Ever Meet Someone Who Has "It"?

[unrepentant 60s kid]

"It" tends to be fleeting if you have a job and don't all but devote your life to golf.

 

The minute your athleticism starts to wane, which happens at a relatively early age,

 

so does your natural, untrained game.

[Ray5592]

I have seen it once when I was in Highschool. We were playing another school from up the road and their number one golfer was an exchange student. He was from Argentina I believe. First hole at our home course he hits his drive and it was a sound I have never heard. Same with his approach shot... a crisp click.... Makes birdie and goes on to shoot a 32 on the front. On the back he plays the same way and shoots a 32 tying the course record. What amazed me was his playing partner told me the kid took up golf 2 years earlier ! That was 1998 and I really wish I would have remembered his name because he has to be on some tour now.

 

They make it look easy.Two years ?

[Shifty76]

Just moved from Alberta to PEI.

Played a round this evening with a young kid from work. Only his second time out this year.

 

Got to a 325 yard par 4. Rest of us all hit solid drives, leaving us anywhere from 40-60 yards in.

Young guy sticks the driver back in the bag and pulls hybrid. "my driver would fly the green so better hit hybrid."

 

"Uh huh, I think to myself, let's see it then."

He absolutely cranked that hybrid and ended up on the green pin high. Didn't even tee it up, just dropped the ball and swung.

Effortless looking swing too.

 

Later on a 520 yard par 5 he had 145 into the pin after his tee shot (with driver this time)

I've played with some long hitters over the past 20 years or so but never seen anything like that. Had the short game to match it too. Ended up shooting 69.

[Tcann32]

One young kid comes to mind. I was paired with him and his dad a couple summers ago. He was 14-15 and quite tall and was just smashing the ball. He hadn’t been golfing all that long so he hadn’t learned to take his medicine or manage a course very well yet, but once he has those “maturity” traits about him and learns a little touch, he’ll be taking guys to the cleaners.

 

The swing speed was impressive, but I was more impressed that he made consistent, solid contact, and how good and efficient his swing really was.

[Shilgy]

Just moved from Alberta to PEI.

Played a round this evening with a young kid from work. Only his second time out this year.

 

Got to a 325 yard par 4. Rest of us all hit solid drives, leaving us anywhere from 40-60 yards in.

Young guy sticks the driver back in the bag and pulls hybrid. "my driver would fly the green so better hit hybrid."

 

"Uh huh, I think to myself, let's see it then."

He absolutely cranked that hybrid and ended up on the green pin high. Didn't even tee it up, just dropped the ball and swung.

Effortless looking swing too.

 

Later on a 520 yard par 5 he had 145 into the pin after his tee shot (with driver this time)

I've played with some long hitters over the past 20 years or so but never seen anything like that. Had the short game to match it too. Ended up shooting 69.

These dang kids... We have four aspiring pros working in our player services. After hearing a visiting young pro had aced our second hole, a very narrow 365 yard hole, one of the four mentioned he has been pin high on that hole but never on the green.

Another heard of the feat and mentioned he had been playing a short part five at our club, just 510 yards, with another one of the guys. Said it was playing into the wind a bit and had 220 in. 290 yard drive so nothing to wrx.... But that he work mate was 90 yards past him off the tee.

You so the math on that one.

 

These kids are scary long.

[kc_hacker]

So that is my question to you guys...do you seriously know people who were just "good" at golf almost from the first time they picked up a club? And if so, damn I'm jealous.

 

I know one. He's the only one, and I know a lot of golfers. He was the good at everything guy. All state in baseball, joined the football team as a senior because he lost a bet....starting QB on a team that won a state championship despite never having played organized football up to that point. I was a decent golfer in high school and he was the #1 golfer on our team. I was #2, played and practiced all the time, never could beat him out for the #1 spot even though he never practiced outside of required practices. His Dad was a good player but passed away when this guy was in junior high. He never had much coaching and never took a lesson as far as I know.

 

A bit of a bummer story because the guy is in his 40s now and despite a lot of opportunities, he never did much of anything. Still plays the same local course in the same small town, still has the same crappy job he got when he was 19. I ran into some old high school friends a few months ago, and they say he's still a helluva player.

[shoot4par]

Dude that taught me beat me by eight second round we played. I shot 72. He also worked his a** off to get it. "IT" means almost like a savant type talent. I've never seen it. (Roy Hobbes type thing) Also no one has "IT" unless they can put "IT" together in a tournament. Going out and shooting 68 is one thing but to do it under tournament conditions on a 7300 yard golf course- thats it and it doesn't exist unless you expose yourself to it regularly.

[Moshjean]

Alligator blood.

 

My best friend is a cutthroat gambler, between poker and sports betting he’s made several hundred thousand.

He never practices, he has an old set of ping eye 2s and a wedge with grooves worn off, and he absolutely destroys everyone when money is on the line.

