What do you think my chances are going pro

[MEfree]

I'm a 10 handicap now Used to be a 3 Didn't golf for a year Will be a 3-6 very shortly can you guys think of anybody my age, going pro when they are 30? I'm 26 with a crazy work ethic, thinking I'll be pro when I'm 30-33. Anybody follow igolftv? Awesome guy! Zack

There are several who have made it on the PGA Tour and a couple of others who made some $ on the Champions Tour who took up the game later in life- Calvin Peete and Larry Nelson come to mind. I have a friend who got serious about being a pro in his 20s that had a good paying sales job that allowed him to golf every afternoon (and take time off to play tournaments). His game improved a lot and I think he enjoyed the journey, but he never qualified for a PGA Tour event. He's in his 50s now and did cash a small check in the CO Sr Open a few years back. Not only are there a lot of really good golfers who have never played in a PGA Tour event, there are a lot of golfers who have made a cut or two on tour and then never gotten into another event. If you can keep running your gym and work on your game at the same time, I'd say go for it as long as you have the desire. To access your chances of even cashing a few checks on the smaller tours, at the very least, I'd want to know how long/how much playing it took you to get to a 3 HC initially, how long you stayed at a 3 and why you stopped playing.

[Lihu]

Welcome to the site, there is a wealth of information here that can assist you on your journey. If you do a search on here you'll find numerous threads (similar to yours) from different individuals asking about their chances of going pro.  It seems we get these questions a few times a month and they all end up the same.  Numerous posters will state the facts about the difficulty of making the Tour and the huge variance between being a scratch golfer and pro level which usually is not received well by the OP.  A 3-6 HI won't win you a club championship at most country clubs so until you get to scratch and better you won't even be considered a top amateur. Cue @Shorty

Unfortunately, even scratch is pretty common. For example, my home course just hosted over 80 scratch golfers for the SCGA match play qualifier last Thursday. They ranged from scratch to +2 or even better. Even the top 10 Seniors shot in the low 70s. Even one of the 23 year old players doesn't think he has a chance on a mini tour at a current +0.6, and having played with him before I have to say that he's really good.

[jamo]

I've said "no way in hell" to every single person who has made a thread like this and haven't been proven wrong yet.

[Vinsk]

My cousin got his PGA Tour card in 1986. He played in some tournaments from 1987-1989 but couldn't make ends meet. I respect all those guys on tour with an amazing accomplishment however I personally give more credit to those who worked other jobs and fought their way to success on their own, cheap hotels, staying with friends, traveling by bus, etc. There are some on tour, big successes and fair, who's parents and "friends of the family" paid their expenses and sponsored them 100% because that was what mommy and daddy's little boy wanted. My cousin made less than 10k over the 3 years and just had to give it up. Playing around Country Clubs and munis he always broke 70. On tour was a real struggle for him.

[Jeremie Boop]

I think the main problem is, we all have had shots/holes/strings of holes where everything clicks and we think "man, if I could do this all the time I could be a pro"... Truth is, no we can't. Most of our good holes are not only significantly shorter than what the pros play, but they also play easier. If we took our "a game" to a course set up for the PGA pros we'd be lucky to break par, let alone be 3-6 under per round. I would say to you, if you really want to see where you need to be to be a pro, try to get into a pro am or find someone local who plays to a + HC. You'll see the difference between where you are and where they are. I'm not saying there's no way you could make it, because I don't believe in absolute statements like that, but I think you are probably underestimating the amount of improvement required to get there.

[mvmac]

Get your handicap down to a +4 to +6 and you'll have a shot. You need to shave 16 strokes off your handicap in 4-5 years.

You might want to do the following,

Hit the ball over 285 yards with only 2.5 to 4 degrees of accuracy.

Hit 67% GIR, on courses ranging from 7200 to 7500 yards.

Scramble 55% of the time or better.

Yep, that's the recipe for success.

There are several who have made it on the PGA Tour and a couple of others who made some $ on the Champions Tour who took up the game later in life- Calvin Peete and Larry Nelson come to mind.

Yeah obviously those kind of players are pretty rare. Nelson got really good, really fast, he broke 70 after only playing for 9 months.

http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/larry-nelson/

[Patch]

IMO, one good personal check for an aspiring pro would be to find a 7000+ yard course, and go play it 4 days in a row. If you can manage par, or better, every day, for the 4 consecutive days you you play, then you "might" have enough game to play on a tour some where. Do this on several different courses, while maintaining  par or better scores, and your chances will increase.

