Life of a Conditional Web.com Member

[howellhandmade]

Reading this story, I am struck by the similarity to professional orchestral music. There may be hundreds of applicants auditioning for one job, and it comes down to a moment in the crucible. A young musician may spend a similar amount as a young pro to travel to an audition, with an instrument that usually costs far more than he can afford, stay in a hotel or crash with friends, and leave with nothing more than the experience. It is wearing, and while the Jordan Spieths of the music world land their jobs before they have to ask themselves how much longer this can go on, the rest struggle along with help from family, part-time employment, freelancing.

 

While the bitter truth is that not everyone can succeed in making a living playing in an orchestra, or playing golf, I may have a suggestion.

 

Matthew, I haven't read much in the thread about your mental preparation. I didn't think about it, either, when I was young. But as I got older, and the number of auditions I could reasonably expect to win shrank, I realized that I could not leave my mental state to chance. I noticed that I tended to win auditions that I didn't care about, while jobs I really wanted eluded me. I tended to be in the finals a lot, but never managed to close the deal on a big job. So when I prepared for my audition for the job I now have, I changed dramatically. I determined to leave no stone unturned.

 

One of the better authors on the mental game, Bob Rotella, is of course a golf guy. I'm sure you've read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect," which is really the only one you need. I couldn't afford to hire a sports psychologist like him, but I found a local shrink (who I can tell you more about) who made me a Rotella-style tape which changed a lot of mental habits. I read tons of other stuff too, can elaborate later. bulletproofmusician.com would be worth a look. I bought a course subscription and did everything, from assessment to exercises.

 

My change in mental approach changed how I practiced. I realized that repetition, by itself, is corrosive; repetition simply makes you more comfortable with how you happen to play at the moment. But bad habits creep in, you get used to mistakes, and conditions change. So every practice session had a purpose and a measurement, so that I never played an excerpt without some external reference and some way to score. I also went deep into adversity training. Most musicians prepare with the hope that everything will go perfectly. While sometimes it does, preparation should leave you ready to deal with disaster. I would run on the treadmill until my pulse hit 120, then play. I would pick an old reed out of the discard pile and play on it. I would play for people who made me nervous. I practiced more intensely, not longer, and spent more and more time with mental training. And so on.

 

One could make the argument that competition is adversity training in itself. The problem is that you only have so many bullets, and you need to shoot that 64 when you're in position to win, or put those days back to back. I won't go on because maybe you're already working on it, but sometimes the mind is what makes the difference, and you can change.

[agatha]

Reading this story, I am struck by the similarity to professional orchestral music. There may be hundreds of applicants auditioning for one job, and it comes down to a moment in the crucible. A young musician may spend a similar amount as a young pro to travel to an audition, with an instrument that usually costs far more than he can afford, stay in a hotel or crash with friends, and leave with nothing more than the experience. It is wearing, and while the Jordan Spieths of the music world land their jobs before they have to ask themselves how much longer this can go on, the rest struggle along with help from family, part-time employment, freelancing.

 

While the bitter truth is that not everyone can succeed in making a living playing in an orchestra, or playing golf, I may have a suggestion.

 

Matthew, I haven't read much in the thread about your mental preparation. I didn't think about it, either, when I was young. But as I got older, and the number of auditions I could reasonably expect to win shrank, I realized that I could not leave my mental state to chance. I noticed that I tended to win auditions that I didn't care about, while jobs I really wanted eluded me. I tended to be in the finals a lot, but never managed to close the deal on a big job. So when I prepared for my audition for the job I now have, I changed dramatically. I determined to leave no stone unturned.

 

One of the better authors on the mental game, Bob Rotella, is of course a golf guy. I'm sure you've read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect," which is really the only one you need. I couldn't afford to hire a sports psychologist like him, but I found a local shrink (who I can tell you more about) who made me a Rotella-style tape which changed a lot of mental habits. I read tons of other stuff too, can elaborate later. bulletproofmusician.com would be worth a look. I bought a course subscription and did everything, from assessment to exercises.

