Watching the Pro's and how you feel afterwards..

I'm curious. If you've ever been to a live PGA Tour event, and sat and watched those guys in the range, and during play, how do you feel after leaving such tournament? I don't get to go often to these events, so when I do, I really try to make time for both, probably more for range time to really observe what those guys are doing, what they're working on, and their mechanics.

I mean I ask myself all the questions some of you guys have at some point. Is it the ball (juiced?)? Is it the clubs (Juiced?)? HOW DO THEY DO IT?

I consider myself to be a pretty good swinger of the club, I shoot low-mid 80's without any mulligans on any given day. 7i between 162-168. For a fat guy, I'd like to think I'm pretty athletic too.. LOL!

My heart is telling me, it's them though. And I think my heart is right. Those guys have been working as hard as I work at my daytime job just to hit that little white ball as far as they can at the most optimal angles and spin rates. They have been doing it since they were kids (most of them) and practice day in and day out.

To me, it's all about the launch angles. It's unbelievable how those guys get the ball in the air so quickly, something I really struggle with in my personal game.

I guess this is why men love the game of golf, and the everlasting search for the most distance and lower scores.

How do you feel after going to PGA Tour Events?

I realize just how talented these guys are. A lot of us can work as hard on our games as they do and still not come close to hitting a ball the way they do. Sure they put in a lot of work, but they have that undefinable "it" factor.

“How do you feel after going to PGA Tour Events?”

usually tired.

And skin burnt.

looks easy..i can do this

In went to the Genesis for the Saturday round. Followed Tiger, Brooks , Roru, Xander, Adam, HV3, etc. Very fun day!

The biggest thing I noticed was iron play. Tee shots and putting ... I mean, it really didn't look too different than from my regular group. Like, I remember watching Tiger's tee shot on 18 (he started on 10) and and he hit it well and I just thought ... shit, that's the shot I'd not only want to hit but I don't have any doubts I COULD hit.

And I don't consider myself some exceptionally talented player. I'm OK but far from "great."

But what got me was watching Adam Scott's approach on, I think, 9. He was about 180 yards out so I'd guess for him, maybe a 6? Possibly a 7. Or possibly an 8 - I dunno.

Regardless, if I'm 180 yards out ... I just want to get it somewhere around the green. He smoothed whatever mid iron to tap in range.

To me, that'd be a shot of a lifetime I'd talk about for weeks. For him, that was just a day at the office.

1) how differently they practice and warm up compared to 99% of all ams. I watched Sned warm up for over an hour on range at the PGA last year. Say he hit 70 balls... 35-40 of them were wedges, 10-12 were the big stick, and then the rest were everthing else. Yet, when we go to the range... You see most guys just aimlessly hitting irons or not having focus in general.

2) how high they all hit the ball compared to most of us. I know a lot of that comes down to club speed but it's always cool to see a guy hit a long iron 100ft high.

Like an old, frail guy.

The thing that surprised me most is how high they hit their drives and how low they hit their wedges. Completely opposite of your typical golfer. I love watching tour pros on the range.

When I was a junior golfer in the mid 90s I remember thinking how effortless the power of guys like Freddie, DL3, and Ernie looked. Now that I’m in my 30s and I see today’s tour guys up close I’m shocked at how hard they go at it. Bubba, Phil, JT, and many others; it looks like when me and my buddies would try to Happy Gilmore the ball just without the run up. I think the equipment affords these guys that luxury.

As far as the skill level, what impresses me is the distance control especially with the shorter clubs.

I always come away thinking tempo is the most common denominator. They all look so under control, yet are pounding the ball

First time watching top tier guys on the range before FedEx Cup playoff, my immediate thought was “huh, I’m as long as these guys” followed a minute later by “wow my idea of a mishit is very different than theirs” (this was after seeing DJ pissed off he didn’t hit the cut he was going for and instead got a straight ball).

So to me it was the consistency that’s really impressive. Hitting their numbers, hitting the types of shots they’re going for. They’re all under control.

At least, I feel a lot better than when playing with a 68 year old who hits driver 3W all day hitting 18 greens and makes birdie putts from 20 feet.

