KYLE BERKSHIRE LEAVING CALLAWAY??

[TiScape]

1 hour ago, lefty1978 said:

Is this your fist day here? Most posters here are miserable and love to criticize everyone and everything.

 

4 hours ago, mtg said:

why on earth would someone be giving Kyle Berkshire flack for this.. 

Seems a lot are just giving their honest opinion on his chances of making it on tour. This is an opinion driven format. Big difference between that and hating on someone because you’re miserable. There is definitely some of that going on as well. After all, it is the internet! Haha. I’ll never blame anyone for trying and knowing they did everything within their power to make their dream a reality. I praise him for it. 

[DFS PFD]

God forbid some people look this from a real perspective, thankfully this isn't just an echo chamber of blind support. 

[Bob Pegram]

Berkshire has an excellent short game for anybody, but especially for a super long hitter. His putting is great as well. He understands missing on the side that makes for an easy up-and-down and is working on it. The round where he shot 2 over on an 8100 yard course had a number of misses on the wrong side. Get rid of those and he is in the 60s on the longest course in the U.S.! As far as accuracy, he needs to tighten things up a bit, but his misses are usually minor considering his length. He is not as far from tour caliber golf as some here seem to think.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Bob Pegram
spelling-typos

[TiScape]

2 hours ago, Bob Pegram said:

Berkshire has an excellent short game for anybody, but especially for a super long hitter. His putting is great as well. He understands missing on the side that makes for an easy up-and-down and is working on it. The round where he shot 2 over on an 8100 yard course had a number of misses on the wrong side. Get rid of those and he is in the 60s on the longest course in the U.S.! As far as accuracy, he needs to tighten things up a bit, but his misses are usually minor considering his length. He is not as far from tour caliber golf as some here seem to think.

Saying he’s close to tour ready based on this one round? He understands missing on the right side? Don’t most of us understand this concept? Understanding what to do and being able to CONSISTENTLY execute it, are two different things. 2 over par and a few shoulda, coulda, woulda’s and he “would have been” in the 60s??? Man, all the rounds I would have shot lower IF I got rid of a number of misses. 🙄 Again, not hating on the guy. But this is just a ridiculous justification. 

[grm24]

2 hours ago, Bob Pegram said:

Berkshire has an excellent short game for anybody, but especially for a super long hitter. His putting is great as well. He understands missing on the side that makes for an easy up-and-down and is working on it. The round where he shot 2 over on an 8100 yard course had a number of misses on the wrong side. Get rid of those and he is in the 60s on the longest course in the U.S.! As far as accuracy, he needs to tighten things up a bit, but his misses are usually minor considering his length. He is not as far from tour caliber golf as some here seem to think.

KB is further away from being a PGA Tour caliber golfer than former two time world long drive champion Jamie Sadlowski is. Who in spite of having more game than KB is not close to making it on the PGA Tour. Sadlowski won a local US Open qualifier a few years back and made a couple cuts on the now named Korn Ferry Tour. Sadlowski has also made it through the Mackenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada) q-school twice and made multiple cuts on that tour in actual events. Let's see if KB can actually do much that before anointing him a PGA Tour caliber golfer. 

Edited April 1, 2021 by grm24

[UncleJohn’sBand]

8 hours ago, Bob Pegram said:

Berkshire has an excellent short game for anybody, but especially for a super long hitter. His putting is great as well. He understands missing on the side that makes for an easy up-and-down and is working on it. The round where he shot 2 over on an 8100 yard course had a number of misses on the wrong side. Get rid of those and he is in the 60s on the longest course in the U.S.! As far as accuracy, he needs to tighten things up a bit, but his misses are usually minor considering his length. He is not as far from tour caliber golf as some here seem to think.

 

Kyle, is that you?

[smashdn]

Is that more telling about Kyle Berkshire or Callaway?

