who has actually played with a legit scratch golfer/pro level player?

[dunn]

In any sport if you want to get better.....play with peeps better than you...I've done it in 3 separate sports and elevated faster than guys I knew who only played or participated with their level or worse

[sabbathstick]

I have played with a few mini tour players and a buddy in his late 50s that won in Europe who currently goes between scratch and +3. Without a doubt they are the most boring golfers I have seen. Middle of the fairway. GIR. Two putt par. It is always crazy at the end of a round seeing a 67 with nothing flashy or miracle shots.

[FlyingLaw1]

I grew up playing with with several guys who played D1 golf. A couple of those are now tour pros and at least one is a club pro. I was a legit scratch in college and they were all (at least in my eyes) way better than me. The real difference between me and them was their ball striking with the irons. Short game I was as good or better than all of them--I could get up and down from anywhere--but they'd hit green after green. They'd make 4-6 birdies a round. I would make 2-3 at most. Watching the ball go right where it should shot after shot... If only to be that consistent!

[BB28403]

Man these stories are getting out there. Guy shot an 18, a friggin 18!

We were having beers in 30 mins. It was a quick drive around the course.

 

Bill Braskee hell of a guy!!

[ebrasmus21]

I have played with a few mini tour players and a buddy in his late 50s that won in Europe who currently goes between scratch and +3. Without a doubt they are the most boring golfers I have seen. Middle of the fairway. GIR. Two putt par. It is always crazy at the end of a round seeing a 67 with nothing flashy or miracle shots.

 

Guy that I used to play with is a 50 year old school teacher. The MOST boring golfer of all time. Not long, not short, not amazing short game but good short game, not an amazing putter but good.... Consisten and rarely in trouble - his 67’s and 68’s are the most boring rounds imaginable yet I’d trade him in a second because I’ve never shot any of those scores....

[PowderedToastMan]

I think there are several misconceptions here:

 

You don’t have to hit 300 to be scratch or better.

 

You don’t pure everything

 

It won’t look like tiger at 2000 masters

 

Look for the guy who plays boring golf. He avoids double bogey. He birdies the par 5s. He saves par with a good short game. That’s the guy that can keep it around par and go below 70 on occasion.

Tiger lost the 2000 Masters. You could have picked literally any other major that year. The very next one he won by 15.

[ebrasmus21]

I think there are several misconceptions here:

 

You don’t have to hit 300 to be scratch or better.

 

You don’t pure everything

 

It won’t look like tiger at 2000 masters

 

Look for the guy who plays boring golf. He avoids double bogey. He birdies the par 5s. He saves par with a good short game. That’s the guy that can keep it around par and go below 70 on occasion.

Tiger lost the 2000 Masters. You could have picked literally any other major that year. The very next one he won by 15.

 

LOL

[RainShadow]

I grew up playing with with several guys who played D1 golf. A couple of those are now tour pros and at least one is a club pro. I was a legit scratch in college and they were all (at least in my eyes) way better than me. The real difference between me and them was their ball striking with the irons. Short game I was as good or better than all of them--I could get up and down from anywhere--but they'd hit green after green. They'd make 4-6 birdies a round. I would make 2-3 at most. Watching the ball go right where it should shot after shot... If only to be that consistent!

I've played with a few mini tour players and quite a few legit scratch guys and there's a big diff just between those two levels.

Everybody always says the pro's short game's are what allows them to consistently play well, and that's true as far as turning a 75 into a 72.

But I think Iron play and putting are the true separator between very good and great playing.

Guys who hit a lot of greens and can avoid 3 putts are gonna almost always be around par, no matter the course.

My .02

[Roadking2003]

I've played with one LPGA player, three PGA Tour players (one was a major winner) and one Euro Tour player.

 

In every case, the most impressive part of their game was consistency.

[BB28403]

I've played with one LPGA player, three PGA Tour players (one was a major winner) and one Euro Tour player.

 

In every case, the most impressive part of their game was consistency.

 

Hopefully you did not deflate their spirit by beating them too bad? ;)

[BarrySanders]

I have dated an "attractive" lpga player. I should have Bruce Jennered it in my younger days. 300 yard par 4's? Could have become a plus handicap

[Schley]

I have dated an "attractive" lpga player. I should have Bruce Jennered it in my younger days. 300 yard par 4's? Could have become a plus handicap

 

The first part had us interested, the 2nd sentence lost everyone. :swoon:

[BB28403]

I think he means the Olympian Bruce Jenner. Not the raving twit on the Kardashian soap life drama

[Lancj1]

I love watching how better golfers get the job done. Not the tour pros who are different animals, but the guys who hook a drive, bury it in the rough, thin one - just like me- but walk off with a par, not a double bogie.

