New target: Scratch Golf

[bjoern2796]

I am a german golfer who has another handicap than you. The last 7 rounds were 82, 81, 85, 83, 79.

My handicap-index is 15,7 and i've been playing golf vor 1.5 years now. I am 14 years old.

My next target is scratch golf and i just want to update this thread after every competive round of golf until i am a scratch golfer. My golf instructor is Tiger Woods, because of his book. I read it multiple times and i pay attention to every single point in this book. So my swing looks pretty like Tiger's Swing in 2000 but not as perfect as his swing.

I know you all will laugh about me but i am serious. I want to become a PGA TOUR PROFESSIONAL and be the best golfer ever and i will work for it.

My first step to this is scratch golf.

[Beachcomber]

Welcome to The Sand Trap!  Great first post!

I look forward to being a part of your journey through this thread which can act as your personal journey.  Please make sure you visit our 'My Swing' forum and post your swing.  We'd love to see how your swing is progressing as you go from a 15 handicap to a scratch golfer, and eventually onto the PGA tour.

[bjoern2796]

So you don't laugh as hard as i thought about my post ? When i read my postcratchow and i imagine that i wouldn't be this guy there is a crazy and ludicrous guy out there. But i'm really serious. I will practice all the off-season to become better. My first step is to plax scratch golf. The second step will be to try to get a golf scholorship so i can play college golf in the US. The third step will be to go to qualifying school to get my web.com tour card. And then I must learn how to plax tour golf. And maybe I will get to the Pga Tour some time.

[Valleygolfer]

So you don't laugh as hard as i thought about my post ? When i read my postcratchow and i imagine that i wouldn't be this guy there is a crazy and ludicrous guy out there. But i'm really serious. I will practice all the off-season to become better. My first step is to plax scratch golf. The second step will be to try to get a golf scholorship so i can play college golf in the US. The third step will be to go to qualifying school to get my web.com tour card. And then I must learn how to plax tour golf. And maybe I will get to the Pga Tour some time.

We quit laughing at posts like these long ago. Tour pro is easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Now show us your game.

[zipazoid]

Don't take this wrong, and we hope you all the best, but we get these kinds of posts a lot - 'Hi guys I love golf & gonna play the tour...'

You're 14, so that's good....your body will grow. Hit 300 balls every day, get a scholarship to a major college, be #1 man on their team, compete in major Amateur tournaments, keep developing.

Then go to PGA Tour Qualifying School and make the top 35 and get your card.

You can do it, but you're gonna have to work hard at it with no let up. Good luck.

[bjoern2796]

Times have changed. You can't get your PGA Tour card at quylifying school. You must be ranked in the top 25 of the money list on the web.com tour at the end of the year. Or you must ranked in the top 25 in the web.com tour finals. there are 3 tournaments. SThat'sthe rule now.

[Mordan]

Originally Posted by bjoern2796

I am a german golfer who has another handicap than you. The last 7 rounds were 82, 81, 85, 83, 79.

My handicap-index is 15,7 and i've been playing golf vor 1.5 years now. I am 14 years old.

My next target is scratch golf and i just want to update this thread after every competive round of golf until i am a scratch golfer. My golf instructor is Tiger Woods, because of his book. I read it multiple times and i pay attention to every single point in this book. So my swing looks pretty like Tiger's Swing in 2000 but not as perfect as his swing.

I know you all will laugh about me but i am serious. I want to become a PGA TOUR PROFESSIONAL and be the best golfer ever and i will work for it.

My first step to this is scratch golf.

The (scratch) club champion at my club last year was 13. At the time he played off 1. He's played in a few under age UK and European tournaments and done quite well. People think that if he applies himself, has some luck and things fall his way that he might make a living playing golf. If he does really well he might play European/PGA tour golf. You need to realise that he is just one of many, many young golfer who are so far ahead of you right now. Overtake them all and you might make it onto the tour, but you're a long way behind and they're unbelievably good.

I'm not saying you shouldn't have your dreams, but make sure you have a plan B.

[Lihu]

The (scratch) club champion at my club last year was 13. At the time he played off 1. He's played in a few under age UK and European tournaments and done quite well. People think that if he applies himself, has some luck and things fall his way that he might make a living playing golf. If he does really well he might play European/PGA tour golf. You need to realise that he is just one of many, many young golfer who are so far ahead of you right now. Overtake them all and you might make it onto the tour, but you're a long way behind and they're unbelievably good.  I'm not saying you shouldn't have your dreams, but make sure you have a plan B.