 

By that I mean, is Callaway not providing what he thinks he needs (I know we can't really know but let's speculate for a bit)?

Is Cobra better suited to do so?

Does Callaway really care?  (I don't know what their deal with him was.)

Did they try and keep him or is this a win-win for both parties?

[Ferguson]

 

Here's what the critics are saying - 

 

 

 

Frank Tenlymark of the Chicago Tribune states:

"Historic" is an adjective I've rarely used to describe a performance, but a review that does not invoke it for an incandescent turn in the ravishingly bittersweet "Kyle Berkshire leaving Callaway??" would be doing it less than justice.

 

 

Paul Denmark of the New York Times touts:

These days, most WRX readers don't so much want read a thread as take a warm bath inside of one. We crave relief from our growing terror of physical intimacy and our technology-fueled loneliness. What used to pass as immersive theatrical entertainment is, as we end this panicked second decade of the 21st century, no longer immersive enough. The bar has risen. Ergo, KYLE BERKSHIRE LEAVING CALLAWAY?? The Thread." Yes, baby, you're a firework.

 

 

Leah Greenblatt of the Williams Valley Press Writes:

The spectacular spectacular, the ring-ding razzle dazzle, the gitchie gitchie ya-ya da-da: "Kyle Berkshire leaving Callaway??" a WRX thread so stuffed with sequins and sheer outrageous excess that it's hard to catch a breath for most of its runtime (at least not without inhaling an errant feather or a spangled scrap of confetti).

[JayAreOhh924]

My .02c

 

I think this move is good for KB and his journey. He had a brief meeting with Phil for a Callaway shoot and I think that was probably the pinnacle of his time there. From what I've seen on IG and Youtube, BDC and KB seem like they can lean on each other. Bryson wanting the speed and technique that KB has and KB wanting to get on tour. 

 

That said, theres been plenty of mention by Kyle himself that he says he's not even close to ready. One of his posts on IG he mentioned he has already turned down 2 sponsor exemptions because he knows hes not ready to compete. To me that says 2 things. 1) He believes in himself that he'll get there someday and isn't just chomping at the opportunity, and 2) it seems pretty humble to turn down possibly the opportunity of a lifetime. I don't care how many hundred I shoot, I would NOT be turning down a chance to play a tour event. 

 

Cant say I'm rooting for or against him at this point, but I can admire somebody that sets goals and progressively works to get to them. 

[smashdn]

He makes the cut isn't he exempt for the next event?  (I am not sure how that works.)  Do you have to have PGA Tour status if you "qualify" for the next event?

[GSDriver]

Who and why should we care?

[rblmp32]

23 minutes ago, smashdn said:

He makes the cut isn't he exempt for the next event?  (I am not sure how that works.)  Do you have to have PGA Tour status if you "qualify" for the next event?

 

 

No.  It takes alot more than making the cut.  It's like top 10 or something like that.  And no you don't have to have status if you qualify for the next event.  

[RobotDoctor]

In his latest video Berkshire says he is realistically a couple years away from attempting to try to make the tour.  That is with constant work on his game and all facets of it.  I don't think he's being unrealistic at all.  He is currently a + handicap player as it is and realizes he isn't even close to attempt qualifying for the tour.  Seems like he is realistic.  Let's wait and see what transpires in the next 24 months before getting all bothered whether Kyle Berkshire has the chops to make it on tour or not.  Too early to tell.

[smashdn]

30 minutes ago, RobotDoctor said:

In his latest video Berkshire says he is realistically a couple years away from attempting to try to make the tour.  That is with constant work on his game and all facets of it.  I don't think he's being unrealistic at all.  He is currently a + handicap player as it is and realizes he isn't even close to attempt qualifying for the tour.  Seems like he is realistic.  Let's wait and see what transpires in the next 24 months before getting all bothered whether Kyle Berkshire has the chops to make it on tour or not.  Too early to tell.

