Becoming a Pro - Career Progression

[Lihu]

2 hours ago, Golfingaddiction said:

Gentleman sorry for the 2 day absence after I posted, been out hunting every day since I can't golf with the weather here. As this was my first post ever on here I didn't think this was going to end up with 4 pages of comments in this time. I wasn't even sure I would get a response to be honest. 

Next to the people who actually gave reasonable advice thank you for pointing me in the right direction. And thank you for the benefit of the doubt. Yes it's really possible because I'm certainly doing it. 

To the rest of you I have no way to prove to you I started 6 months ago so I guess we're going to have to agree to disbelieve each other. I knew some people would not believe me when I posted it, because of how good I am but let me explain how I got to this point. 

I started playing golf by complete accident the end of May, up until that point I hated golf and wanted nothing to do with it. Ended up going out to the course the first time because my dads truck wouldn't start. While waiting for a tow truck he grabbed a couple buckets of balls and we waited on the driving range. after about 5-10 min of hitting a driver on the range I was putting them to the back fence of the driving range in the air almost every time. I figured I might actually be good at this and decided to try playing a round with him. My first round ever was like 95 or 96 and from there I got addicted to the game. From that point I started spending 3-6 hours per day on the course playing 27-36 holes per day (unless I was on a time crunch) and hitting 2 buckets of balls per day on the range. (To answer the question that's undoubtedly just popped into your head, no I don't live in my moms basement unemployed. I just happened to be very lucky to be able to retire at 24 years old.) I have never had a lesson from a pro. For the most part it's all been trial and error, or on the issues I've had, I turn to me and my golf tv on YouTube and after watching the video go back to the course the next day and fix said issue. I'm highly athletic, I grew up playing hockey and baseball, so it's not like this is the first sport I've ever played. I'm very well aware I'm not ready to be a pro and I'm not ready to compete on a pro level. However with my immediate (and from your responses, unbelievable success) on the golf course I would like to try and chase the dream of professional golf. One last thing gents as the last comment says he probably has thick skin that is completely correct. my skins thicker than Rosie O'donnels silverware drawer. 

i do thank you guys for your time and responses I never thought I would have gotten a response from so many of you. 

 

My feeling is that you either do what you say or you don't. There are people who could be standing right next to you while you're hitting the 150 yard flag with your PW and not believe that you can do it. So, for them a swing video isn't going to do much. Not even worth it if you are just trying to prove you can do what you stated.

So, as far as I'm concerned, I think you probably do what you say you do. I'm speculating that people around you on the driving ranges are telling you to become a pro golfer or something to that effect? Hence, you posted to this site to get a feel what more expert golfers feel?

Know that most of the doubters like our Owner/Admin, are responsible for the integrity of this site and everything that goes into it. If they don't respond with some doubt, they are not doing their jobs. So, it's not an attack on your character or anything like that.

 

2 hours ago, Valleygolfer said:

Any chance you will be posting a video of your swing for curiosity sake?

Sure, it would be nice to see, but I don't think that will prove or disprove his claims. In my experience, a person could be standing right next to you watching you hit balls and not believe what you are actually doing.

 

2 hours ago, Golfingaddiction said:

 

I would be more than happy to I just don't know how or where. I tried to upload it to the bottom of my last reply but apparently it's over 5MGB or whatever the limit is. 

Not worth it if you are just trying to prove you are what you say, but if you start a MySwing thread to get some advice on your swing that's a better reason. @DaveP043 gave you the means to do that for sure. . .

[Hacker James]

Even though I had initial doubts, I for one won't totally discount claims. It's just that we've seen posts in the past and they all seem to sound alike. In any event, stick around, gleen what you can, and also contribute what you can. We can all learn something.  

[Kalnoky]

There is a guy at my home course that took one (1) lesson and next time out shot a 77. He's only been playing a year and is a single-digit handicap. Pretty unbelievable right? People say he never developed any bad habits because he never tried to teach himself. 

So, I'm open minded..  

[Lihu]

Just now, Kalnoky said:

There is a guy at my home course that took one (1) lesson and next time out shot a 77. He's only been playing a year and is a single-digit handicap. Pretty unbelievable right? People say he never developed any bad habits because he never tried to teach himself. 

So, I'm open minded..  

Or strong opinions that are found to be wrong after much ineffective and incorrect practice. . .

[Hatchman]

3 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

@Golfingaddiction,

If you are an active member here and a cool guy, I think you will find that most of us here will support you no matter what your endeavor is. 

So that's the hidden criteria.

