Golf Professional/Professional golfer

[2over]

Dennis Clark's article http://www.golfwrx.com/459016/the-difference-between-a-club-pro-and-a-pro-golfer/ is excellent! As a low single digit handicap, I get an inflated sense of my skill because I can hang with my club pro and usually score better than most of my am. playing partners. I also have played regularly with several Div. 1 college golfers (who most always beat me handily, but if they're a little off, I can hang with them). But once I got to play 9 holes with a PGA Tour pro (10 years ago), a multiple winner on tour, no majors, but recognizable name, still on tour today but not often on the leaderboard these days. It was a revelation--a whole new level of "good"!

 

Dennis is exactly right about the three things that you marvel at--1) the power 2) the touch 3) the deft putting. One of the D. I guys I played with was a very long hitter, 120+ mph clubhead speed, could carry it 300 easily, roll it out 340 or more. The PGA tour pro is not a long hitter by tour standards, not top 100 in driving distance. But the college kid was erratic and could hit some serious foul balls. Not the PGA tour pro. While his best drive might be 25-30 yards short of the college kid's best, it was the consistent power that impressed. No foul balls. Always in the fairway the 9 holes we played; very long with the irons! And on a 550 yard double dog leg par 5 (slightly downhill) all of a sudden the PGA tour pro found 20 extra yards, (he was playing 3 balls, practicing, and you could cover the three drives most holes with a large blanket) anyway, on the 550 par 5 he put all three drives down there about 320 and hit three 4 irons to the middle of the green, no sweat. The power, the touch, the consistency! It was the PGA pro's consistency that floored me. Every shot (and remember he's playing 3 balls on each hole) was right on the button. The sound was something you wanted to record and playback and hear over and over. That solid thump-thwack and the slight buzz as the ball left the club face. I never in my life had seen anything like it and never have again.

 

This particular PGA tour pro is not known as a great putter by tour standards (he used the long wand and has struggled since the ban). But oh man, easily the best putter I've ever seen--deft putting is an understatement.

 

It's an experience every serious golfer should be lucky enough to have...

[EKELLY]

I haven't played with a BIG name guy, other than O'Meara well before he won the Majors. I did play with a handful of Tour regulars when I lived at Bay Hill in the Early to mid 90's. They had all won on Tour but were in the midst of 'finding the magic" again. You are spot on, but the biggest thing I saw first hand was the wedge game around the greens, and from 100 yards, to 50-70 yards. The different shots, low spinner to high flop, were stellar. Watched Steve Pate shoot 67 one day with about 5 fairways and 5-7 greens hit. The highlight was watching Nick Price (great guy) and Greg Norman (total tool) on the range frequently. Striping it, ALL DAY F'ING long!...

[Creedo77]

Been working the range and short game area at this weeks tour stop and it is amazing to see how consistent these guys are with their chipping. The collection of balls into a hole is all within 3/4 feet. All about repetition and feel