How much do tour pros actually play rounds?

[jkelley9]

I've been watching pro tour golf for about a year now and I've been hearing about players playing 3 tournaments and then taking a week off. I think that might be the norm? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

I'm wondering how often tour pros actually play full rounds, then. If they're playing 4 out 7 days in a week under high stress tournament play, are they playing rounds outside of tournaments? I know on the big major championships or bigger tournaments they'll play "practice" rounds but on any other week are they going out and playing 18-36 holes/day? Or do they more focus on the technique of their swing mostly, and leave it up to the tournaments for actual play? I know that especially the top 10 pros are committed to a lot of media obligations and I'm sure that's taxing, so I can't imagine them playing a lot of casual rounds...?

[Chilli Dipper]

Some pros are always playing rounds on their home course between tournaments; some pros don't play much, but hit hundreds of balls on the practice range every day; and there are a few pros who don't put in much maintenance time at all outside of competition. There's no correct answer.

[Shindig]

It depends on the player.  Keep in mind a tournament isn't "show up, okay, it's Thursday morning, go play."  Many play in the pro-am the day before and will do a practice round -- or parts of one, or multiple -- on Monday and Tuesday.  John Daly's PGA Championship win, where he showed up on Thursday morning, grabbed a caddie, and started playing wasn't a typical case.

Also, it isn't like other sports where there's a set practice routine and requirement.  Phil Mickelson doesn't have to do two-a-days all summer in Phoenix and Dustin Johnson doesn't have to shoot hundreds of free throws because the coach said so.  Each can set his or her own practice routine, and accordingly has to live with the consequences (earning potential, keeping card, work/life balance, etc).  

[BallStriker]

Depends on the player as shin-dig said......I think there are a lot of tour players that are junkies just like us and want to always be playing.....I remember listening to an interview with Paul Goydos once and he was talking about getting geared up to take a buddies trip to Bandon Dunes.....It seemed a bit odd to me that here was a tour pro that was taking time off and traveling to PLAY GOLF.....

On the other hand, you have guys like Boo Weekley that probably would rather be hunting or fishing, but really "has" to practice/play to stay sharp.......So....I dunno

[WUTiger]

On 5/22/2016 at 9:54 AM, Shindig said:

It depends on the player.  Keep in mind a tournament isn't "show up, okay, it's Thursday morning, go play."  Many play in the pro-am the day before and will do a practice round -- or parts of one, or multiple -- on Monday and Tuesday. ...

... Each can set his or her own practice routine, and accordingly has to live with the consequences (earning potential, keeping card, work/life balance, etc).  

I can comment on two pro tournaments I attended, both at Bellerive CC in St. Louis. I saw similar things in the practice rounds for each.

I watched from the crowd at the 2004 U.S. Senior Open; most competitors played a full 18-hole practice round. Generally they played one live ball - which they kept as personal score - and hit  other shots along the way. On No. 15, a long par 4, most players hit a fairway wood after their drive, and then dropped and hit a couple of wedges from about 60 yards out in case they had to lay up after a poor drive. In 2004, a couple of players had TM Rescue Mid-Hybrids, and hit hybrid chip shots from greenside to deep pin positions.

At the 2013 Senior PGA, I was assigned as a marshal on Hole No. 14, a short par 4. Some players tried a driver and a 3W off the tee, and often tried a short fairway bunker shot in case they drove through the landing area. Also, it appeared the players were given the daily pin locations for the tournament. The caddies in the passing foursomes would each drop a white, plastic marker in the approximate location of one of the cups. Players would make a couple of putts toward each location to see how the ball would roll. One guy got out on No. 14 green with a carpenter's level, and took detailed notes on the ascent and descent angles (???) of possible putts. He also tapped a few with his putter. His caddie needed to warn him, however, that the next foursome was waiting to hit. I noted the carpenter's diligence, and later noted he didn't make the 36-hole cut.

For both tournaments, it seemed the practice round would be more physically grueling (probably twice the number of shots hit) than an actual tournament round.