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Becoming a Pro - Career Progression


Golfingaddiction
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I've got a co-worker who plays to a 4 handicap and the guy maybe picks up a club once a month (less in cooler months).  But when we get out to the course he just hits the ball straight as an arrow and doesn't make mistakes that cost strokes.  He's not long, in fact I'm longer off the tee than he is, but he's consistent.  Last time we played together he stepped onto this track for the first time ever and without even hitting a ball on the range he shot a 74 that day.  Dude never practices...it drives me crazy! :)

I encouraged him to go try his hand at a USGA Open qualifier at a course where he plays weekly during the summer months in a 9-hole league and regularly shoots even par there.  They played off the tips, which he normally doesn't (around 7200 yards) and shot something like an 80 that day...not even close to the 65 that ended up being the best score that day.  But it was good experience.  He told me afterward that it was fun but he really had no desire to try and play professionally.

It takes a LOT of work and investment - money, time and emotionally - that some aren't willing or able to put into their game.  If you have the dream and legitimately have the game you say you do in the OP then go for it.  Hire a coach, figure out a practice plan, and start playing some local tournaments to see how you match up.  If you can become the best amateur in the state then you're there and you'll be ready to move on to the mini-tour level.  I don't have that kind of game but dropping those 4 strokes off your handicap will be tough.  Not saying it cannot be done but you have to put in the work and investment to get there.

Driver: Cobra FlyZ | 9.5 Degrees Draw | Fujikura Pro 63 Tour Spec
Fairway Wood: Cobra F7 3-4 Wood | 14.5 degrees | Fujikura Pro 65
Hybrid: Cobra F7 3-4H | 19 degrees | Fujikura Pro 75H
Irons: Srixon Z545 (4-Iron) | Srixon Z 765 (5-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6 | 50 F Grind | 54 M Grind | 58 K Grind
Putter: Odyssey O-Works 1W WBW

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28 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

tumblr_ljh0puClWT1qfkt17.gif

Pass the popcorn bro!  I wanna see where this goes.....

What is the over/under of this being real not a soap opera????

Driver: :callaway: Diablo
Woods: :callaway: Big Bertha 2 & 4
Irons: Miura MC 102's 3 - PW & Mizuno MP 67's 3 - W
Wedges: :mizuno: MP-R12 52* & 58*
Putters: :ping: WRX Ti4

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I certainly believe a 4 HC is achievable in 6 months if someone has a decent amount of talent/athleticism, is pretty sharp, has a good eye and feel, and most importantly has time and energy to put into improvement.

I went from shooting ~95-100 to 81-85 in about 18 months. And I only played up to maybe 3-4 hours per week over the long run average (practice and play time included). And that was with a not-so-great instructor for the first year, followed by only a few lessons with a good instructor in these last ~6-8 months or so.

If someone could put in a solid 2-3 hours per day in focused practice, and could hit the course 3-4 times per week, possibly with another already-skilled golfer or a playing lesson, I think it's certainly possible.

I'm pretty sure my brother has had less than 6 months of actual "golf" experience (2 summers at a country club as a bag and cart boy) and he has a swing that's probably capable of ~5-10 HC as-is. We played best-ball and were in a little bit of a hurry because of the sun setting and it was cold out, but I think he hit 5 easy pars in a row and he wasn't even using his own clubs.

D: :tmade: R1 Stiff @ 10* 3W: :tmade: AeroBurner TP 15* 2H: :adams: Super 9031 18* 3-SW: :tmade: R9 Stiff P: :titleist: :scotty_cameron: Futura X7M 35"

Ball: Whatever. Something soft. Kirklands Signature are pretty schweeeet at the moment!

Bag: :sunmountain: C130 Cart Bag Push Cart: :sunmountain: Micro Cart Sport

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Greg Norman is the golfer that comes to mind when it comes to learning the game quickly.  He went from a 27 to scratch in about 18 months starting at the age of 15.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Norman

So getting to a 4 in 6 months, it seems possible but extremely rare.

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17 hours ago, Golfingaddiction said:

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am new to both this site, and game of golf as I only picked up a club for the first time 6 and a half months ago. I believe I belong to a small group of gifted golfers, as I have a 4 handicap and am regularly just barely off of par on a par 72 course. (Yes I understand the claim I just made. No I am not a troll.) my goal is scratch or under by the 10 month mark, as it's currently below zero where I live which makes it difficult to get out and continue my progress. I am an extremely long ball hitter (at 6'5" 260 pounds and 24 years old) and regularly hit 300+ on my drives with a longest personal drive of about 340 yards, and start hitting my sand wedge at 150 yards. I believe I can make money playing golf in the near future (3-4 years hopefully), but how do I get to that point? My state doesn't have much for big amateur tournaments besides your average run of the mill club house scrambles and the like, and traveling to different states to play in amateur tourneys isn't much of a possibility right now. Any helpful tips or ideas are more than welcome. 