[backhill]

I got matched up with a former D1 player who was just plodding around like me one evening. He out drove me on most holes, but nothing to write home about as if it were BK or DJ.

 

Around the green, and with 50-80 yard pitch shots, he would consistently put it into a spot that would give him a solid chance at birdie. If I get GIR, or fringe, I'm just glad I have a chance at par.

[Titleist983K]

All I can say is you'll know it when you see it. I played a few years in college and like to think I can play a little bit still. Recently started working with a guy who played on the Nationwide/ Web/ Hooters Tours. Literally better in every aspect of the game. The true + handicap guys play a completely different game. Very consistent, no wild shots, keep the ball in play, hit greens, and putt unbelievably. Misses/ mis-hits are made in the correct spots on the golf course where they can recover. They birdie easy par 4s and birdie a par 5 or two and come in with a 67-68 and leave you wondering what happened. If they make a couple 20 footers on any given round combined with the above, you can be left in the dust QUICKLY.

[rightslice]

When I lived in SD I had a buddy who played with Phil in a charity event. They get to a downhill 380 par four. Phil says "want me to drive the green," they all say "heck yes," Phil says "what kind of shot do you want me to hit?:" They come up with a 9 ft high low cut. Phil knocks it 8 ft away with that shot. So there's that.

[Janice_rossi]

All I can say is you'll know it when you see it. I played a few years in college and like to think I can play a little bit still. Recently started working with a guy who played on the Nationwide/ Web/ Hooters Tours. Literally better in every aspect of the game. The true + handicap guys play a completely different game. Very consistent, no wild shots, keep the ball in play, hit greens, and putt unbelievably. Misses/ mis-hits are made in the correct spots on the golf course where they can recover. They birdie easy par 4s and birdie a par 5 or two and come in with a 67-68 and leave you wondering what happened. If they make a couple 20 footers on any given round combined with the above, you can be left in the dust QUICKLY.

 

Perfectly said!!! Those 67/68 rounds are kind of boring and non eventful but all those little things are big things which add up

[wbond]

Played with a guy who won three events on the nike tour, including their tour championship. Unbelievable difference in ability between him and the few scratch players i've played with.

[Rambler1277]

I play a decent amount of public course golf in the south Jersey area(usually one or two rounds a week and one on the weekend). I play a lot of my weekday rounds as a walk on single. I've been paired with all types. I am a mid capper and on a good day can get the ball out there pretty deep but i have never been paired with one who blew me away. I've seen guy hit the ball my distance, seen good putters, seen plotters that shoot in the low 80s, old guys that make a ton of pars,etc. But I've still have yet to see someone shoot within 5 of par let alone 60's or even close. Just wondering if you guys have seen the same or if its just same run of bad luck for me to not catch someone super good.

 

I never do, but now I'm realizing they all play at better courses than I do. I'm slated to play Champions in a month or so with a co-worker and I believe I'm about to have my eyes opened.

[8thehardway]

I play a decent amount of public course golf in the south Jersey area(usually one or two rounds a week and one on the weekend). I play a lot of my weekday rounds as a walk on single. I've been paired with all types. I am a mid capper and on a good day can get the ball out there pretty deep but i have never been paired with one who blew me away. I've seen guy hit the ball my distance, seen good putters, seen plotters that shoot in the low 80s, old guys that make a ton of pars,etc. But I've still have yet to see someone shoot within 5 of par let alone 60's or even close. Just wondering if you guys have seen the same or if its just same run of bad luck for me to not catch someone super good.

 

I never do, but now I'm realizing they all play at better courses than I do. I'm slated to play Champions in a month or so with a co-worker and I believe I'm about to have my eyes opened.

 

I think a boring course equals a boring performance, in that it doesn't require that much from highly skilled players... they just get the job done. Like watching a highly-skilled swordsman warming up vs seeing him slice a 100mph baseball in half. I watched the best player at my muni shoot a boring 66 and he couldn't hold a candle to a top-5 high school player who routinely hit 300-yard lasers with his 3 wood.

 

Before golf I used to have an ego; now I just have clubs.