[Rainmaker]

Some people were just born to play golf.  Do I believe that somebody could hit monster drives their first time out and get to single digits almost right away?  Sure I do.  It's rare but there are pro golfers who didn't pick the game up until later in life.  Calvin Pete and Y.E. Yang - for examples.  

I think the magic number is +4.  You're a 4 right now . .get to a +4.  How to do that really depends.  If you can find a great coach, that will certainly help.  Obviously you have to practice a lot.  You have to start playing in any tournament you can reasonably get to.  You have to seriously consider doing whatever it takes to play the US Open and US Am qualifiers . .you need a 1.4 index or better to try for the US Open.  You do good there - like get into the final qualifier at least . . and I bet you'll get some attention from people that can help you reach your potential and hopefully get the rest of the way. 

 

Good luck . .and when it comes time to select a caddy, don't forget about your buddy Rainmaker . .who believed in you from DAY ONE!  

[StefanUrkel]

10 hours ago, Kalnoky said:

There is a guy at my home course that took one (1) lesson and next time out shot a 77. He's only been playing a year and is a single-digit handicap. Pretty unbelievable right? People say he never developed any bad habits because he never tried to teach himself. 

So, I'm open minded..  

Thats what he tells you. 

[Pretzel]

I will warn you, you have a lot more work ahead of you than I think you're aware of. My low handicap index is +1.5, with it currently hanging at a +1.2. It always will get harder as you get better, and the trick is to be able to play at or better than your handicap in tournament conditions. You also need to be able to identify and correct any weaknesses in your game as rapidly as possible, to maximize your rate of improvement. 

You should also know that even if you go out there and play every day all day long, practicing what needs to be practiced, you may not make it. Not everybody has the talent and composure to be able to play golf at the highest level, and it may turn out that you don't have what it takes. It's a harsh reality to face, but everyone who dedicates a significant amount of time to golf eventually hits their limit, whether it be a handicap of 20 or +6. The odds are stacked against you, but if you manage to make it, good for you. 

I will say that it's highly likely you're delofting your wedges far too much, from the statement that you hit a sand wedge at 150 yards. If you look on tour, you won't see any pro pick a sand wedge from that yardage unless they absolutely have to hit it up above something (and then it usually ends up short). I'm a fairly long hitter up at altitude, with a GPS measured average drive of 307 yards (using a Game Golf), and I still would be hitting two clubs longer from that distance. I would even go so far as to say that ballstriking is my greatest strength (between +2 to +3 strokes gained compared to scratch on an average round), and I still don't hit my wedges that long, meaning it seems like somethting might be off there.

Montana has their own amateur golf association (found here) which hosts tournaments, and every state offers qualifiers for the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur. Those would be good starting points once your handicap is low enough to enter for you to see where you stand in the midst of real competitors.

A great way to determine your own strengths and weaknesses is to use a device similar to a Game Golf, or download their free app, and use it to track your rounds. It will allow you to see the strokes gained statistics for the various areas of your game, and it also gives its own recommendations of where it sees you dropping the most shots.

 

[Pretzel]

On 12/9/2016 at 10:24 AM, jkelley9 said:

Retired at 24.

 

Wut? 

 

There was a teacher at my high school who retired on his 22nd birthday due to some investments he had been making since he was 16. He got bored 3 months after retiring and went back to school to become a history teacher, and was still only about 27 or 28 when he started at my school. He's a pretty cool person to talk to, and he gives some solid financial advice.

[krupa]

I don't buy it. 

Able to retire at 24?  Possible but pretty rare.

Single digit handicap 6 months after picking up a club?  Possible but pretty rare.

24 years old and doesn't know how to upload a video to youtube and share a link?  Impossible.  

[p1n9183]

3 hours ago, krupa said:

I don't buy it. 

Able to retire at 24?  Possible but pretty rare.

Single digit handicap 6 months after picking up a club?  Possible but pretty rare.

24 years old and doesn't know how to upload a video to youtube and share a link?  Impossible.  

You naied it !

[rkim291968]

On 12/9/2016 at 10:15 AM, Kalnoky said:

There is a guy at my home course that took one (1) lesson and next time out shot a 77.

What does this even mean?   Was he routinely hitting 75 before he took a lesson? 

Hey, I have an unicorn I want to sell. 

[Kalnoky]

51 minutes ago, rkim291968 said:

What does this even mean?   Was he routinely hitting 75 before he took a lesson? 

Hey, I have an unicorn I want to sell. 

Okay dude you're right I made the story up.