Thank you for your time. 

 

If you don't end up playing pro golf, you might consider REMAX long drive. Add another 60 yards to your longest drive with a 48 inch driver, and you could be a contender. . .

:ping:  :tmade:  :callaway:   :gamegolf:  :titleist:

TM White Smoke Big Fontana; Pro-V1
TM Rac 60 TT WS, MD2 56
Ping i20 irons U-4, CFS300
Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
Callaway XR16 3W 15 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S, X2Hot Pro 20 degrees S

"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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1 hour ago, No Mulligans said:

Greg Norman is the golfer that comes to mind when it comes to learning the game quickly.  He went from a 27 to scratch in about 18 months starting at the age of 15.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Norman

So getting to a 4 in 6 months, it seems possible but extremely rare.

Without dedicated coaching, ample time, hard work, god given talent, etc., it's impossible.  That's why we don't run into fellow golfers who claim, "yeah, I went from nothing to 4 HI in 6 months while I held down my full time job, and playing once or twice a week."   The OP is total BS b/c he claim he got to 4 HI b/c he was just talented.   There is nothing he said about having lots of time, putting that time to hard work, getting professional coaching, etc..   He basically said I picked up a golf club 6 months ago and the rest was history.   He's pulling our legs as many trolls in the past have done.   I can't believe a few posters here are taking this guy's post seriously, giving him advice, etc.. 

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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I may not judge so quickly on the long ball accounts.  He declares his physicality which fits the current typical professional long ball hitters profile.  Although he does not distinguish if he has played other athletics, some have stopped other sports to excel in long ball events in a short period of time.  However, a zero to sixty handicap in a short time would be an outlier, or perhaps ever a white lier.   Let's see where this goes.

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2 minutes ago, Hatchman said:

I may not judge so quickly on the long ball accounts.  He declares his physicality which fits the current typical professional long ball hitters profile. 

It's certainly doable to hit 300+ yards within 6 months or less.   I know someone like that.   To get to 4 HI in 6 months though, I'd venture to guess that he needs to have decent putting, chipping, pitching, iron game, shot shaping, and sand play (or most of aforementioned).   To be at a decent level at these, it'd take a lot more than hitting long drives.

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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14 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

  To be at a decent level at these, it'd take a lot more than hitting long drives.

Yep.  Ever get around 30 yards or less to the hole and take more than 3 to get in? Without practice or a coach add those strokes up.

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1 hour ago, rkim291968 said:

Without dedicated coaching, ample time, hard work, god given talent, etc., it's impossible.  That's why we don't run into fellow golfers who claim, "yeah, I went from nothing to 4 HI in 6 months while I held down my full time job, and playing once or twice a week."   The OP is total BS b/c he claim he got to 4 HI b/c he was just talented.   There is nothing he said about having lots of time, putting that time to hard work, getting professional coaching, etc..   He basically said I picked up a golf club 6 months ago and the rest was history.   He's pulling our legs as many trolls in the past have done.   I can't believe a few posters here are taking this guy's post seriously, giving him advice, etc.. 

I've never seen it, but I hear it happens. I suppose if he has the driving distance he claims, then he's basically only going to need to drive and maybe hit his 9i on occasion on par 4 and a hybrid on par 5?

I'd have to see his game to really judge if he's as good as he states.

 

34 minutes ago, Hatchman said:

I may not judge so quickly on the long ball accounts.  He declares his physicality which fits the current typical professional long ball hitters profile.  Although he does not distinguish if he has played other athletics, some have stopped other sports to excel in long ball events in a short period of time.  However, a zero to sixty handicap in a short time would be an outlier, or perhaps ever a white lier.   Let's see where this goes.

I tend to agree with this, not impossible but definitely an outlier. . .

 

26 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

It's certainly doable to hit 300+ yards within 6 months or less.   I know someone like that.   To get to 4 HI in 6 months though, I'd venture to guess that he needs to have decent putting, chipping, pitching, iron game, shot shaping, and sand play (or most of aforementioned).   To be at a decent level at these, it'd take a lot more than hitting long drives.

I've never even met anyone who can do this either, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. . .

 

8 minutes ago, Hatchman said:

Yep.  Ever get around 30 yards or less to the hole and take more than 3 to get in? Without practice or a coach add those strokes up.

Me, never happened to me***. . . :whistle:

 

 

***I think I still hold the record for sub-30 yard missed eagle shots that turned into bogey's :-P

 

 

:ping:  :tmade:  :callaway:   :gamegolf:  :titleist:

TM White Smoke Big Fontana; Pro-V1
TM Rac 60 TT WS, MD2 56
Ping i20 irons U-4, CFS300
Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
Callaway XR16 3W 15 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S, X2Hot Pro 20 degrees S

"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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To the OP. Welcome. Here's a search for you within our site, so that you can see others who have bravely gone before you with a similar topic.

https://thesandtrap.com/search/?&q=qqq&item=41071&tags=wannabe&eitherTermsOrTags=or

For everyone else, I have found 41 similar threads so far, and let me know if you remember any I may have missed, and I can add the correct tag to those threads!  A couple in the results are borderline, but are at least relevant to going pro as they discuss the process or skills needed.

