Akshay

[kekoa]

You really have to take into account where you live with this statement. I'll say that in Southern Califorina, $60K a year would work for a single kid straight out of college living with his parents, but won't get you far if you plan on owning a home, having kids, etc...

[BloctonGolf11]

"College is great and good for a lot people but it has nothing to do with income that person will actually make that comes from hard work and little luck. The degree athletes get is not what is valuable it is the doors it opens and the fact that these kids are very hard workers also helps."

 

If I could facepalm through my head right now I would. "College has nothing to do with the income that person will actually make" is a really asinine statement.

[BloctonGolf11]

Oh no doubt but sneezing at 60k was a bit of an overreach. The statement "A college degree is not worth much by itself" is just a 100% false statement.

[tiger1873]

This is the last I am going to say on this but It doesn't have anything to do with income. Many Many people go to college and just spent 4 years at frat party's and really didn't apply themselves. The less education the more likely the person is lazy hence the lower salary. But lazy people go to college too.

Anyone who is a top level athlete is not lazy so they're not going to be homeless either. If your a top amateur your hoping to make Millions. .A lot people would kill for that chance in golf you have to make a choice stay an Amateur which give you chance to get things like a college scholarship or turn pro and cash checks. It's hard to not cash checks if you paying for everything including travel to events.

I think his odds were pretty good that he will make more than 500k by turning pro. If this doesn't work out he can actually go to college with the cash in his pocket. If he actually starts to make cuts at some point no one tour is going to care.

 

I personally think he jumped the gun but then again I am not him and his family maybe they needed the money. He should have went to decent college with lots of boosters and spent his time working sponsorships so he had a ton money once he turned pro.

[extrastiff]

The idea that any college degree gets you A myriad good job opportunities in this day and age, and that being great at golf does not, is a conversational premise I really can’t get on board with

[BloctonGolf11]

Not any but also you are acting like in this premise Akshay going to school would have removed his ability to play professional golf which is completely spurious. However, his parent's approach to his "development" has removed college as a viable alternative with his attitude towards school that he has made very apparent. I highly doubt he has the grades or credentials to attend a good school. That is where the illogical aspect of Akshay's plan is to me. He has literally no back up plan other than professional golf. You can go to college, get a degree, pursue professional golf, and then use that degree to have a successful career if pro golf fails to pan out. Akshay has removed that option which makes zero sense to me.

[BloctonGolf11]

You are using individual examples of lazy people who crap out at college or major success stories of people who didn't go to college to try to back up what were absolutist comments you made Tiger. I am not putting words in your mouth you literally said "college has nothing to do with someone's income" and "a college degree is not worth much on its own" which are just wrong. Degrees get you in the door and not having a degree is a brick wall in many professions.

 

In Akshay's case his approach by not caring about his secondary education (his words) and focusing 100% on becoming a professional golfer has most likely destroyed a chance to pursue any kind of higher education leaving his options if he fails at professional golf very limited which makes no sense to me. This is not a kid who has set himself him to go back to college if pro golf doesn't work out, at least not from how he has presented himself.

[extrastiff]

Again, the idea that pro golf is the only golf job available is a conversational premise I can’t relate to.

and I am not “acting” like anything, only my exact words should be used as an indication of my thoughts. If you need clarification on a direct quote please let me know

[BloctonGolf11]

Fair enough. I will leave at this.

If you fail as a professional golfer, which is the scenario with a much higher likelihood of occurring then 4 year degree + Pro Golf Career Attempt = Far more available avenues of work beyond Pro Golf Attempt only.

[leezer99]

Yeah, the cost of living in So Cal is less than SF but my neighbors house just went up for sale and it's 1,800 sq ft listed at $1.29m (and they'll get it plus some).

[extrastiff]

Also fair. but now who is acting like doing golf first and then finding way to collegiate success are mutually exclusive ;)

[BloctonGolf11]

Read up on Akshay, he made them mutually exclusive because he cares absolutely nothing about school so I doubt he could get into any reputable school without golf helping him at this point.

