Beau Hossler gets Congressional invite

[jamo]

debacle as in after he survived q school at 17 in 2001, and then promptly vanished off the face of the earth a few years later.  do you think knowing then what he knows now, he'd still choose to turn pro so young?

I was being facetious. Should have added a smiley or something. Of course Ty Tryon's career has been a debacle. [quote name="pixel5" url="/t/59758/beau-hossler-gets-congressional-invite/0_30#post_732471"]Anyone can declare to be pro? Well in that case, I'M A PRO. WHERE IS MY MONEY? [/quote] It goes exactly like this: [VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGIgf-ICHM[/VIDEO]

[Infamous 273]

Originally Posted by jamo

I was being facetious. Should have added a smiley or something. Of course Ty Tryon's career has been a debacle.

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[iacas]

LPGA rules may be different. And I don't think Wie turned pro at 15 - she played in LPGA events that young, but I believe she was an amateur.

She turned pro when she was 15. Not that it's really relevant to this discussion.

[clubchamp]

I will go on the opposite side for the college argument and say he should skip college to go pro. I think college has some what of a negative effect on american golfers and is part of the reason we've fallen behind. College golf limits the amount of playing time and limits the amount of time they get with a good instructor. Beau playing college will probably not make him a better golfer but someone from europe, australia etc. is turning pro and getting experience on tour. So lets say Beau turns pro at 22 and takes a few years to get used to the tour life he is now 5 to 10 years behind a guy that didn't go to college. I'm all for kids going to college getting a degree, having fun, and learning life experience but a kid that's good enough to be a pro golfer should go be a pro golfer. Worst case they can always go back to college if they are never capable of making it on tour.

[Old1964]

I am hoping to see him play well again.

I get an odd sense of delight in seeing a 17 yr. old kid kick arse...play the ball as straight as he could and strike the ball with confidence.

[kathybhylton]

I think school is most important.

[Kapanda]

Why would college be more important than the reason people go to college for (get a degree to improve the prospects of getting a good job)?

If - which I can accept is a significant "if" - he is ready to play pro, then college can certainly wait.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Kapanda

Why would college be more important than the reason people go to college for (get a degree to improve the prospects of getting a good job)?

If - which I can accept is a significant "if" - he is ready to play pro, then college can certainly wait.

I think a lot of us are questioning whether this 17 year old has the maturity/mental game to go pro right now.

If he does in fact have the game to be a successful long-term pro, what is the rush?  The kid's family doesn't need the money.  Golf careers are very long.  Some people view others so one dimensionally.  Has it occurred to you that maybe the kid or his family value being an educated person?

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by clubchamp

I will go on the opposite side for the college argument and say he should skip college to go pro. I think college has some what of a negative effect on american golfers and is part of the reason we've fallen behind. College golf limits the amount of playing time and limits the amount of time they get with a good instructor. Beau playing college will probably not make him a better golfer but someone from europe, australia etc. is turning pro and getting experience on tour. So lets say Beau turns pro at 22 and takes a few years to get used to the tour life he is now 5 to 10 years behind a guy that didn't go to college. I'm all for kids going to college getting a degree, having fun, and learning life experience but a kid that's good enough to be a pro golfer should go be a pro golfer. Worst case they can always go back to college if they are never capable of making it on tour.

Not everyone wants to be a pro athlete. I grew up and played defence with the same guy from 4 years old, right up to when we finished high school. We both had offers for university, but he was invited to an Islanders training camp as well.

He had made the decision to become a doctor when we were in Junior high. He did not want to be a pro athlete, he wanted to be an Orthopedic Surgeon. He turned down the offer of going to the training camp, and today he is doing what he always dreamt of.

But college won't hurt Hosslers game. That is a ridiculous thought. He will be playing golf daily with great instructors and coaches, and it'll give him time to mature and get ready for life on the road, which is extremely hard when you are as young as he is.

[Kapanda]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

I think a lot of us are questioning whether this 17 year old has the maturity/mental game to go pro right now.

If he does in fact have the game to be a successful long-term pro, what is the rush?  The kid's family doesn't need the money.  Golf careers are very long.  Some people view others so one dimensionally.  Has it occurred to you that maybe the kid or his family value being an educated person?

