How well would you play against a tour pro if they played under your conditions?

[spetzle]

They’d still shoot ridiculous scores. Go look at mid am golf of pros who got their amateur status back because they weren’t good enough and now have regular jobs and families. They play a few times a month and still shoot very low scores. One of my students who didn’t make it playing professionally (but did play in a PGA Tour event) made the match play of the US Mid Am last year and plays golf maybe once a week and has 3 kids.

 

friend of mine plays the mini tours down in Florida. Came back home last year played with us and shot the course record.

[SomedayScratch]

9 months ago when I herniated my disc, I think I could have tied any pro out there, since I couldn't even bend over to address the ball :taunt:

[sdandrea]

I'd get drummed in a epic beat-down. My only chance would be if it was match play, I was getting a stroke per hole and he was blindfolded.

[OakLawnGolfPro]

The pros would work any of us.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

I've been beaten handily by LPGA Major winner, PGA Major Winner, Canadian tour guys, current and ex gateway players. Nothing like shooting 36 on the front and being down 6 :russian_roulette: :russian_roulette: :russian_roulette:

[sb944]

I don't think this brings a pro down to a 4 handicapper level or anything, but I do think it would be a fun segment for a golf show, and I'm sure the pro would have some fun with it. They have to turn up at your work, doing what you do, that would be fun watching them completely screw up our profession rather than us screwing up their profession. Ideally the pro would have some interest, so the local mechanic might end up with a pro that is a car nut. This would give the pro and the worker a little respectful chat at times, but ideally the worker then is able to make the pro look silly a few times. Lunch as stated is the crap from cafeteria or whatever, not sure this would upset the pro too much though.

 

Then it's straight to the course for a 9. Hopefully we've managed to tire the pro out a bit with some physical work, they shouldn't turn up fresh still. Straight to the 1st then, no caddy, no reads on the course, no perfectly accurate yardages. It would be nice to get a few clips like "i'd usually work that one out on the range" or "I wish I knew how far it was to the dogleg." Unfortunately, it's probably going to be a lot of "actually I think I'll just go over the dogleg with a 3i, but how do I know if anyone is on the green" on the tight tree lined dogleg everybody at your course hates.

 

Still, with a bit of work, could be a fun segment.

[AlecEmersonGolf]

They'd rarely shoot over 65

[kylemd]

We have a WEB.com playa at our course we play with occasionally. He literally comfotably destroys everyone, sinks every putt including the 20 footers like its nothing, wedges it to mere feet everytime, and never missed a fairway. He misses his landing spot IN the fairway. Usually shoots in low low 60’s without even trying.... in his sleep. The reality of how good a tour pro is compared to amateurs is staggering. They are in a class by themselves. You ams dont stand a chance unless you tied a pros hands. Then theyd still kick your butt.

[gators78]

Kind of an interesting article, Steve Marino played at the muni East Potomac the week before the 2007 US Open.

 

http://www.washingto...7070101221.html

 

"It's just kind of like you hit it and guess where it goes on this course," Marino said. "I don't think I'd ever shoot over par on a course like this, but I'm not sure I could ever go really low. On nice courses, you know when you hit a good shot that you're going to get rewarded for it. So if you're playing great, you score great. Here, you just never know."

[pheenomz4774]

I'd get worked like a reindeer on Christmas Eve. But flip this, how many of us amateurs can fly into a new city on Tuesday, play with a 25 handicap on Wednesday, then play 4 straight rounds on a course walking, have to talk to jabroni's asking dumb questions like "why'd you put in the water on #8" every evening, and then have SOMETHING in the tank on the back 9 on Sunday with jack holes screaming "BABA BOOEY!!" in your backswing with $1.5 million dollars on the line?

 

You think a tour pro would be concerned about sitting through your board meeting, an 8-5, and playing one 6500 yard muni after changing a poopy diaper?

[parmark]

how many of us amateurs can fly into a new city on Tuesday, play with a 25 handicap on Wednesday, then play 4 straight rounds on a course walking, have to talk to jabroni's asking dumb questions like "why'd you put in the water on #8" every evening, and then have SOMETHING in the tank on the back 9 on Sunday with jack holes screaming "BABA BOOEY!!" in your backswing with $1.5 million dollars on the line.

I’ll be glad this one time to take one for the team and volunteer my services and report back next February.

[Obee]

They'd rarely shoot over 65

 

Depends on the course. ;-)

[deadsolid...shank]

They'd rarely shoot over 65

 

Depends on the course. ;-)

 

The voice of experience chimes in!

[isaacbm]

Depends on the job.

 

Take a guy that’s never raked asphalt and make him do it starting at 6:15 am for 10 straight hours.then rush to the course for 5:15 tee time in men’s night. There’s a good chance he’s in the hospital by the back nine. I’ve posted a few rounds in the 60’s on days like these so I might be able to beat one of these soft handed pretty boys!

[thug the bunny]

I know I could kick any pro's butt running gas chromatography. So after he waxes me by 15 on the course we would break even right?

[Millbrook]

He'd be giving me over 20 strokes and I'd be dead before the round finished, hopefully not after the first nine.

[TB07]

Let’s not forget the tour player is playing your course conditions. Which is way easier. Also, this reminds me of the story of a player who was in town for Q school. The airline lost his clubs. He narrowed the bunch of clubs from the pro shop and a few clubs from the assistant pro and went on to qualify that day shooting something in the mid 60’s I believe. Most people just don’t realize how much better these guys are at golf.

[cwglum]

For comparison ... Steve Marino article from 2007, not a head to head match but a tour pro that tee'd it at a grungy muni with basically no warm up other than a quick stretch, aka most of our normal league night routine.