It is good that you are trying to go to college in the US, that's a good plan B. My son is 12 and scores in the low 80s from standard tees. He just likes golfing with friends his age. One of them is about a 5 to 8 handicap. I think that kid would also like to go pro someday, but also has a plan B. I hope to be playing at my son's level soon, so we can play more together.

[bjoern2796]

Yes I know that i won't become a tour pro to 99.99 percent. But I'm just bored of school and i needed a hobby for what I am working very hard. At school I am the best but in golf there I've to learn very much. If I wouldn't play golf i would play Call Of Duty or Battlefield 3 all day long like all guys in my class. But I don't want to do that so i started playing golf after I was watching Martin Kaymer at the PGA Championship 2011. Then I started golf next year in April and since then I am addicted to it and my idol is Tiger Woods. And I know there are younger guys like me out there who are miles away from my game. In my club, the other players in my age are bigger than me and hit the ball 50 yards farther than me. But there swings doesn't look good and aren't consistent. And they are playing golf there for over 5 years and still have a handicap of 10. In my opinion that's not good for a youth golfer. My goal for this year was handicap 10 but there wasn't enough tournaments and now the season is over and I can't play tournaments any more because there aren't any. It's not like in the US where you can go with your homies on the course and sign the scorecard and give it to the clubhouse. You must play tournaments to reduce your handicap. And every tournament counts. You can't decide whether you sign your scorecard you have to or your handicap is getting worse automaticly.

[bjoern2796]

With miles away from my game i mean that they are much better then me.

[bjoern2796]

Maybe noone of you would think that scratch golf is my goal for the end of next year but it is. I know it's unrealistic but I always set hard goals. I just realized that it isn't so hard to play scratch golf. My short game is pretty well but I'm getting frustrated after one bad shot very fast. And that often is the end of my good golf for that round. And it's not so good that I am 17 minutes driving car away from the next golf course.

[Lihu]

Yes I know that i won't become a tour pro to 99.99 percent. But I'm just bored of school and i needed a hobby for what I am working very hard. At school I am the best but in golf there I've to learn very much. If I wouldn't play golf i would play Call Of Duty or Battlefield 3 all day long like all guys in my class. But I don't want to do that so i started playing golf after I was watching Martin Kaymer at the PGA Championship 2011. Then I started golf next year in April and since then I am addicted to it and my idol is Tiger Woods. And I know there are younger guys like me out there who are miles away from my game. In my club, the other players in my age are bigger than me and hit the ball 50 yards farther than me. But there swings doesn't look good and aren't consistent. And they are playing golf there for over 5 years and still have a handicap of 10. In my opinion that's not good for a youth golfer. My goal for this year was handicap 10 but there wasn't enough tournaments and now the season is over and I can't play tournaments any more because there aren't any. It's not like in the US where you can go with your homies on the course and sign the scorecard and give it to the clubhouse. You must play tournaments to reduce your handicap. And every tournament counts. You can't decide whether you sign your scorecard you have to or your handicap is getting worse automaticly.

I would recommend that you major in something that interests you. Perhaps golf related. Golf related in that you can apply it to golf in some form or another. Engineering, you might be able to design golf equipment. Kinesiology, so you can teach golf or develop good training methods. Medical Doctor, no shortage of them on the courses in USA. The list could go on and on, and yes getting interested in golf is much better than sitting at home playing video games. Unless, you want to fly predators, or other robotic weapons. Going pro tour is not your only option in golf.

[Lihu]

Maybe noone of you would think that scratch golf is my goal for the end of next year but it is. I know it's unrealistic but I always set hard goals. I just realized that it isn't so hard to play scratch golf. My short game is pretty well but I'm getting frustrated after one bad shot very fast. And that often is the end of my good golf for that round. And it's not so good that I am 17 minutes driving car away from the next golf course.

You are young enough to make scratch. You can hit balls harder and farther than my son or any of his other 12 year old friends. I think their goal is to reach scratch before 15 or 16 as well. You have 3 years before college. Even if you shoot in the 70s, you should be able to get into some college on a scholarship. It sounds like you can almost do that now.

[phillyk]

Originally Posted by Lihu

You are young enough to make scratch. You can hit balls harder and farther than my son or any of his other 12 year old friends. I think their goal is to reach scratch before 15 or 16 as well.

You have 3 years before college. Even if you shoot in the 70s, you should be able to get into some college on a scholarship. It sounds like you can almost do that now.

