Played my 1st pro-am, and got big leagued by a nobody!

[braincramp52]

NOW it's a thread! I've learned one thing throughout this thread. I'll never play in a pro-am unless somebody else is paying for it.

[deadsolid...shank]

Damn, Interesting turn it’s taken. Getting even better now.

[Hawkeye77]

Thank you!

[Hawkeye77]

And thank you sir!

[Hateto3Putt]

As first world problems go, this is one of the worldliest.

[Itsjustagame]

Thinking Robby Shelton would probably be more enjoyable to play with than some of the people posting here.

[nitram]

Business is picking up, but it ain't BOOMIN, yet....

[Ignatius Reilly]

This has turned into a lot more fun than anticipated....

 

Pro-Ams cost a lot to play in. OP is right to expect more.

Some pros are really introverted. I think a lot of extroverts have no idea what it's like to be that way and feel it's something they just chose to be. It's not, not any more than choosing to be nearsighted or bald, it just is what you are.

All introverts can get better with conscious effort. If you choose to make your living in pro sports - that's effectively being a public entertainer. Work on some coping strategies, because it's a pretty good life if you've got all the other skills.

I wouldn't have called out the pro by name. If you want to lodge a complaint about his behaviour, show some maturity and do it with the Tour.

I'm 64. I carry 2 hybrids, and don't hit my 5i very well a lot of the time.

[bladehunter]

@ itsjustagame I think that depends on if you’re out to play golf or out for a social event.
@Ignatius Reilly Extremely correct in on all fronts.

[bigred90gt]

Anyone who played on the KF Tour and worked their way to the PGA Tour that is worried about "keeping a roof over his head" is a moron with too big of a roof. He has made $571k YTD and lives in Alabama. Over 10 events, that is an average of $57k/week. People who dont make $57k/year have roofs over their head.

 

Sounds to me like he is just an unsociable person. Whether he was being rude or has a some kid of trait/disorder that makes him that way, who knows.

[bladehunter]

Lol. I mean this in jest. And in no way shot at the op. But. We introverts feel like it’s the extroverts who have the disorder. It’s all in the prospective my friend.

[bigred90gt]

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, just noting that he could be a prick, or he could have some kind of social issues that he can't do anything about. I would never dump the kind of coin it takes to play in a pro-am, as I just dont look up to celebrities/athletes the way some people do. They're just people to me, and I'm certainly not spending thousands to play a round of golf with them.

 

I was mainly making the post for some perspective on the "keep a roof over his head" comment.

[bladehunter]

I agree with you there. They all eat breakfast and lunch and p-o-o-p before bedtime. Just like the rest of us. Not gods at all. I’d also never pay to play with them. Nor do I own jerseys with other men’s names on them etc.

dont get me wrong there either. I’m a fan of many. But. It’s almost always due to first hand experience. Tiger being the exception I can think of. ( I haven’t met him but I do have first hand words of some who work with him ).

 

I was just joking that the guy who wants to be to himself might not have the social issue. Maybe it’s the talkative guy who the introvert perceived as “ nosy and pushy “ who has the social issue.

[bigred90gt]

I have never, and will never own a jersey, lol. Matter of fact, I own 1 single shirt with even a team logo on it, and it is a golf shirt that I only bought because my wife got tickets to a suite at a Texans game from her employer.

 

I am very much the extrovert type. I will talk to anything or anyone that will listen, but as with most of us, I also recognize when someone is not comfortable in social situations and will keep idle chit chat to a minimum. There is a happy medium for both, and occasional words of encouragement from a pro to an amateur are not that difficult, even for an introvert. Not saying he needs to open up about his childhood, but a simple "nice shot" or a random conversation making the ams feel appreciated and not like they are beneath him would have been the right thing to do.

[bscinstnct]

Yes, he is a moron. He shouldn't worry about money at all.

 

I mean, once you have a half year under your belt on tour, and made half a mil, you're on easy street for life. Not like you can....play bad, lose your card or get injured. That never happened to anyone.

 

In fact, no athletes who have made $500k, much less $50 million, have ended up broke ; )

10 Insanely Rich Athletes Humbled by Financial Ruinhttps://money.com/famous-athletes-bankruptcy/

 

 

This said, I agree he will need to be more welcoming and gracious at these pro ams.

 

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us. It what happens after that that makes the difference.

[GoGoErky]

Now subtract taxes, caddies salary, travel costs.

[SkeetShooter]

I work for a charity and am lucky enough to sometimes play in our golf tournaments. Our focus at all times is to provide the best experience for golfers as possible, especially since they are paying north of $3K per person to play on the low end. Our celebrities who come provide great atmosphere, and when we are lucky enough to get some pro's they have been great. One year we had Carlos Franco come, and because he couldn't obviously play with everyone, we ferried him around the course playing with as many groups as possible. I was fortunate to not only hang out with him in the morning, but to work with him during the tournament with our supporters. He was great. Not a man of many words, but was smiling, and always polite. Always gave a read on a green and gave tips on course and off. A real gem he was. Another year we set up a long drive competitor on one hole and he was amazing too. Did some cool trick shots as well. Had people coming to us telling us he was the best part of the on-course experience!

