Do you really want to be a pro golfer?

[mvmac]

A buddy of mine helps sponsor a player who earned partial status on the Web.com Tour playing on the PGA Latin America tour last year. My friend tells me about the scores that it takes to win some of these events and it's nuts, the player has been -20 or better plenty of times and not won. The player has also had a lot of near misses in Monday qualifiers. It can be a tough life for most pro golfers. I joke with my buddy that I'm happy that I was never good enough in college to ever consider playing for a living  

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20170410/do-you-really-want-to-be-a-pro-golfer

Quote

Shelton is playing on the Swingthought Tour, a place where you can dream as long as you pay for it. You ante up and then you play. The entry fee is normally $875 and they put it in a pot, and that’s where the purse comes from. They call such things “payback events.” And you know what the payback can be.

While everyone was marveling at the angry winds of Augusta National on Friday, the Swingthought boys were in Stone Mountain, Ga., and James White, a Georgia Tech alum, shot a 63 in the same gusts. He won the event, but only because Grant Leaver called a 2-stroke penalty on himself. And, no, it wasn’t because some TV referee called it in from his basement.

Justin Lower was the No. 1 money-winner on the Swingthought Pro Tour last year. His take was $35,000. That’s before expenses.

---

Or you can be Stewart Hagestad.

When he went to USC, he made sure he got a business degree while he played on the golf team. Now he is a financial analyst in New York, he plays in amateur events at some of America’s oldest and leafiest courses, and on Sunday he was low amateur in the Masters. What are the chances Hagestad will be tempted to turn pro? “None,” he said.

Pro golfers are not the 1 percent. They are the 1 percent of the 1 percent. The worst player on the Swingthought Tour is better at his job than all the people you know are at theirs.

The next time your son or brother says he wants to play golf for a living, make sure you encourage him. Then encourage him to call Robby Shelton.

 

[gatsby47]

I would recommend  a book by Tom Coyne, called PAPER TIGER.  A really good golfer spends a year trying to qualify and practice. Huge support  luck financial backing. and it is a really good read and a eye opener for all those who aspire.   He also explains the pyramid of good golfers. 

[chris3putt]

It's funny how something you dream of doing as a kid holds no appeal later in life. Imagine turning up to work and being told that this weeks' performance is critical to you being selected to make the try-outs for the squad from which those who actually get to work next week are chosen.

Oh, and you also have to pay for the privilege.....................

Edited April 14, 2017 by chris3putt

[freshmanUTA]

Do you think that any person with enough devoted practice could reach the skill level of a professional golfer? Would be cool to know an average joe who could easily shoot the same score as a pro.

[chris3putt]

3 minutes ago, freshmanUTA said:

Do you think that any person with enough devoted practice could reach the skill level of a professional golfer? Would be cool to know an average joe who could easily shoot the same score as a pro.

Any person? No. Not with the level of competition now. The Dan Plan sort of backs this up - even though he did get close to the fabled 10000 hours of practice, it wasn't (often) the correct sort of practice. Plenty of young guys at my club can shoot under par at a weekend tourney, but they are light years away from making it as pro golfers.

[David in FL]

5 hours ago, freshmanUTA said:

Do you think that any person with enough devoted practice could reach the skill level of a professional golfer? Would be cool to know an average joe who could easily shoot the same score as a pro.

We've discussed this a bunch of times.  

The short answer is no.  No more than the average guy could play in the NBA just because he wanted it bad enough and practiced enough.  

[mcanadiens]

The movie Rudy shows us however that if you knock yourself out, you just might be able to play a down at Notre Dame if the rest of the team threatens not to play if you don't.

If I had what it takes to be a top 100 player in the world. The answer is hell yes. Much less than that and I've got living to worry about.

 

[CarlSpackler]

Even if I had the game, I wouldn't want to be on tour. I would rather be a member at a nice club and not have my next meal riding on whether a putt goes in the hole. 

[billchao]

It's no different than any other major sport. Everyone sees the cream of the crop and thinks, I want to be a pro "insert sport of choice" player, failing to consider that there are many levels of professional athlete out there, working just as hard as the top pros but without access to their accommodations and luxuries.

At the end of the day, unless you are good enough to make it in the top tours around the world, you're probably better off doing something else for a living.

