What can happen if a PGA Tour pro plays on a regular club course

Nels55 · May 15, 2020

The index stays the same but the handicap changes depending on the slope and course rating of the course being played.

DLev45 · May 16, 2020

Yes, and the “Kyle” is Kyle Schwarber. Two Cubbies and a tour pro. Interesting group.

CaddiesFault · May 17, 2020

2 tour pros as harks is brandon harkins.

jim rockford · May 17, 2020

interesting discussion... thank you OP :)

yes, the more difficult a course, the more the pro's advantage..... i'd rather compete with tiger on 5 foot putts than 300 yard shots over water.

correct also on short course not differentiating talent levels...... one of my local courses had women's minor league tourney. best scores from blues (not huge difference except for a few holes) weren't that far off the course record. HS male shot 63 in provincial HS tourney. doesn't seem like the pga pro's would shoot that much better. but it's not long a course.

if interesting, google steve marino playing a muni...... he didn't shoot that great a score. he found short game and putting wasn't predictable at all

doubledub · May 26, 2020

We play regularly with a guy that won on the web/KF and had his card several times. His wedge game is unreal and putting is really good. Usually shoots 64-70 on 7200 yd (74/140) course but with soft but fast/smooth greens and non penal rough. Most amazing thing is how bad some of those 68-70's look, they look like my 76-79's. Guys that have been at that level just know how to shave off 5-7 shots even when they don't have it that day.

Obee · May 26, 2020

I (fairly regularly) play golf with some of the very best players in the world, including (last I looked) the Korn Ferry's current #7 and #30 players, as well as two top Champions Tour guys. They are ridiculously good. But scores are very much course dependent for all players. The best in the world can shoot 64 or 65 on just about any course in the world. They can also shoot 73 or 74 (or even higher) on a bad day on a tough course. But on an easy course (say, with a rating of 70 to 73) they just very, very rarely score more than even or 1 over. Like almost never. Golf scoring is about "ranges," though, and a players scoring range is dependent on the difficulty of the course and the conditions.

For comparison, here's action from last week at my former home course in a tournament from the blacks for the pros (~7,180, 75.7/148). Conditions were perfect. It was the final day of a 3-day club tournament and it was "aggregate" day.

Kevin Dougherty, 68

Tom Pernice, Jr. 68

John Chin, 70

Brent Grant, 72

The course record is 61 by Si Woo Kim. I watched Rickie shoot a 62 one day. All of the guys above have shot 64's, I believe. Of the Korn Ferry guys, above, their "range" on that course is 65 - 74 with 62 or 63 in play on a ridiculously good day, and 75 - 78 in play on a really bad day. (Larger range because the course is difficult).

But at a course with, say, a 71.8 rating? Their range would be 62 - 70 with a low of 58 or 59 and a high of 73 or 74. (Smaller, "tighter" range, because the course is easier).