[ALIF]

Implying that education is not valuable nor important?

[extrastiff]

Honestly man he is what 18? If he needs to give a hoot about a 4 yr degree, I’m sure there are avenues to university no problem. My mom graduated at age 40 lol, existed pretty decent until then, and still does not use degree.

and you seem smart enough know how many ways there are to educate yourself outside of school, and lots of arguments for those alternatives. Especially when your name can get you in the door more often than not, even though those doors would prob be his last resort cause working for those that judge paper rather than person.

and he loves golf! He does not want a psych degree lol. Not exclusive, just not into it right now.

[extrastiff]

i do not believe classically institutionalized education is the only form of education.

Im not sure which words imply I believe lack of education is a good thing. Please let me know if you need clarity on a direct quote.

[tiger1873]

Time for you to sell and move to Florida and pay cash for a house on golf course. You would be shocked at the prices here.

best thing I ever did was leave California after I had kids.

[Shades234]

How big is his deal with Callaway again? If he goes to school and is mediocre, he loses that. Even if he's great but not the best, he loses it. No one transitioning from amateur to pro golf is a sure thing. Norman Xiong was supposed to be the next big thing when he left Oregon. It took Maverick McNealy a few years to get to the PGA. And those guys have world class collegiate pedigrees. Akshay will either figure it out or he won't. He can always go back to school if he wants to.

His grades don't actually matter as long as he meets the minimum requirements. He's an edge case and always will be when it comes to college admissions. Have you been to a college admissions talk recently? Count how many times they use the word "passion." This kid has it and is demonstrating it very publicly. I wouldn't be surprised if he went to a top level school even with zero possibility of playing NCAA golf just because his story makes for a compelling essay.

Cut the kid some slack. You're acting like he's ruined his life. He's fine. If he wants to go to college he'll be able to. There are plenty of ways back to that path. I think all of us would've preferred that he follow the traditional route. But I don't know what I would've done if it was college or a million dollars to chase my dream for a few years.

[ALIF]

I don’t believe I stated that classically institutionalized education was the only form that was valuable or important.

[extrastiff]

Seems as though you were wondering if I thought education was not important, when I was simply commenting on institutional education. implies you either misunderstood my point or consider university to be the “education.” No worries, same page now.

[ALIF]

Fair enough.

[kekoa]

That kind of sounds enticing. The fishing is a lot better in Florida too. :)

[iteachgolf]

100% sure you are misremembering things

[GolfSRQ]

+2 today Monday qualifier for KF

[leezer99]

Monday qualifiers are the absolute worst... I've caddied in a few and if those guys get to two over at any point they just mail it in. They all know you have to get to four or five under to even sniff a chance. You know this many guys didn't WD... they just shot high and didn't turn in cards or made up an excuse to WD.

[GolfSRQ]

the Course he played (Jones ) way harder than the other (player). Look at the diff in scores. Not condoning the plus 2. But a lot of good players had a tough day on that side

[leezer99]

I think we're a year into AB turning pro. Anyone have a change of heart on his decision to skip college golf?

If you look him up on the PGA site, his career highlight is a T28 on the Mackenzie Tour to get conditional status.

It's a confusing time to be a young pro golfer. Just ask Akshay Bhatia

[heavy_hitter]

It was a mistake in my opinion.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

One that he, his family, agent, or coach will ever admit.

[heavy_hitter]

College, if anything else prepares you for the grind of travel. High Ranked Juniors like Ashkay are traveling 5 times a year and that is about it to play. If it is near you it is a car ride. Pro's are traveling every single week and grinding. Puts you in situations with team mates to have to qualify.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

I can't image what these Pros go through. We arrived at the hotel last friday night at around 10:30pm. Had to work late. 4 hour car ride. Tee time was 8:28 and junior had designated practice times of 25 minutes for COVID. That was only two days. It would be a grind every week.

I know Akshay is a talented golfer, but like you said. College would have help him for the grind of the professional circuit.