well that was easy, I think I'll go get me one of them there Brain Surgeon jobs!

Not trying to completely bash you, it's great that you want to shoot for high goals in the game. The normal progression in golf for an adult beginner usually goes something in this order:

1) Trying not to make a fool out of yourself on the first tee

2) Competing/Winning against your buddies

3) Competing/Winning your club championship

4) Competing/Winning your City/County Am

5) Competing/Winning your State Am

6) Competing/Winning in USGA(National) events

7) Try your luck on the mini tours

8) Get frustrated after losing all your money, return home, get a job selling insurance, find a nice girl and settle down, and post on the internet how you could have made it big on the PGA Tour if you only would have started playing when you were 9 years old,,,lol!

Just so you know, 99.999999% of the people that take up this great game rarely make it past step #2.

Good Luck on your journey!

As a beginner the best piece of advise I can give you is "Always keep a Positive Mental Attitude" This game will chew you up and spit you out in the blink of an eye when it comes to Competitive Golf. The key is to stay positive and remember there are bigger things in life besides golf, like friends and family!

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

once you pass a certain age (about 30), it becomes fysically impossible to reach a certain speed/coordination in your fingers which is absolutely necessary

to play any instrument at a high level. (I play the piano, violin and bagpipe, I know what I'm talking about!)

this isn't the case for golf!

As long as you remain in good fysical condition, have enough talent and the right approach (training/teaching), any person up untill 55-60 years old  is theoretically able

to become a scratch player or even better (on a "normal course"), because the required fysical coordination is simpler.

Hey, don't be so negative about my chances! I'm going to practice my guitar really hard (once I buy one)! And, I'll have self-confidence, too!

All sarcasm aside, you don't have a clue about professional golf, much less tournament-level professional golf. If you associate scratch to tour pro, you really have been misled.

Anyway, it's a troll's thread so, whatever.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Parker0065

Having hopes, goals and dreams can be a healthy productive thing. Starting threads about making it on the PGA Tour as a 39 year old beginner when you have zero accomplishments in the game from a tournament aspect is probably unhealthy, in my opinion. It's the same as if I put a band-aide on my kids skinned knee, then state well that was easy, I think I'll go get me one of them there Brain Surgeon jobs!

Not trying to completely bash you, it's great that you want to shoot for high goals in the game. The normal progression in golf for an adult beginner usually goes something in this order:

1) Trying not to make a fool out of yourself on the first tee

2) Competing/Winning against your buddies

3) Competing/Winning your club championship

4) Competing/Winning your City/County Am

5) Competing/Winning your State Am

6) Competing/Winning in USGA(National) events

7) Try your luck on the mini tours

8) Get frustrated after losing all your money, return home, get a job selling insurance, find a nice girl and settle down, and post on the internet how you could have made it big on the PGA Tour if you only would have started playing when you were 9 years old,,,lol!

Just so you know, 99.999999% of the people that take up this great game rarely make it past step #2.

Good Luck on your journey!

As a beginner the best piece of advise I can give you is "Always keep a Positive Mental Attitude" This game will chew you up and spit you out in the blink of an eye when it comes to Competitive Golf. The key is to stay positive and remember there are bigger things in life besides golf, like friends and family!

Whoa, be careful with your decimals there.  Based on Wiki's golf page that there are 35k golf courses in the world, it would mean that there are 3.5 trillion golfers out there.  That seems a little high. (I used the graduating smile face here because I'm pre-emptively admitting that I am a nerd for pointing this silly fact out - just having a little fun)

[Parker0065]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Whoa, be careful with your decimals there.  Based on Wiki's golf page that there are 35k golf courses in the world, it would mean that there are 3.5 trillion golfers out there.  That seems a little high.   (I used the graduating smile face here because I'm pre-emptively admitting that I am a nerd for pointing this silly fact out - just having a little fun)

LOL,,,No Prob,,,,Just goofing around trying to drive home my point.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Parker0065

,,,,Just goofing around ...

Ha, me too.

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

My first few real games (I've only played 5 so far) were very disappointing in the sense that I seemed to be unable to transfer the results from the driving range to the course. I guess that's a matter of game-practice.

I'm quite sure that, once I manage to make this transfer successfully, I should be able to play a 1 digit handicap, maybe even par (on a relatively easy course that is!)

I'd like to know if there are people with similar experiences and what the general/realistic expectations are for someone starting to play the game at such a late age (since most people seem to start very young).

All reactions are welcome!