 

My change in mental approach changed how I practiced. I realized that repetition, by itself, is corrosive; repetition simply makes you more comfortable with how you happen to play at the moment. But bad habits creep in, you get used to mistakes, and conditions change. So every practice session had a purpose and a measurement, so that I never played an excerpt without some external reference and some way to score. I also went deep into adversity training. Most musicians prepare with the hope that everything will go perfectly. While sometimes it does, preparation should leave you ready to deal with disaster. I would run on the treadmill until my pulse hit 120, then play. I would pick an old reed out of the discard pile and play on it. I would play for people who made me nervous. I practiced more intensely, not longer, and spent more and more time with mental training. And so on.

 

One could make the argument that competition is adversity training in itself. The problem is that you only have so many bullets, and you need to shoot that 64 when you're in position to win, or put those days back to back. I won't go on because maybe you're already working on it, but sometimes the mind is what makes the difference, and you can change.

 

Great post, as the "mom" I wholeheartedly agree with what you are saying and interestingly enough there is someone on this thread who is in the profession of mental training who has reached out to him with interested in working with him. They have scheduled a chat for later in the week to see if its a good fit. Matthew has worked with people prior, unfortunately he did meet with one early on who was basically a quack and gave him a bad taste in his mouth for the whole thing.

 

But he also knows there is value in it and has had some very good advise and mental training from others, both on this board and off. Often times cost is a big factor and now that he is playing on his own dime, its huge. This offer by this person on here who has interest in golf and helping him has offered to work with him at no cost. Thank you..

 

To me the timing says everything. I think that addressing mindset not only in tournaments but all around in training and fitness and learning and reading, is going to be very important to this upcoming year. All these players at this level are tremendously talented so what is the difference? Mental- clearly.

 

I am currently up in Monterey, I asked him to play the Monterey Open because its at Old Del Monte and its lovely with a hyatt hotel on the course. HIs buddy Jonny (ex caddy for him) is also playing and his mom and are I are good friends, and they got in the same pairing!!! That was total luck..

I don't get to watch him play very often anymore so this is a nice treat for me.

[rangersgoalie]

Reading this story, I am struck by the similarity to professional orchestral music. There may be hundreds of applicants auditioning for one job, and it comes down to a moment in the crucible. A young musician may spend a similar amount as a young pro to travel to an audition, with an instrument that usually costs far more than he can afford, stay in a hotel or crash with friends, and leave with nothing more than the experience. It is wearing, and while the Jordan Spieths of the music world land their jobs before they have to ask themselves how much longer this can go on, the rest struggle along with help from family, part-time employment, freelancing.

 

While the bitter truth is that not everyone can succeed in making a living playing in an orchestra, or playing golf, I may have a suggestion.

 

Matthew, I haven't read much in the thread about your mental preparation. I didn't think about it, either, when I was young. But as I got older, and the number of auditions I could reasonably expect to win shrank, I realized that I could not leave my mental state to chance. I noticed that I tended to win auditions that I didn't care about, while jobs I really wanted eluded me. I tended to be in the finals a lot, but never managed to close the deal on a big job. So when I prepared for my audition for the job I now have, I changed dramatically. I determined to leave no stone unturned.

 

One of the better authors on the mental game, Bob Rotella, is of course a golf guy. I'm sure you've read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect," which is really the only one you need. I couldn't afford to hire a sports psychologist like him, but I found a local shrink (who I can tell you more about) who made me a Rotella-style tape which changed a lot of mental habits. I read tons of other stuff too, can elaborate later. bulletproofmusician.com would be worth a look. I bought a course subscription and did everything, from assessment to exercises.

 

My change in mental approach changed how I practiced. I realized that repetition, by itself, is corrosive; repetition simply makes you more comfortable with how you happen to play at the moment. But bad habits creep in, you get used to mistakes, and conditions change. So every practice session had a purpose and a measurement, so that I never played an excerpt without some external reference and some way to score. I also went deep into adversity training. Most musicians prepare with the hope that everything will go perfectly. While sometimes it does, preparation should leave you ready to deal with disaster. I would run on the treadmill until my pulse hit 120, then play. I would pick an old reed out of the discard pile and play on it. I would play for people who made me nervous. I practiced more intensely, not longer, and spent more and more time with mental training. And so on.

 

One could make the argument that competition is adversity training in itself. The problem is that you only have so many bullets, and you need to shoot that 64 when you're in position to win, or put those days back to back. I won't go on because maybe you're already working on it, but sometimes the mind is what makes the difference, and you can change.