Good stuff, and people who are eager to go pro should read up on their predecessors here on the site.

 

  • Upvote 2

My Swing


Driver: :ping: G30, Irons: :tmade: Burner 2.0, Putter: :cleveland:, Balls: :snell:

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3 minutes ago, RandallT said:

To the OP. Welcome. Here's a search for you within our site, so that you can see others who have bravely gone before you with a similar topic.

https://thesandtrap.com/search/?&q=qqq&item=41071&tags=wannabe&eitherTermsOrTags=or

For everyone else, I have found 41 similar threads so far, and let me know if you remember any I may have missed, and I can add the correct tag to those threads!  A couple in the results are borderline, but are at least relevant to going pro as they discuss the process or skills needed.

Good stuff, and people who are eager to go pro should read up on their predecessors here on the site.

Actually, I was wondering when someone would do this. :-)

However, I have to say "Dude, you have way too much time on your hands!" :-D

  • Upvote 2

:ping:  :tmade:  :callaway:   :gamegolf:  :titleist:

TM White Smoke Big Fontana; Pro-V1
TM Rac 60 TT WS, MD2 56
Ping i20 irons U-4, CFS300
Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
Callaway XR16 3W 15 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S, X2Hot Pro 20 degrees S

"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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3 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Actually, I was wondering when someone would do this. :-)

However, I have to say "Dude, you have way too much time on your hands!" :-D

"Handy Randy"

"James"

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You need to MOVE SOUTH! SoCal, AZ, FLA. play golf year round with plenty of tournament opportunities and maybe mini tours to step up to

Edited by chilepepper
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To be consistent at any aspects of golf (or any sport for that matter), it takes a lot of repetitive practice.  Without it, it's hard to score consistently.   One reason why golf is hard is that there are so many aspects of golf: pitching, putting, chipping, wedge, iron, woods, driver, course management, shot shaping, playing with/against wind and other elements, ball above/below feet, getting out of sand, ....   To get to 4 HI, one has to practice most of these enough to consistently repeat in a round after round.   I'd guess that a person with God given talent can work with a good instructor at full time for 6 months may be able to do it.   That's a big "maybe."   I've read somewhere that an LPGA player got to 10 HI in 6 months.   4 HI in 6 months?  Yeah, right.

RiCK

(Play it again, Sam)

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Did the OP vanish without showing any proof? 

  • Upvote 1

In my bag: 
Irons: TaylorMade M2,  Woods: TaylorMade M2 5 Wood , Driver: TaylorMade Aero Burner mini driver  Hybrid: Some crappy Wilson 4H Putter: Some crappy Wilson HDX putter. 

You will notice that my set is heavy on the super game improvement kit, I am still awaiting the super game improvement that was promised. 

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11 hours ago, rkim291968 said:

To be consistent at any aspects of golf (or any sport for that matter), it takes a lot of effective  repetitive practice.  Without it, it's hard to score consistently.   One reason why golf is hard is that there are so many aspects of golf: pitching, putting, chipping, wedge, iron, woods, driver, course management, shot shaping, playing with/against wind and other elements, ball above/below feet, getting out of sand, ....   To get to 4 HI, one has to practice most of these enough to consistently repeat in a round after round.   I'd guess that a person with God given talent can work with a good instructor at full time for 6 months may be able to do it.   That's a big "maybe."   I've read somewhere that an LPGA player got to 10 HI in 6 months.   4 HI in 6 months?  Yeah, right.

Changed that for you. . .

:ping:  :tmade:  :callaway:   :gamegolf:  :titleist:

TM White Smoke Big Fontana; Pro-V1
TM Rac 60 TT WS, MD2 56
Ping i20 irons U-4, CFS300
Callaway XR16 9 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S
Callaway XR16 3W 15 degree Fujikura Speeder 565 S, X2Hot Pro 20 degrees S

"I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." ~Harry Toscano

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23 minutes ago, BristolGolf said:

Did the OP vanish without showing any proof? 

Well, he is either:

A) As some have said, making it all up

B) Too busy playing on tour to log in and let us mere mortals know

  • Upvote 1

Russ, from "sunny" Yorkshire = :-( 

In the bag: Driver: Ping G5 , Woods:Dunlop NZ9, 4 Hybrid: Tayormade Burner, 4-SW: Hippo Beast Bi-Metal , Wedges: Wilson 1200, Putter: Cleveland Smartsquare Blade, Ball: AD333

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Note: This thread is 2660 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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