Playing to scratch is definitely possible...heck yes!!  If you have the hand eye coordination, you should get to scratch in a few years.   Scratch is 1% good enough for senior tour discussion, but that's besides the point.

What I find interesting is that you are thinking this way after only playing 5 rounds of golf in your life.    Very interesting........I'd think you'd want to break some milestones first.  IE....like breaking 100 on a real course, 90, 80, 70, too.    To even survive on any tour, you'll need to be easily 4-5 shots better than scratch to even think about making a living.   A scratch golfer is a muni-hacker next to those guys.

[ajst22]

Of course it's not too old! You would be easy to teach since you just started and you wouldn't really need to reverse anything such as bad habits some golfers develop over their years of playing the wrong way. You have plenty of time to become a good golfer. All that matters is that you enjoy the sport. Golf is a sport that takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master, so don't get discouraged if you don't play well during your first few rounds.

[pipergsm]

well yes, I've only played 5 times on a course, but as you can read in my earlier messages, my expectations are based upon my practice-results on the driving range, not on my first few attempts on the course!

I gues that's the difference between europeans and americans : I spend 95% of my time on the driving range instead of the course (for now), focussing on developping a good routine, high accuracy, mastering the different clubs and getting aware of both my strong as my weak points.

every single time I go to the driving range, I note down my exact results and keep statistics in order to improve my game.

here's an example for today's short practice round, focussing on routine and accuracy with the 7-iron from the fairway,after 17 months of complete inactivity (just 3 months of practice before that):

4% missers (topped the ball)

10% weak hits (70-110 yds, mostly caused by topping)

6% acceptable hits (110-125yds)

80% good hits (125-150yds)

total accuracy 96% (only 4% did not follow the straight line as intended, accepted deviation 10 yds to either side)

This is an average result for me and most other irons give similar results.

putting, chipping and bunkershots are also going quite well and the few times I've tried the driver, I shot straight +200yds.

being an absolute beginner who's had no lessons, just 3-4 months of real practice and 17 months of complete inactivity (today's the 4rd practice round in 17 months), I believe these are promissing results.

Off course I realise I have a terrible long way to go, but the talent is there, or I would not have these results in such a short time!

[shockingslicer]

"the talent is there" , big up yourself

[KCCO]

Originally Posted by pipergsm

well yes, I've only played 5 times on a course, but as you can read in my earlier messages, my expectations are based upon my practice-results on the driving range, not on my first few attempts on the course!

I gues that's the difference between europeans and americans : I spend 95% of my time on the driving range instead of the course (for now), focussing on developping a good routine, high accuracy, mastering the different clubs and getting aware of both my strong as my weak points.

every single time I go to the driving range, I note down my exact results and keep statistics in order to improve my game.

here's an example for today's short practice round, focussing on routine and accuracy with the 7-iron from the fairway,after 17 months of complete inactivity (just 3 months of practice before that):

4% missers (topped the ball)

10% weak hits (70-110 yds, mostly caused by topping)

6% acceptable hits (110-125yds)

80% good hits (125-150yds)

total accuracy 96% (only 4% did not follow the straight line as intended, accepted deviation 10 yds to either side)

This is an average result for me and most other irons give similar results.

putting, chipping and bunkershots are also going quite well and the few times I've tried the driver, I shot straight +200yds.

being an absolute beginner who's had no lessons, just 3-4 months of real practice and 17 months of complete inactivity (today's the 4rd practice round in 17 months), I believe these are promissing results.

Off course I realise I have a terrible long way to go, but the talent is there, or I would not have these results in such a short time!

While I am not one to be a "downer" on matters......there is a stark difference between the range and the course.  In my opinion and experience....once you have the mechanics down....golf is 40% physical and 120% mental.  You have to have every shot in the bag to compete at a high level.  You cannot think that hitting the same club off the same "perfect" lay on a driving range is conducive to the thousands of possible situations you will face on the course.

Think of it like this......there is a reason why the best players in the game lose.  Tiger still has the same abilities as he has always had.....but he doesn't have the head-game anymore.

By all means....go for it man....but be humble....

[Shot 1]

I agree about Tiger's head status. Mental prep is ALOT of the game.  I played a little on the early "Nike Tour" and realized  that I could not make a career of playing competitive golf. Those guys were GREAT and they weren't even the BEST at that time, and I couldn't beat them.

It's a game to me, a nice day with myself or Buds, away from work.....enjoy the day. I still hit the rock pretty good but really don''t get to upset over a bad swing  like I use to .....it's a game.

Read this then ask yourself the question U asked here ....Can U  ? http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069280/index.htm

Good Luck