 

no desire to derail, but where are you playing now? Sax/clarinet/oboe?

[howellhandmade]

Reading this story, I am struck by the similarity to professional orchestral music. There may be hundreds of applicants auditioning for one job, and it comes down to a moment in the crucible. A young musician may spend a similar amount as a young pro to travel to an audition, with an instrument that usually costs far more than he can afford, stay in a hotel or crash with friends, and leave with nothing more than the experience. It is wearing, and while the Jordan Spieths of the music world land their jobs before they have to ask themselves how much longer this can go on, the rest struggle along with help from family, part-time employment, freelancing.

 

While the bitter truth is that not everyone can succeed in making a living playing in an orchestra, or playing golf, I may have a suggestion.

 

Matthew, I haven't read much in the thread about your mental preparation. I didn't think about it, either, when I was young. But as I got older, and the number of auditions I could reasonably expect to win shrank, I realized that I could not leave my mental state to chance. I noticed that I tended to win auditions that I didn't care about, while jobs I really wanted eluded me. I tended to be in the finals a lot, but never managed to close the deal on a big job. So when I prepared for my audition for the job I now have, I changed dramatically. I determined to leave no stone unturned.

 

One of the better authors on the mental game, Bob Rotella, is of course a golf guy. I'm sure you've read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect," which is really the only one you need. I couldn't afford to hire a sports psychologist like him, but I found a local shrink (who I can tell you more about) who made me a Rotella-style tape which changed a lot of mental habits. I read tons of other stuff too, can elaborate later. bulletproofmusician.com would be worth a look. I bought a course subscription and did everything, from assessment to exercises.

 

My change in mental approach changed how I practiced. I realized that repetition, by itself, is corrosive; repetition simply makes you more comfortable with how you happen to play at the moment. But bad habits creep in, you get used to mistakes, and conditions change. So every practice session had a purpose and a measurement, so that I never played an excerpt without some external reference and some way to score. I also went deep into adversity training. Most musicians prepare with the hope that everything will go perfectly. While sometimes it does, preparation should leave you ready to deal with disaster. I would run on the treadmill until my pulse hit 120, then play. I would pick an old reed out of the discard pile and play on it. I would play for people who made me nervous. I practiced more intensely, not longer, and spent more and more time with mental training. And so on.

 

One could make the argument that competition is adversity training in itself. The problem is that you only have so many bullets, and you need to shoot that 64 when you're in position to win, or put those days back to back. I won't go on because maybe you're already working on it, but sometimes the mind is what makes the difference, and you can change.

 

no desire to derail, but where are you playing now? Sax/clarinet/oboe?

 

Clarinet, Pittsburgh Symphony. For Agatha, my mental training cost $360, total. Just like I recommend that my students read Rotella because it's not really about golf, bulletproofmusician.com is not really about music, completely anyway. I had always worked hard (and I still work hard) on my playing, but I learned a lot with my PSO audition. Previously, I think I worked like a helicopter, or a hot air balloon; I always was able to achieve altitude, but felt like auditions were what happened to me rather than what I made happen. For this audition I became a missile. And I think independence is part of mental training. I'm glad to help, too, to the extent of sharing my sources and process anyway, but I won't intrude.

[Chewey85]

Actually thinking about it I'd say working on the mental aspect of the game could help a golfer at any level. Every thing seems much easier and loose when I'm just goofing around. But for some reason when something is on the line and I get tense it all goes to hell lol.

[howellhandmade]

Actually thinking about it I'd say working on the mental aspect of the game could help a golfer at any level. Every thing seems much easier and loose when I'm just goofing around. But for some reason when something is on the line and I get tense it all goes to hell lol.

 

Yes. But it is a lot of work. It's easy to say, replace negative thoughts with positive ones, but hard to do. We fall into habits of thinking which are extremely persistent. Most people aren't motivated enough to change eating habits. Thinking habits are deeper and more slippery. While it is true that the recreational golfer certainly could save a few strokes in pressure situations by improving the mental game, he has neither the physical skills nor the stakes of the pro. It is important to remember that training your mind does not give you new capabilities, it just makes your best performance more available. When you get to the point where a -3 round just isn't good enough -- or for a musician, where the slightest bobble or lack of conviction means looking for an early flight home -- then the investment makes sense. Everybody wants to be great. Few are willing to pay the price.