Maintaining a really low handicap gets a little tougher when the golfer has to walk 4+ miles a day for 4 straight days.  I walk/play 4 days in a row once or twice every three months or so, just for the heck of it. Only thing is, I trolley my bag instead of carrying it. That 3rd, and 4th round really tells me a lot about the state of my health, and game. After about 60 holes, I am asking myself some really nasty questions, while trying to maintain a decent finish for the remaining holes. .

[MEfree]

Yeah obviously those kind of players are pretty rare. Nelson got really good, really fast, he broke 70 after only playing for 9 months.  [URL=http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/larry-nelson/]http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/larry-nelson/[/URL]

Agreed. That is one reason I asked him how long it took him to become a 3 HC and how long he remained a 3..

[zackgolfreno]

It's just because making it as a tour player is extremely difficult. You basically have to be able to shoot in the mid 60's from the tips at any course you tee it up at. Your chance of making it would be very slim even if you were currently a scratch golfer. There are A LOT of good players out there that will never tee it up on the PGA Tour. Not trying to be negative, just realistic.

Check out this thread, will give you an idea of what you need to do.

Check out @Nosevi's http://thesandtrap.com/t/80287/petes-programme-single-digit-to-tour-player thread.

Hi Zack. You asked for a player that made it about your age. Don't know your actual skill sets but you may want to study Tommy "Two Glove" who had to grind his way to status. There is a progression to follow - as with most sports. Glad your in the position your in with the gym at your age and just caution don't let one dream go for another without careful consideration. Gainey working on I think $70k this year so its its not a money pot for lot of them. Start playing with scratch players if you can to see how they can turn up the heat on you when they need to.

"Gainey turned professional in 1997, and for the next several years played golf on smaller tours in the southern United States. Gainey won four events on the Egolf Tarheel Tour, two in 2006 and one in 2007. He also won an event on the NGA Hooters Tour, and he played on the Gateway Tour.[2]

In 2005, Gainey appeared on the Golf Channel's show The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe, being eliminated in the sixth episode. He would return to the show in 2007 for The Big Break VII: Reunion at Reunion, which he won. In 2007, Gainey played four events on the Nationwide Tour and recorded one top-ten finish. At the end of the 2007 season, he earned a PGA Tour card through graduating from Q-School, finishing the six rounds T-19, after going through all three elimination stages of qualifying, a total of 14 rounds. That made him the first Big Break alumnus to earn a PGA Tour card."

What @mvmac said.

Get your handicap down to a +4 to +6 and you'll have a shot. You need to shave 16 strokes off your handicap in 4-5 years.

You might want to do the following,

Hit the ball over 285 yards with only 2.5 to 4 degrees of accuracy.

Hit 67% GIR, on courses ranging from 7200 to 7500 yards.

Scramble 55% of the time or better.

Holy shit now these were really helpful thank you!!!

I will try my best to keep yall updated.

i seriously love the help with paths to take and percentages to hit! I seriously love this game so much and I understand the grind.

What does suck is i live in reno nevada and the weather is not great year around. but luckily there is an indoor putting are and simulator, lets say i can get really good at putting!

I have found some weekly practice routines to possibly follow! Any advice here? I am acquainted with practice and grinding a lot, so whatever link works!

And again has anyone seen igolftv youtube? Dave marsh? what you think?

Seriously appreciate everything.

Zack

P.S have a swing videos where do i post this?

[zackgolfreno]

There are different levels of being involved in golf. Let me put it this way. I know guys who shoot in the mid-upper 60s who are working behind the cash registers at driving ranges because they're not good enough for the tour. That is no joke. I know guys who are on a smaller tour and shoot in the low 60s on that and they can't make it on the major tour.

You're a 10 handicap, but you want to be a professional golfer? Have you considered working in other aspects of the game? There are ways of being involved in golf that do not require you to play at world class levels.

I made a run at being a concert pianist at the age of 26. I was very good. I got to the equivalent of a scratch golfer on the piano. I didn't stand a chance. A career cannot be made on one piano concerto and three solo pieces.

If you were 13 years old, I'd say go for it. Hire a coach and take lessons and practice year round. Study hard and get good grades.

i will not always be a 10 handicap

[zackgolfreno]

I've said "no way in hell" to every single person who has made a thread like this and haven't been proven wrong yet.

good for you, looks like you've been a hater for a long time! Should be proud of yourself when you can finally tell someone " i told you so" with a stupid smirk.