 

https://mygolfbuddy.com/golfnews/index.php/2017/01/12/what-happens-when-a-tour-pro-plays-at-a-grungy-municipal-ask-steve-marino/

[RichieHunt]

They’d still shoot ridiculous scores. Go look at mid am golf of pros who got their amateur status back because they weren’t good enough and now have regular jobs and families. They play a few times a month and still shoot very low scores. One of my students who didn’t make it playing professionally (but did play in a PGA Tour event) made the match play of the US Mid Am last year and plays golf maybe once a week and has 3 kids.

 

True, although most of the top Mid Am players are moonlighting pros whose 'job' really consists of them playing and practicing golf and they get to do it way more than the average golf enthusiast. A lot of the top Mid Ams in Florida either work in the golf industry or in 'financial services' where a key responsibility is to play golf with clients and keep their game up. They aren't exactly working 40 hour work weeks.

 

That being said, this guy in the link below never made it on Tour...mainly due to a lack of funding and the Web.com Tour (back then the Ben Hogan Tour) didn't exist until he got his amateur status.

 

In his first year back as an amateur, he worked 3 different jobs (surveyor, bartender and doing part time help at the local prison) and he only played/practiced once a week....every Sunday he would get some range practice in, play 18-36 holes for cash and then put in a couple of hours on the range afterward. And he made it to the quarterfinals of the US Am before losing to Justin Leonard (who was the eventual winner).

 

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20080707/SPORTS01/237017787

 

I really don't think any of us would start beating these Tour pros anytime soon if they had similar conditions. I would just be in fear that they would get fired from their job. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[oikos1]

I haven't figured out yet if this is the "If I didn't have a regular job I'm good enough I could play on the tour" thread or "The reason I suck at golf is because I have a regular job" thread, but It's still entertaining to read.

[Bubbtubbs]

They'd win, handily. Why is this even a question?

[LeoLeo99]

My wife tries to make me feel better about my golf game. Tells me I'd be almost as good as the pros on TV if I played and practiced as much as they do. Sadly, I tell her I'd still stink and the pros would still break 70 playing and practicing as much as I do.

 

One thing about a PGA pro that I'm curious about is their ability to lag putts so well. How much practice does that take and how well they'd be at that coming to a course cold and having 5 minutes on the practice green.

[iteachgolf]

My wife tries to make me feel better about my golf game. Tells me I'd be almost as good as the pros on TV if I played and practiced as much as they do. Sadly, I tell her I'd still stink and the pros would still break 70 playing and practicing as much as I do.

 

One thing about a PGA pro that I'm curious about is their ability to lag putts so well. How much practice does that take and how well they'd be at that coming to a course cold and having 5 minutes on the practice green.

 

They play on different courses all over the world. Their ability to adjust is very good. Different players spend different amounts of time. Many spend 3-4 hours total maybe putting Mon-Wed of a tournament week in addition to playing practice rounds. And often working on mechanics and shorter putts for a good chunk of that time. Many probably spend less time than you’d think on lag putting. They can adjust very quickly.

[MtlJeff]

Depends on the job.

 

Take a guy that’s never raked asphalt and make him do it starting at 6:15 am for 10 straight hours.then rush to the course for 5:15 tee time in men’s night. There’s a good chance he’s in the hospital by the back nine. I’ve posted a few rounds in the 60’s on days like these so I might be able to beat one of these soft handed pretty boys!

 

True, i suppose if anyone on the board is like a chainsaw juggler or something, i mean then i'd bet on him. Because chances are a full day of chainsaw juggling the pro like hacks off his arm.

[WinKiePie]

I've play with my local golf pro after a night of binge drinking where we passed out on my couch, the next morning we woke up with a killer hangover and played nine holes in the afternoon. He wiped the floor with me no problem :fie:

[Johnny_Fairway]

It'd be closer than vice versa. Say I play about average and shoot 89. How low will he really be able to go? Call it 60. Maybe 30 stroke spread or so. And I could have a good day and go low 80s, but he's kind of stuck at getting much lower than 60.

 

Send me to the US Open. For the sake of argument, he shoots par. I shoot 120? 50ish strokes.

[Obee]

My wife tries to make me feel better about my golf game. Tells me I'd be almost as good as the pros on TV if I played and practiced as much as they do. Sadly, I tell her I'd still stink and the pros would still break 70 playing and practicing as much as I do.

 

One thing about a PGA pro that I'm curious about is their ability to lag putts so well. How much practice does that take and how well they'd be at that coming to a course cold and having 5 minutes on the practice green.

 

They play on different courses all over the world. Their ability to adjust is very good. Different players spend different amounts of time. Many spend 3-4 hours total maybe putting Mon-Wed of a tournament week in addition to playing practice rounds. And often working on mechanics and shorter putts for a good chunk of that time. Many probably spend less time than youd think on lag putting. They can adjust very quickly.

 

Yep. Lag putting is something that is highly dependent on consistent center-face contact with the putter. Sold distance control, in general (not just putting), is highly predicated on this.

 

Pros are pros (among other reasons) because they make consistent, center-face contact with every club in their bag, which makes distance control much, much easier.

[juliette91]

They might shoot 64 instead of 63. They don't shoot great scores because they're pampered... they do it because they are amazing at golf

[juliette91]

So well said! Last Fall I had an occasion sort of like this as an LPGA player came through town on a family trip and came to our golf course for a round--did not even have her clubs with her and shot 2 over from second far back tees-slope 135. Then I was a 3 and shot 81 from those tees

[juliette91]

They'd rarely shoot over 65

 

Well they're good but they're human good and 65 is a 4-5x/year score for many touring pros