[Chewey85]

Actually thinking about it I'd say working on the mental aspect of the game could help a golfer at any level. Every thing seems much easier and loose when I'm just goofing around. But for some reason when something is on the line and I get tense it all goes to hell lol.

 

Yes. But it is a lot of work. It's easy to say, replace negative thoughts with positive ones, but hard to do. We fall into habits of thinking which are extremely persistent. Most people aren't motivated enough to change eating habits. Thinking habits are deeper and more slippery. While it is true that the recreational golfer certainly could save a few strokes in pressure situations by improving the mental game, he has neither the physical skills nor the stakes of the pro. It is important to remember that training your mind does not give you new capabilities, it just makes your best performance more available. When you get to the point where a -3 round just isn't good enough -- or for a musician, where the slightest bobble or lack of conviction means looking for an early flight home -- then the investment makes sense. Everybody wants to be great. Few are willing to pay the price.

 

Well said. I definitely agree. Tell someone don't think about red. First thing that comes to mind is red.

[GolfingBro]

Reading this story, I am struck by the similarity to professional orchestral music. There may be hundreds of applicants auditioning for one job, and it comes down to a moment in the crucible. A young musician may spend a similar amount as a young pro to travel to an audition, with an instrument that usually costs far more than he can afford, stay in a hotel or crash with friends, and leave with nothing more than the experience. It is wearing, and while the Jordan Spieths of the music world land their jobs before they have to ask themselves how much longer this can go on, the rest struggle along with help from family, part-time employment, freelancing.

 

While the bitter truth is that not everyone can succeed in making a living playing in an orchestra, or playing golf, I may have a suggestion.

 

Matthew, I haven't read much in the thread about your mental preparation. I didn't think about it, either, when I was young. But as I got older, and the number of auditions I could reasonably expect to win shrank, I realized that I could not leave my mental state to chance. I noticed that I tended to win auditions that I didn't care about, while jobs I really wanted eluded me. I tended to be in the finals a lot, but never managed to close the deal on a big job. So when I prepared for my audition for the job I now have, I changed dramatically. I determined to leave no stone unturned.

 

One of the better authors on the mental game, Bob Rotella, is of course a golf guy. I'm sure you've read "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect," which is really the only one you need. I couldn't afford to hire a sports psychologist like him, but I found a local shrink (who I can tell you more about) who made me a Rotella-style tape which changed a lot of mental habits. I read tons of other stuff too, can elaborate later. bulletproofmusician.com would be worth a look. I bought a course subscription and did everything, from assessment to exercises.

 

My change in mental approach changed how I practiced. I realized that repetition, by itself, is corrosive; repetition simply makes you more comfortable with how you happen to play at the moment. But bad habits creep in, you get used to mistakes, and conditions change. So every practice session had a purpose and a measurement, so that I never played an excerpt without some external reference and some way to score. I also went deep into adversity training. Most musicians prepare with the hope that everything will go perfectly. While sometimes it does, preparation should leave you ready to deal with disaster. I would run on the treadmill until my pulse hit 120, then play. I would pick an old reed out of the discard pile and play on it. I would play for people who made me nervous. I practiced more intensely, not longer, and spent more and more time with mental training. And so on.

 

One could make the argument that competition is adversity training in itself. The problem is that you only have so many bullets, and you need to shoot that 64 when you're in position to win, or put those days back to back. I won't go on because maybe you're already working on it, but sometimes the mind is what makes the difference, and you can change.

 

I love the comparison, golf is unique in the sporting world since we are solely playing against a set course and nothing else. There are no defenders, no goalies just the golf course, the conditions and yourself.

[GolfingBro]

Actually thinking about it I'd say working on the mental aspect of the game could help a golfer at any level. Every thing seems much easier and loose when I'm just goofing around. But for some reason when something is on the line and I get tense it all goes to hell lol.