I was a 3 handicap going into college and the coach at my university didn't even bother to look at me, thinking I wasn't good enough and it was a DII school.  Shooting scratch or really close is almost essential these days to get into a university offering golf scholarships.  Setting the goal to hit scratch golf is good, but you must be dedicated.  The biggest mental block I hit is where bjoern2796 i think you are at now as you have mentioned.  Hitting one bad shot sets you off. If you let one bad shot set you off, it will take a lot longer to reach scratch.  You have to move past a bad shot, relax, let it go, and KNOW that you can make the next shot the best one on that hole.  It's not about making that next shot overly aggressive, it's about making it close enough to negate the previous one.  I know it sounds stupid, but birdies are your best friend that you must trust.  Trust that you can get birdies and reduce doubles.

[bjoern2796]

@Beachcomber Here you can see my swing: http://thesandtrap.com/t/63698/my-swing-bjoern2796 I captured the video a week ago. I've broken my ankle yesterday, so I can't practice for the next 3 months.

[billchao]

My father in law plays his Sunday morning rounds with the club champ at his club. He's 16 and a scratch golfer, I'm told he is almost 300 off the tee. He went to some juniors' tournament in California and finished 28th out of 29. He's a long way from you and even he understands that he's likely never going to play pro golf. It's great to have a dream and set goals towards it, but like others have mentioned, have a backup plan. Just a bit of advice, take it or leave it. As a teenager, I thought I didn't need school either. Trust me life is hard enough without being undereducated. Its great that you want to play golf for a college, but most collegiate athletes go further in their careers with their degrees than their sport. I'd be playing a lot more golf now if I finished my engineering degree. I guess I'm just saying: go to school for the education. The golfing should be secondary. Best of luck to you. Keep working, keep learning, but don't neglect your studies.

[Yukari]

Ok, I don't know how the handicap system works in Germany, but with those 5 (not 7) scores you listed, I would think you would be a lot lower than 15.7 (at least it should be under the USGA handicap).

If you keep your scores like your math, I would seriously doubt you'll make it as a pro.  I am not busting your chops.  I am just trying to emphasize the importance of education here.

Originally Posted by bjoern2796

I am a german golfer who has another handicap than you. The last 7 rounds were 82, 81, 85, 83, 79.

My handicap-index is 15,7 and i've been playing golf vor 1.5 years now. I am 14 years old.

My next target is scratch golf and i just want to update this thread after every competive round of golf until i am a scratch golfer. My golf instructor is Tiger Woods, because of his book. I read it multiple times and i pay attention to every single point in this book. So my swing looks pretty like Tiger's Swing in 2000 but not as perfect as his swing.

I know you all will laugh about me but i am serious. I want to become a PGA TOUR PROFESSIONAL and be the best golfer ever and i will work for it.

My first step to this is scratch golf.

[saevel25]

Quote:

Maybe noone of you would think that scratch golf is my goal for the end of next year but it is. I know it's unrealistic but I always set hard goals. I just realized that it isn't so hard to play scratch golf. My short game is pretty well but I'm getting frustrated after one bad shot very fast. And that often is the end of my good golf for that round. And it's not so good that I am 17 minutes driving car away from the next golf course

I don't know why you say that. If this is your goal and you are sincear in this, then live it and go for it, don't let anyone say you can't..

If you get flustered after one bad shot, you have a long way to go, but your young and you will learn to control your emotions. The great thing about golf is, if you have one bad shot you can make one great shot to make up for it. There isn't a need to live your whole round on one shot. Learn to pick your battles, not every hole needs to be a birdie. Learn the golf course, learn how your game fits it, learn were you need to grind out pars, and learn were you can turn on the heat to make birdies. But first thing you need to do is,

1) stop thinking everyone is against you getting to scratch

2) control your anger

3) learn game management, because no matter how good you can play, no matter how much talent you have, it can all go to hell in a hand basket if you can't control yourself and know when to slam on the accelerator. Look at Phil, great talent, but probably could have won twice as many majors and more tournaments if he knew control.

4) stop comparing yourself to other people, it only breads insecurity and anxiety, which will feed bad emotions on the golf course. You play your own game and they play theres. Who cares if others are better at you know, keep your goals insight and work towards it.

5) another way to get on the tour, be a very accomplished amateur golfer and get exemptions. Especially if you are in Europe, work on being an amateur there, try to play through the European tour and get some exemptions, then if you do well there you can get on the money list and get your card as well.