There must be some latin phrase that properly describes this diverting remark.

The answer for that question is not the reason why either of us constructed our opinions on the matter. So why ask it?

[ApocG10]

Originally Posted by kathybhylton

I think school is most important.

Well, that IS debateable. If he truly wants to be a pro golfer, then I think he should only go to college for 2 years, then turn pro if he's still up to that caliber and that is what he wants. He can finish his education anytime he wants.

My reason for saying he should go to school is because it will improve his golf and life skills. An education is secondary when you are that good. Chances are he will never, ever work in a job that isnt to do with golf, weather that's on the PGA, coaching golfers, etc etc. I dont think he'll ever actually work in whatever course he takes. For an athlete that talented, school is an unfortunate consequence of college sports.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Kapanda

There must be some latin phrase that properly describes this diverting remark.

The answer for that question is not the reason why either of us constructed our opinions on the matter. So why ask it?

Your post said the only reason to go to college was to get a job.  My response countered that with the education one gets.  Not sure why this is hard for you to follow???

[x129]

I thought you went to college for the great parties and drunk coeds More seriously people spout off the go to college and get educated thing without consider people individuals circumstances a lot of times.  For most of us, college was a no brainer. If your offered mid 7 figures though, you have to think about if it is worth it. You can always go back in 5 years if the golf thing doesn't work out. In sports like Baseball and hockey few people complain about kids going pro out of high school. In other sports people act like it is the end of the world (Basketball + football). It always seems to me like it is the big money college sports where people object to kids going pro.

Originally Posted by Kapanda

Why would college be more important than the reason people go to college for (get a degree to improve the prospects of getting a good job)?

If - which I can accept is a significant "if" - he is ready to play pro, then college can certainly wait.

[Kapanda]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Your post said the only reason to go to college was to get a job.  My response countered that with the education one gets.  Not sure why this is hard for you to follow???

Your point put an emphasis on what his family might value, which is irrelevant.

If your personal opinion is that getting an education for education's sake is worth delaying a tour pro - likely Beau Hossler's dream - there's nothing else to do than to agree to disagree.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Kapanda

Your point put an emphasis on what his family might value, which is irrelevant.

If your personal opinion is that getting an education for education's sake is worth delaying a tour pro - likely Beau Hossler's dream - there's nothing else to do than to agree to disagree.

No actually I wrote:

"Has it occurred to you that maybe the kid or his family value being an educated person?

You made the point that the only reason to go to college is to get a job.  That is wrong.  We definitely will have to disagree about this one.

[stealthduffer]

If asked, I'd advise him to go to college.  Being a pro golfer (or any professional - sporting or otherwise) involves a lot of life skills that extend beyond the boundries of the playing field.  Travel, interactive skills, money management, time management, etc. all are a function of maturity and experience.    It seems like Beau has a great support network with the time, talent and financial assets to help him on the way - but at some point you have to expect he can become an independent adult and manage his own life and career.  A few years in college will help him - if he ends up partying and wasting his time and talent he wasn't ready to be a professional athlete.  If not, then he comes out into the pro ranks better prepared.  Besides, who needs that sort of pressure when you're 17 or 18?  Let him be a kid for a little bit, learn something about the world and play some college golf.

[Zwick]

You can take Patrick Cantlay as an example: He really had some success as an amateur too, now just turned pro and now he is in danger to miss his first two cuts in a row. There is much more pressure if you are playing for money and your future career.

I think Hossler should go to college and gets as good as he can while getting an education as a second option if it doesn't work out as hoped.

[x129]

So those years of college didn't do anything to prepare Cantlay as he could have missed cuts without them? Maybe he should have spent them as a pro Golf is a high variance game. Rory missed a bunch of cuts in a row earlier this year after being one of the hottest golfers around pre Masters. Lets not jump to any conclusions off a couple of tournaments.

Originally Posted by Zwick

You can take Patrick Cantlay as an example: He really had some success as an amateur too, now just turned pro and now he is in danger to miss his first two cuts in a row. There is much more pressure if you are playing for money and your future career.

I think Hossler should go to college and gets as good as he can while getting an education as a second option if it doesn't work out as hoped.