 

Yes. But it is a lot of work. It's easy to say, replace negative thoughts with positive ones, but hard to do. We fall into habits of thinking which are extremely persistent. Most people aren't motivated enough to change eating habits. Thinking habits are deeper and more slippery. While it is true that the recreational golfer certainly could save a few strokes in pressure situations by improving the mental game, he has neither the physical skills nor the stakes of the pro. It is important to remember that training your mind does not give you new capabilities, it just makes your best performance more available. When you get to the point where a -3 round just isn't good enough -- or for a musician, where the slightest bobble or lack of conviction means looking for an early flight home -- then the investment makes sense. Everybody wants to be great. Few are willing to pay the price.

 

Well said. I definitely agree. Tell someone don't think about red. First thing that comes to mind is red.

 

Spot on

[GolfingBro]

For those OG followers and those new check out my twitter account for swing videos, pictures and basically the daily life of a golfer. @MattHansenGolf

 

Also check this out and message me for a sweet deal. https://www.surfandturfgolf.com Its a sweet company, and any purchases help me out as well. Tell your friends message me for details. I would love to help a fellow golfers company grow.

 

The plan is work on my game both mental and physical and have a tournament in the first week of December.

[GolfingBro]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

[ABARTSCHMID]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

 

What is your lowest round all time? Tournament and non-tournament?

[Orange Hog]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

 

What does "off season" mean for you, in terms of practice, exercise, playing time on the course, etc?

 

What were the highs and lows of this past year?

 

Goals for 2018?

[DZClark]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

 

Matt - First let me give you a huge shout out for taking the time to share with us your journey. As you can see, this site is full of avid golf fans and letting us join in, peeking behind the curtain is entertaining, educational and fun for all of us. When times get rough (and because you have chosen this ridiculously hard profession they will come often) know you have a group of people who are cheering for you to reach the mountaintop.

 

Question - How do you go about learning about and deciding what tournaments to enter outside of the "tour level" stops? Is there a website or is is more word of mouth. Seems most states have a state open tournament and there are tons of minitours, but how do you go about it?

 

Keep grinding.

[GolfingBro]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

 

What is your lowest round all time? Tournament and non-tournament?

 

10 under par at my college home course. 62. Tournament was a -9 62 as well.

[GolfingBro]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

 

What does "off season" mean for you, in terms of practice, exercise, playing time on the course, etc?

 

What were the highs and lows of this past year?

 

Goals for 2018?

 

Off season for me means hitting the gym hard and trying to gain strength. Close to tournaments I don't lift or run much I just keep flexibility and mobility. The off season allows me to gain some weight. Practice is more of a mix of mechanics and drills. I am seeing my swing coach and putting coach more working on the things I need to improve on or any slight stroke or swing changes.

 

I have been up in Davis CA and I have access to El Macero since I am volunteer coach for the aggies this year. Yesterday I played with 3 of the guys on the team at another local country club we have access to. The playing privileges I have when Im in Davis are awesome. While on the course I play wedge games, move around and play different tees to try and shoot low numbers. This differs than in season because in season the opportunities I have to play and practice outside tournament weeks I am focusing on the shots and yardages I am going to have for my next event. This whole offseason is about building confidence and learning new shots and learning what shots I need to continue to work on.

 

Goals for 2018 are to win plain and simple. I need to have the feeling of winning more, and shooting low low low numbers. The goal is to shoot low numbers.

[GolfingBro]

My followers, its the off season and to get some conversations and posts going lets have a Q&A. Ask some questions that you have about pro golf. Fire away.

 

Matt - First let me give you a huge shout out for taking the time to share with us your journey. As you can see, this site is full of avid golf fans and letting us join in, peeking behind the curtain is entertaining, educational and fun for all of us. When times get rough (and because you have chosen this ridiculously hard profession they will come often) know you have a group of people who are cheering for you to reach the mountaintop.

 

Question - How do you go about learning about and deciding what tournaments to enter outside of the "tour level" stops? Is there a website or is is more word of mouth. Seems most states have a state open tournament and there are tons of minitours, but how do you go about it?

 

Keep grinding.

 

Im glad to share my journey and have a great set of followers on this forum. Just thank my mom for having me start it.

 

Entering events is research and word of mouth. Every state has a state open and by word of mouth I can determine which ones are the best bang for your buck. For example the Nor Cal open is not as good as the So Cal Open. Its all about finding the biggest winners check you can. On every tour its all about winning and the tournaments that pay the most for 1st place are the ones I want to play. The colorado open is a good example. 100,000 dollars to first place.