 

I would say that anyone who shines under pressure and is naturally adept at taking on risk can be a pretty decent golfer

 

[AlecEmersonGolf]

I caddied in a pga tour canada qualifier this summer. A guy in my players group had "it". He flew every single drive 320 on a frozen rope, hit every iron dead solid, high, and far. There was a par 3, 205 into the wind, where i told my player, who is not a short hitter, to knock down a 4i. he knocked down a 7i and hit it to 10 feet. He shot a very very sloppy 66, went and got drunk after the round because he thought he was in for sure. ended up in a playoff and bogeyed the first hole.

[shoot4par]

I caddied in a pga tour canada qualifier this summer. A guy in my players group had "it". He flew every single drive 320 on a frozen rope, hit every iron dead solid, high, and far. There was a par 3, 205 into the wind, where i told my player, who is not a short hitter, to knock down a 4i. he knocked down a 7i and hit it to 10 feet. He shot a very very sloppy 66, went and got drunk after the round because he thought he was in for sure. ended up in a playoff and bogeyed the first hole.

 

Thats kind of hilarious in a weird, sad sort of way.

[Golfer4Life]

I had it, but sold it for a nifty profit.

[tanker44]

I watched four kids from my local course come up through Juniors, Ams, top colleges and make it to the tours.

 

I worked as shop assistant for years through high school and college. I'd give them whoopings when I was a college player and they were entering high school. They all had 'it'. I had 'it'. However, there are two types of 'it'. There is skill 'it' and there is family 'it'. These four kids had both. They played every local/regional junior event, newest equipment, traveled for AJGA, best coaching, had access to tier-1 private club and the rest of it. They didn't have jobs.

 

These kids and their families are top notch and great people. There was plenty of hard work involved. However, in my experience, you have to have the skill and the support/development from juniors through post-college to make it to the highest level. Otherwise, post-college players without the means end up having to get jobs, some turn into drunks, some have families and some beat it around par in state/local Am events - the rest quit.

 

This isn't new information. I just think the OPs example may be a talented player but thats it. This young player doesn't have the entire 'it' factor - just the skill portion of 'it'.

[Yuck]

As a teen, I played many times with /against two kids who ended out winning majors. At the time, I could not tell if they had "it". I could tell I did not have "it" however.

[braincramp52]

Fortunately everyone I know sucks. I make it a point to never play with anyone who is good. It makes me feel better about my play. :)

[BMC]

Two of us from our elementary school played a round with our school vice-principle. We were 11 years old and played from the men's white tees.

 

I shot around 100. 11 year old Curtis Strange shot 73.

[llewol007]

I've seen it. Local guy. Super positive about the game also. Always willing to teach a person how to approach the game. He just needed financial backing but never got it. Holds some course records around here. Everytime I get to play a round with him, it puts me in my place and makes me realize how much different the game is.

[AJDeffGolf]

We all know golf is a difficult game, but for those few the game isn't THAT hard.

 

I play regularly with a young man of 22. This is his third hear of playing and he is down to a 3.4. He has never had a lesson. His ball speed is in the mid-180s, he can hit a true stinger (4-iron goes about 240 +/-).

 

His numbers are the same as the longest hitters on Tour. He doesn't look like he is swinging hard, his predominant shot shape is a gentle draw, and he has a decent short game.

 

He has that unquantifiable "it" factor. For example, a very short 265 hard par 4, very narrow opening to the green surrounded by hazards, and he hits a towering 3 hybrid landing 10 fee from the hole and makes the putt.

 

He works full-time, can't practice all that much, but whatever it is, he has got "it". And, "it" is a lot of fun watching him play this game. :-)

 

I hope you all get to enjoy the same experience.

Its amazing to me as a fitness professional who specializes in golf biomechanics to the ability of good players to overcome physical dysfunction with their "hands". The feel they have for making on the fly adjustments is just silly

[Oh Hi Carl]

Lots of guys/women have tour talent physically but lack all the other qualities required to make a living at golf.

[EKELLY]

Two of us from our elementary school played a round with our school vice-principle. We were 11 years old and played from the men's white tees.

 

I shot around 100. 11 year old Curtis Strange shot 73.

I've played with Curtis. Was he a ***** when he was 11, or hadn't he grown into it yet?......lol...

[BMC]

Two of us from our elementary school played a round with our school vice-principle. We were 11 years old and played from the men's white tees.

 

I shot around 100. 11 year old Curtis Strange shot 73.

I've played with Curtis. Was he a ***** when he was 11, or hadn't he grown into it yet?......lol...

 

Cocky in the way many athletes are. I knew him through high school, but I wasn't into golf like he was. He was pretty intense when golfing, but otherwise a good dude, that I recall. He and his brother were all golf. His dad was part owner of a club in Va Beach.