[mcanadiens]

16 minutes ago, billchao said:

 

It's no different than any other major sport. Everyone sees the cream of the crop and thinks, I want to be a pro "insert sport of choice" player, failing to consider that there are many levels of professional athlete out there, working just as hard as the top pros but without access to their accommodations and luxuries.

 

In the Federal Hockey League, players play for use of a bunk bed and two meals at McDonald's per day. But just think ... you get to see places like Port Huron MI, Danville IL and Danbury CT.

[TN94z]

Being good enough to be on tour would be GREAT!!  But for me, I would just like to be good enough to compete for the club championship and continue my day to day. It's just like everything else now, it takes quite a bit of money to chase this dream correctly and have a good chance, in my opinion.

[DeadMan]

Beyond what you all have said about this, I wouldn't want to become a pro because it would change golf from my hobby to my job. I know if I were a tour pro, I would feel like I have to practice 4-8 hours a day just to keep up with everybody else. And, as much as I love golf now, I'm pretty sure that would quickly wane when I spent 40+ hours a week at a golf course, trying to shave off a quarter stroke a round.

[Lastpick]

I thought about becoming a pro golfer, but weighed by likes and dislikes.  Reason I didn't pursue pro golf was because I think flying standby somewhere every Friday night after the cut would suck.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Lastpick

[krupa]

I'd love to be a pro golfer, but the "Tiger Woods walked out of college and kicked the crap out of everyone" variety.  If I have to scuffle around on the mini-Tours and play tournaments just to win back my entry fee, I'll stick with what I'm doing.

The books "Tales from Q School" and "Where Nobody Knows Your Name" should be required reading for anyone interested in making it to "The Show".  There are probably basketball and football versions of those but I don't care about those sports so haven't looked for them.

(As much as I enjoy reading Paper Tiger, I've come to believe that it wasn't really a serious attempt.  I mean it was serious enough but I think he knew the chances were terribly remote and that he'd get a book out of it regardless of the outcome.)

[Groucho Valentine]

5 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

Beyond what you all have said about this, I wouldn't want to become a pro because it would change golf from my hobby to my job. I know if I were a tour pro, I would feel like I have to practice 4-8 hours a day just to keep up with everybody else. And, as much as I love golf now, I'm pretty sure that would quickly wane when I spent 40+ hours a week at a golf course, trying to shave off a quarter stroke a round.

You wouldn't have to "feel"like you would have to practice 40+ hours a week - you would. Hundreds of balls and putts every day that you're not playing in a tourney. I know a guy who was a moderately successful touring pro back in the 80's (finished in the top 10 in a couple masters) and he told me the routine of being a touring professional was brutal. Very often for little reward. It might be different now with the larger purses, but you still got to dump nearly all of your time and tens of thousands of dollars into making on tour. 

[Lastpick]

On a serious note, genetics is a major determining factor in whether or not one could play at the professional level.  I believe that there are certain skills required for golf that are unique to golf.  Also money plays a big role in the development of a pro golfer.  

[bkuehn1952]

9 minutes ago, krupa said:

...(As much as I enjoy reading Paper Tiger, I've come to believe that it wasn't really a serious attempt.  I mean it was serious enough but I think he knew the chances were terribly remote and that he'd get a book out of it regardless of the outcome.)

My thoughts exactly after reading the book.  Plus some serious selfishness, essentially moving away from his fiancée for a year and then following that up with a year walking around Ireland.

As to being a professional golfer, no thanks.  As a few have said, that would turn a love into work.

Edited April 14, 2017 by bkuehn1952

[Lihu]

2 minutes ago, Lastpick said:

I thought about becoming a pro golfer, but weighed by likes and dislikes.  Reason I didn't pursue pro golf was because I think flying standby somewhere every Friday night after the cut would suck.

Well, someday I might classify as an "old Asian Doctor", so flying standby on United could actually be hazardous to my health  Never gave pro golf even a glimmer of thought, just wanted to play good enough that I can enjoy the game. 

It's fun reading about the stories behind pro golf, but we should remember that all pro sports require them to be the top 1% of the top 1% and are better at their jobs than most people. I would change the wording in the article because it seems to imply that golf is harder than anything else? It's not, but it is hard.