I always feel like I could do it too because they make it look soooooooo easy.

This is definitely it. The balance, tempo and sequencing are so good. It's just unbelievably efficient. They're in that 80-98% range (depending on clubs) when it comes to output.

The hang time is ridiculous. The ball gets out to where mine starts coming down and it just keeps climbing. All that with a smooth easy looking swing. Amazing efficient energy transfer. As seen from the bleacher seats up close and personal at the US Open at Chambers Bay.

Makes me wonder whether I should be caddying instead of playing. More seriously, doesn't do much to me. What those guys do with a ball and a few sticks has nothing to do with the things I do with a somewhat similar bunch of implements. It's nice to watch and I am genuinely impressed by their ability but the only resemblance to my game is the shaking of hands in the end so there is nothing to compare. Ergo, it does not inspire me massively but it also doesn't make me feel bad about my own game. It just exists on a different plateau.

It’s a different game they play

The big thing I get on the range is that you can watch a relative unknown pipeline shots for an hour, and I mean not a yard out, then follow them on the course and see them chop it to a 74.

conclusion, there are tens of thousands with indistinguishable long games..very few with the 6 inches between the ears

Efficient delivery of power with precision.. I watched Rors and Bruce last year and it was eye opening to see how smooth, fast and balanced they are. Rors, for his size, smashes that ball!

And you can tell these guys are throttled back!

Obviously the distance they hit the ball is far different. But the ball flight is really what's different. Their ball has a penetrating flight that almost climbs. They deloft their irons so much more than I do and it creates a really really nice flight that seems more accurate. Another thing is the tempo which is far nicer than mine. Impressive to watch.

I always go to the ET tournament in Crans-Montana which is always fascinating to watch. Over the past 10 years I've been two players stood out:

Rory: Watched him last year and his driver swing is absolutely insane. The event is obviously at altitude, but still crazy the distance he hits it.

Sergio: Absolute flusher. Crazy good iron player. Seems to work the ball a ton.

When I see them struggle I feel better about my "lack of" game.

On the range it's the fact that the swings look like they are identical but they command the ball to draw or fade. But walking with a player for 18 holes you see how they put a round together. Finding good places to miss on holes that they don't like, getting aggressive on holes that they do, and staying patient.

Was able to stand near guys like Vijay, Colin, and Freddie at a Champions Tour event last year. Its simply amazing how good they are. It helped reinforce to me that its silly to "chase" after something you see on TV or watch in person. Focus on your own game.

There are two things that any amateur golfer can be as good at as a professional:

1) Course management

2) Short game/putting

You dont need to hit it 300 off the tee to do that. And ask virtually any pro what the amateur weekend golfer should focus on, and I'd be willing to bet 9 out of 10 will say short game/putting. I'm trying to take that to heart this year and will be spending the vast majority of my practice time not on the range, but at the short game and putting areas.

I guess I'm the opposite of many here. I've felt somewhat underwhelmed watching the pros. Sit on a random tee box on a Thursday or Friday, watch the field come through, and there will be a ton of bad shots. They are better at making the right choice and saving par or bogey, but they hit plenty of bad shots. Also, seeing them in person, the shots seem a lot shorter than they do on TV. There are very few pros that truly seem on another world. Tiger back in the Western Open days was really different.

I actually was going to write something very similar. Watching TV they rarely show a really bad shot so the impression you get is that everything is flushed on the button. And while it is true many, even most, are as you stated pros still hit plenty of bad shots if you follow a group. But its their powers of recovery that are amazing. Very frequently they'll hit a shot that would lead to double or worse for the weekend player and turn that into no worse than bogey or oftentimes salvage par. Yes they are very superior ball strikers to the average player obviously. But their course and game management skills are just in another universe.

I prefer to watch the LPGA players. They make it look effortless, and sometimes their tempo rubs off.

I like following around a group for an entire round because of the variety of shots that I'll see from the men and women. I don't like staying at one hole all day and seeing the same shot all day long, like a Par 3. What impresses me is their ability to make up for a mistakes. They somehow make a recovery to at least give them an opportunity to save par. Tempo is something that is amazing as well. The ball just takes off the club face, and it looks like they're not even trying.