[zackgolfreno]

There are several who have made it on the PGA Tour and a couple of others who made some $ on the Champions Tour who took up the game later in life- Calvin Peete and Larry Nelson come to mind. I have a friend who got serious about being a pro in his 20s that had a good paying sales job that allowed him to golf every afternoon (and take time off to play tournaments). His game improved a lot and I think he enjoyed the journey, but he never qualified for a PGA Tour event. He's in his 50s now and did cash a small check in the CO Sr Open a few years back.

Not only are there a lot of really good golfers who have never played in a PGA Tour event, there are a lot of golfers who have made a cut or two on tour and then never gotten into another event.

If you can keep running your gym and work on your game at the same time, I'd say go for it as long as you have the desire. To access your chances of even cashing a few checks on the smaller tours, at the very least, I'd want to know how long/how much playing it took you to get to a 3 HC initially, how long you stayed at a 3 and why you stopped playing.

Been playing since high school but VERY off an on

Story

highschool two years only spring time 06-08 prolly a 20 handicap

08-11 played football for the university of nevada so no golf at all

13  summer job at a local club played ALL summer probably 50 round that summer until my thumbs fell off got down to shooting +3-6 consistently with a lot of par rounds and even a couple 70's

Stopped until now

Im not going to boast to yall, but i am an athlete and fortunately for me I've been able to pick up things faster than most. Never once did I think I had the opportunity or time to be able to grind it our for a few years and make it.

Any help would be awesome.

I'm not jumping in full force either, Im smart, I sold my clubs back when i opened my gym to get a few barbells. Now before getting fitted or getting the equipment exactly for me, i picked up some cheap mizuno blades and promised myself to not buy some really nice clubs until i think i deserve them.

theres a famous quote out there about equipment

"its not the bow n arrow its the indian"

Zack

[Moppy]

I have a friend who got serious about being a pro in his 20s that had a good paying sales job that allowed him to golf every afternoon (and take time off to play tournaments).

Hah! Yeah, every once in a while a salesman gets the golf bug and you eventually have to let them go. It's a hazard of the profession.

[mvmac]

P.S have a swing videos where do i post this?

You can start a swing thread here.

http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings

Also please keep your responses to other users in one post, thanks

[Natural Patrick]

Not to change the topic but, reading the reply's to this thread. This is why I get upset when several posters on this forum like to use the word Scrubs. If a guy is in the top 10 on the leaderboard and he is not a household name. They call him a Scub or a no name loser. How the hell can anyone who is playing on the PGA tour be called this is beyond me. The talent it takes to play on the PGA tour is mind boggling yet people refer to them as scrubs and nobody's. I don't get it?

[SavvySwede]

Not to change the topic but, reading the reply's to this thread. This is why I get upset when several posters on this forum like to use the word Scrubs. If a guy is in the top 10 on the leaderboard and he is not a household name. They call him a Scub or a no name loser. How the hell can anyone who is playing on the PGA tour be called this is beyond me. The talent it takes to play on the PGA tour is mind boggling yet people refer to them as scrubs and nobody's. I don't get it?

Wrong thread? I don't see "scrub" used anywhere in this thread.

[Shorty]

Quote:

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvmac

It's just because making it as a tour player is extremely difficult. You basically have to be able to shoot in the mid 60's from the tips at any course you tee it up at. Your chance of making it would be very slim even if you were currently a scratch golfer. There are A LOT of good players out there that will never tee it up on the PGA Tour. Not trying to be negative, just realistic.

Check out this thread, will give you an idea of what you need to do.

I was watching TV the other day and it wa s about the secondary European Tour where players usually carry their own bag and have about 30 spectators. An Australian guy I've never heard of shot 16 under for the weekend.

To the OP - you said you "understand the grind".

No you don't. The "grind" is shooting 66, 72 and missing the cut, which is what you'll see on professional tours.

Your football and gym experience means zilch.

[newtogolf]

Not to change the topic but, reading the reply's to this thread. This is why I get upset when several posters on this forum like to use the word Scrubs. If a guy is in the top 10 on the leaderboard and he is not a household name. They call him a Scub or a no name loser. How the hell can anyone who is playing on the PGA tour be called this is beyond me. The talent it takes to play on the PGA tour is mind boggling yet people refer to them as scrubs and nobody's. I don't get it?

I've never seen the word "scrub" used but I agree with your sentiment.  The bottom 20 golfers on the PGA Tour are still better than 99.9% of the golfers in the world.