Morale of the story is this. From a non-profit perspective, we work with pros that not only can help us provide a great experience for our supporters, but those who understand and believe in our mission. This was key for us, and we only had one group who wasn't happy at the end of the tournaments we were in. Ironically, this group was full of people who got in on a reduced ticket price, and felt they were cheated in the handicapping system. (These are the same guys that wrote down that they were 10 and 11 hcp's playing with wives who were in the mid 20's. They were easily single-digit Hcp players, and their wives, while were not long off tees, were absolute animals in their short game and putting.)

Oh and since we are talking about being a good player and equipment and post counts.... I'm newer here, I am not a good golfer (but love it) and I am fortunate enough that I just got new clubs and a good coach to help me improve. I'm sure many keyboard warriors on this board could easily beat me in a round. But I'd enjoy the hell out of playing with you :)

[bigred90gt]

And that's part of the problem with the younger generation and this "social media culture" we are becoming. Human interaction is a foreign concept. I see it every day. I've said it before and I'll say it again, social media will destroy society as we know it. It is already starting, and it wont take long.

[bigred90gt]

I'm not so sure someone who has made over 1/2 million dollars through January 21st and is 53rd in FedEx is overly concerned about losing his job.

 

I'm well aware that are plenty of filthy rich people who go broke. Most of them are complete and utter idiots. Some could be unfortunate and lose a fortune in a lawsuit or something, but I feel no sympathy for anyone who blows through millions on gambling/houses/cars/boats/prostitutes/drugs or whatever else they blow it on. Every one of those people in that article are broke by their own stupidity.

[Sean2]

I was in a restaurant a year or so ago, and a group of 5 was sitting at a table and all had their noses in their phones. No one was talking. I was wondering if they were texting one another, lol.

[braincramp52]

That takes him down to about 30K a week. That's still enough for a pretty nice roof. ?

[bscinstnct]

br90, let's take a closer look...

 

From what I see, on his PGA Tour profile, it looks like he played 4 pga tour events and 2 korn ferry events in 2016 and made a total of around $45,000

In 2017, it looks like he had to play 11 Canadian Tour events. I assume it was because of his results in 2016 but I imagine it was quite a contrast. In most of these events, he made between $2000-$8000 dollars. He did also play ed in 8 PGA Tour events in 2017 and made $157,000.

 

It looks like he lost his PGA Tour card for 2018, I don't see any events. I see a full season on Korn Ferry where he made a total of $108,000.

Then another full year on Korn Ferry for 2019, did better, assume he got his card for this year, he made $356,000

 

Which brings us to this year. He has made 570k, I assume a lot of it was from his T7 and T6 finishes, which is great. But he has also missed 5 cuts. In fact, he has missed 5 of the last 6 cuts including the Sony Open.

 

So, imagine that he recent experiences, bouncing from PGA to Canadian to Korn Ferry, combined with his very recent missed cuts has him concerned. So, I doubt he is thinking, "hey I made a half mil, I got no worries" ; )

 

That said, he should be nice to the ams and at least say hi, nice shot, and buy them a hot dog.

 

 

[smashdn]

No one asked my opinion so this is free of charge.

 

If you can focus on golf shots and only on golf shots for 5.5 hours you got some mental fortitude. I've read several bits of contemporary swing thought/advice that you need "soft focus" and "hard focus." While you are walking or waiting or whatever, relax. When you start your routine, focus. You focus 100% of the time you are gonna pop a hemorrhoid in your brain.

 

Second thought. Guy gets to play golf for a living. Something that 99% of the golfing population can only dream to be able to do. Lighten up and enjoy the day. Make some guys smile.

[rich_s2]

dude probably just had bad gas. Played all day regretting the general tso from the night before. I'm not very talkative when I think there is a strong possibility of soiling myself before the turn. This is life folks, it happens. Dude might have just had an off day but I am sure the op is in top form every round.

[jt2gt]

Well....little bit of research, turns out Shelton is a pretty quiet/introverted guy:

https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/tour-insider/2019/08/29/soft-spoken-robby-shelton-built-for-pga-tour-alabama-roll-tide.html

Not an excuse, but maybe the tour should spend a bit of time figuring out who might be best or not for pro-ams.

[Zac1321]

If i were a pro my outlook would be that i get paid based on how i perform in the actual tournament, there is no direct correlation between how much i get paid and how pleasant i am to play with in the pro am. It is a side part of the job but doesnt have a direct impact on my performance/compensation for the event. My understanding is not every single pro playing in an event participates in the pro ams and my best guess is they want the pros who do a good job at schmoozing to participate. Therefore if i HATE playing in the pro ams ill just put in zero effort and eventually they would hopefully stop asking me.

Similarly at my job from time to time my boss will ask me to take on an extra bit of work that is outside the scope of my regular duties. if i hate doing that extra bit of work i wont put in much of an effort because if i do he will keep asking me to take on extra stuff.

Thats not to say the Pro is in the right and you should just deal with it, if you put up the money then you absolutely should go into the event with the expectation that the pro will at least be cordial

[Hawkeye77]

LOL, 141 was all she wrote.

[nitram]

Praise baby Jesus for little miracles.

[jholz]

Ha! I finally understand the comment from 6 pages ago suggesting the OP might be an Auburn alum! It's seriously been bugging me all day!

 

At the end of the day, the OP's argument sounds similar to the guy who defends yelling "mashed potatoes" after every shot - the proverbial "I paid my money so I deserve X" argument. Ultimately, the OP got what he paid for, a round of golf on a PGA Tour course with two pros.

 

I have no idea, but is there anything in the printed materials for these things that guarantees a pleasant experience? I'm guessing not.