[ABARTSCHMID]

For guys like yourself who are trying to make a living at this and money is obviously a factor, how do you pay swing coaches etc? Do they charge you per lesson or do you have like a season rate that you hire them at? For guys like me that don't have the talent you do it is awesome to be able to follow you and root for you. Thanks for letting us be a small part of your journey.

[GolfingBro]

For guys like yourself who are trying to make a living at this and money is obviously a factor, how do you pay swing coaches etc? Do they charge you per lesson or do you have like a season rate that you hire them at? For guys like me that don't have the talent you do it is awesome to be able to follow you and root for you. Thanks for letting us be a small part of your journey.

 

Thank you for following and rooting me on. I can't speak for other guys but my coach sets it up like it would be for the biggest tour pros. A % of tournament winnings. So if I am winning he gets paid and if I don't he doesn't. Its incentive for both parties to work hard.

[rangersgoalie]

Good to see you posting Matt. Hope you’re doing well.

 

Keep making progress!!!!

[howellhandmade]

Nice to see you back, Matt. After recently reading the whole thread I was feeling a little let down that it had seemingly gone dormant.

 

Hope your offseason prep is ideal. Here's my best thought from my audition preparation. I knew that I could, and probably would, lose the audition. Auditions are tough, and unpredictable. But I wouldn't die, and the next morning I had to be able to look in the mirror and know that I had done my best, that I had thought as deeply as I could, that I had studied everything I could find, that I had made the best possible use of the time and physical ability I had. This thought informed every choice I made for almost two years, every day, every hour, almost every minute.

 

Focus on the process, forget the outcome.

[Mick Douglas]

Great to follow you and Chad from Australia, the careers of the battler are way more interesting to me than the big names as we all know how hard the game is at any level but the middle of the range pro trying so hard to get to the 3rd or 2nd tier tours just to make a living and improve their games is quite inspirational.

 

One thing that annoys me and I know your not a web.com player but how on earth can the tour not operate for 3/4 months when the big boys are still playing for plenty of $$$$, what are these and your tour players supposed to do just practice practice practice.... surely they could knock 10% off the purse of the PGA events just to get a few more tournaments for the hundreds of pros just waiting for next year, I know it's not that simple but seems crazy to go without for so long.

 

Question: I know a few pros from New Zealand, one plays solely on the Australasia tour and a few events in Asia and his costs for the year work around about $50k US for approx 8 months , and the other plays full season in Europe at about $120K US...... are you able to offer what a year would cost you, and going by schedule etc you play tour golf 7 months of the year. And if its not to personal what would roughly be sponsorship money you and similar level pros might receive?.

 

Cheers

[FairwaysToHeaven]

without really knowing your game...

 

of the choices, which area do you think has room for the most improvement or would allow you to go a little lower

 

1. making more putts inside 10'

2. hitting approach shots little closer giving you more higher make % attempts at birdie

3. avoiding bogies or worse more often.

4. accuracy off the tee

 

when it comes to putting, if you had to pick one area that would have biggest impact on your scores or the option you would consider the weaker of the three...

 

1. 3 putt avoidance

2. hitting the ball on your intended line...vs.

3. better ability to read greens and picking the proper line.

 

great thread btw

[bigweb99]

Matt, thank you for showing us what life is like being a Canadian tour pro. If today you could go back in time and tell your 16 year old self one thing, what would it be?

[cwglum]

You can't be at the course 12-14hrs a day week in and week out ... so I'd think you have a fair amount of downtime on your hands while on the road. How to you plan out your time away from the course at events?

 

Do you try to avoid the hotel(s) all together, go to local gyms, movies? Or do you just hang at hotel and get as much rest as possible?

 

Just curious how y'all pass the time in areas where you don't have many contacts.

[GolfingBro]

Nice to see you back, Matt. After recently reading the whole thread I was feeling a little let down that it had seemingly gone dormant.