[lumberman2462]

I've been lucky to play with some amazing players. I've told this story in a similar thread sometime back.

 

When I was 20 years old in college and could play a little bit (I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I was) I spent an afternoon playing in a foursome that was joined on the back 9 by Sam Snead. This was a charity tournament just outside of Nashville.

 

My group was Don Drysdale, Spanky Mcfarland from the Little Rascals, Al Besselink (who was drilling my *%# in a money game) and Snead joined us for the back 9.

 

79 years old and blind in one eye. Course setup was 6500+- and he shot even par...And that included a hole where he hit to the wrong green because he'd never played the course before.

 

Snead and Besselink were friendly and had an argument about what year Al had won the Tournament of Champions.

[BarrySanders]

I have dated an "attractive" lpga player. I should have Bruce Jennered it in my younger days. 300 yard par 4's? Could have become a plus handicap

 

The first part had us interested, the 2nd sentence lost everyone. :swoon:

 

Or, maybe I could do the Ladybugs movie thing instead

[tdeutmeyer]

I play with a guy every week for our 9 hole league round. It is a hard course to play. Even par, 36, is a bad round for him. He normally shoots -2-3 under for 9 holes and I have seen him go as low as -5. He has the course record at -7 for 9 holes. It is fun to watch for sure. He makes the game look easy, never gets pissed, and plays very fast. He will talk about anything until it is time to hit his shot. He has a quick routine, hits his shot, and back to talking again. He has no problem having a few beers while playing also. Just a fun guy to play with. He tried to go pro maybe 10yrs ago, but just couldn't quite make it.

[dbigstick]

I have played with Obee a couple of times, so one for sure.

[CSkipR]

Over my working career I played with a number of PGA pros with our manufacturer partners. Retired in 06. David Toms, Scott Simpson, Anika Sorenson, Tom Shaw, Joe Durant, Tommy Jacobs, Loren Roberts, Fulton Allen, Chip Beck, J C Snead, Cathy Gehring, Frank Beard, Ralph Terry, Tom Lehman & David Frost

All were enjoyable and pleasant to golf with. Played with Anika and David Toms a couple of times. Got my only hole in one with Cathy Gehring.

[Loki]

I have played with Obee a couple of times, so one for sure.

 

? I'm not really sure that Obee is famous outside the path of a 48" driver.

 

?

[North Texas]

I've been lucky to play with some amazing players. I've told this story in a similar thread sometime back.

 

When I was 20 years old in college and could play a little bit (I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I was) I spent an afternoon playing in a foursome that was joined on the back 9 by Sam Snead. This was a charity tournament just outside of Nashville.

 

My group was Don Drysdale, Spanky Mcfarland from the Little Rascals, Al Besselink (who was drilling my *%# in a money game) and Snead joined us for the back 9.

 

79 years old and blind in one eye. Course setup was 6500+- and he shot even par...And that included a hole where he hit to the wrong green because he'd never played the course before.

 

Snead and Besselink were friendly and had an argument about what year Al had won the Tournament of Champions.

 

My Mother lived across the street from Spanky McFarland when they were little kids. For real.

[bub72ck]

Legit scratch and Pro level are 2 very different things. I am a legit scratch, have a few under par rounds this year on a 75/140 course and 7-8 other 72's.

 

I have played with many of the top amateurs in Quebec, one of the top juniors in Canada, one of the top seniors in Canada.

 

Have not played with a PGA pro, which is a whole other level

 

A top AM, like a +3 or whatever, they often look like scratches to the casual golfer. But in truth they just miss far less shots

 

Can't agree more. I am legit scratch and know a guy that's on the big tour. His game is on a different planet. We don't even look at the golf course the same way. The good rounds are better and the bad rounds are better. Over the course of a 4 day event that can be a dozen shots or more. Extrapolate that out over the course of a season and he makes seven figures and I may never make one cut (hypothetically if I were on tour). But, it goes beyond that. It's one thing for me to hit it straight and not suffer many penalty shots. But what about contact with the ball? Can I spin the ball enough to stop it on fast greens or chip shots that run away from me? Is my bunker game sharp enough to hit it close? What about working the ball with wind? The general golf public has no idea how good guys are on tour.

[Laznasty]

A wholesaler that I deal with regularly was on the golf team with Luke Donald in college and said Luke would usually beat him by 10+ strokes per round. The wholesaler was playing to a +3 at the time. The disparity is almost hard to believe!