 

Hope your offseason prep is ideal. Here's my best thought from my audition preparation. I knew that I could, and probably would, lose the audition. Auditions are tough, and unpredictable. But I wouldn't die, and the next morning I had to be able to look in the mirror and know that I had done my best, that I had thought as deeply as I could, that I had studied everything I could find, that I had made the best possible use of the time and physical ability I had. This thought informed every choice I made for almost two years, every day, every hour, almost every minute.

 

Focus on the process, forget the outcome.

 

Hard to post when no tournaments are going on but I have an interesting app I am using:

 

This app called Swingers Golf is an app your you can meet with instructors or guys like me, send them a video of your swing or short game or putting and then we give send you a video or a voice over with tips and what to fix for a very cheap price. A different way to approach golf lessons and hopefully people start contacting me.

[GolfingBro]

Great to follow you and Chad from Australia, the careers of the battler are way more interesting to me than the big names as we all know how hard the game is at any level but the middle of the range pro trying so hard to get to the 3rd or 2nd tier tours just to make a living and improve their games is quite inspirational.

 

One thing that annoys me and I know your not a web.com player but how on earth can the tour not operate for 3/4 months when the big boys are still playing for plenty of $$$$, what are these and your tour players supposed to do just practice practice practice.... surely they could knock 10% off the purse of the PGA events just to get a few more tournaments for the hundreds of pros just waiting for next year, I know it's not that simple but seems crazy to go without for so long.

 

Question: I know a few pros from New Zealand, one plays solely on the Australasia tour and a few events in Asia and his costs for the year work around about $50k US for approx 8 months , and the other plays full season in Europe at about $120K US...... are you able to offer what a year would cost you, and going by schedule etc you play tour golf 7 months of the year. And if its not to personal what would roughly be sponsorship money you and similar level pros might receive?.

 

Cheers

 

 

Someone once told me that the commissioner of the PGA Tour wanted to get rid of all the other small tours and just have the "big boy" tour. The reason why they don't play more and don't play for more money is simple, they don't want guys to get comfortable and make a living.

 

For me a season of golf (this is lower since I'm not flying and paying a full time caddy on the web or pga) is 50,000-60,000. This is only golf expenses. Q schools, food on the road, travel, entry fees. Then there are my living expenses outside of golf. Sponsorship money from people I've met was the only reason I was able to play for three years. Guys like myself in my position either find more people to help support them, get a job on the side to pay for it themselves, or have the support of their parents.

 

It is crazy there is no more offseason but once I'm there I know I will enjoy it.

[GolfingBro]

without really knowing your game...

 

of the choices, which area do you think has room for the most improvement or would allow you to go a little lower

 

1. making more putts inside 10'

2. hitting approach shots little closer giving you more higher make % attempts at birdie

3. avoiding bogies or worse more often.

4. accuracy off the tee

 

when it comes to putting, if you had to pick one area that would have biggest impact on your scores or the option you would consider the weaker of the three...

 

1. 3 putt avoidance

2. hitting the ball on your intended line...vs.

3. better ability to read greens and picking the proper line.

 

great thread btw

 

This is a great question! I am using this app called Decade Golf to learn all these stats. I don't have many rounds in the app since I just got it a little over a month ago. I can go into crazy detail once I have more and I think all of you guys will enjoy that post.

 

But overall its making every putt under 5 feet I need to do, hitting shots closer inside 15 feet, and learning to read greens better (I have been using aim point express)

[GolfingBro]

Matt, thank you for showing us what life is like being a Canadian tour pro. If today you could go back in time and tell your 16 year old self one thing, what would it be?

 

Practice your putting more and don't be so stubborn to change. I have always been set in my ways which is good and bad. Good because outside influences don't affect me but bad because it takes me more time to change.

[GolfingBro]

You can't be at the course 12-14hrs a day week in and week out ... so I'd think you have a fair amount of downtime on your hands while on the road. How to you plan out your time away from the course at events?

 

Do you try to avoid the hotel(s) all together, go to local gyms, movies? Or do you just hang at hotel and get as much rest as possible?

 

Just curious how y'all pass the time in areas where you don't have many contacts.

 

Good question. I've done a lot of things while on the road. Go to movie if there is one in theaters that looks interesting, explore the city I'm in (something I've learned to do more because some of the places I go to are beautiful) and mostly just relax watch netflix or nap. I've seen lots of movies and tv shows thanks to my downtime after rounds.