 

Why would he not attempt the Korn Ferry or another feeder?  Seems like it is "big league's or nothing" with this approach.

 

Isn't playing tournament golf on tournament venues the best way?

[RobotDoctor]

7 minutes ago, smashdn said:

 

Why would he not attempt the Korn Ferry or another feeder?  Seems like it is "big league's or nothing" with this approach.

 

Isn't playing tournament golf on tournament venues the best way?

 

I am sure when it comes down to it he may try the mini-tour or Korn Ferry to gauge his progress.  At least I would definitely consider the mini-tours or Korn Ferry if I were when time comes to gauge my game.  He is at least a year and a half to two years from any tour.  I, for one, will sit back and watch the journey and reserve my criticism until I see unrealistic goals being set.  I see good improvement, especially his putting.  Before working with Bryson Dechambeau, Berkshire's putting was attrocious because of a very closed set up.  I have no issue with an open set up (like Nicklaus) but I have never seen any golfer of accomplishment set up closed.  He's changed that and is now putting better.  Still work in progress.

[grm24]

11 hours ago, smashdn said:

Why would he not attempt the Korn Ferry or another feeder? 

Outside of sponsor exemptions or making it in an event qualifier Kyle or anybody else just can't decide on a whim one day to play an event on the PGA Tour feeder tours unless you go through their respective tours Q-Schools including pre-qualifier events. It's way hard too just qualify for Korn Ferry Tour School finals. The other PGA Tour feeder tours (Mackenzie in Canada, Latin America Tour) also have their own Q-School/Qualifying events to get on those tours every year. 

 

As noted KB has a long long way to go and make any PGA Tour feeder tour. He needs to go and play the various mini tours that exist to get tournament reps if he can't get a sponsor exemption. Will he play and stick it out like Jamie Sadlowski has on the Mackenzie Tour to keep the dream alive. Hope he does.

 

FWIW here is an application for the 2019 Korn Ferry Q-School. It's enough to make your head spin.

 

https://qtregistration.pgatourhq.com/pdf/attachment-5.pdf

 

 

 

[TiScape]

6 minutes ago, grm24 said:

Outside of sponsor exemptions or making it in an event qualifier Kyle or anybody else just can't decide on a whim one day to play an event on the PGA Tour feeder tours unless you go through their respective tours Q-Schools including pre-qualifier events. It's way hard too just qualify for Korn Ferry Tour School finals. The other PGA Tour feeder tours (Mackenzie in Canada, Latin America Tour) also have their own Q-School/Qualifying events to get on those tours every year. 

 

As noted KB has a long long way to go and make any PGA Tour feeder tour. He needs to go and play the various mini tours that exist to get tournament reps if he can't get a sponsor exemption. Will he play and stick it out like Jamie Sadlowski has on the Mackenzie Tour to keep the dream alive. Hope he does.

 

FWIW here is an application for the 2019 Korn Ferry Q-School. It's enough to make your head spin.

 

https://qtregistration.pgatourhq.com/pdf/attachment-5.pdf

 

 

 

This gives great perspective. Thank you. People see Berkshire on YouTube hitting it really far, see him score a couple over on some long course and think, oh wow, he will be playing on the PGA tour in a couple years. Then you see what it really takes just to qualify for the Korn Ferry tour and it’s like, uh not so fast. And then you have to qualify for the PGA tour. Reality bites. 

[wobbles]

1 hour ago, TiScape said:

This gives great perspective. Thank you. People see Berkshire on YouTube hitting it really far, see him score a couple over on some long course and think, oh wow, he will be playing on the PGA tour in a couple years. Then you see what it really takes just to qualify for the Korn Ferry tour and it’s like, uh not so fast. And then you have to qualify for the PGA tour. Reality bites. 

So there is no such thing as a Hog’s Nut metric that is transferable to the Tour to support transitioning from high-wire acts like long-driving or pulling a tractor trailer with your teeth? I know Magnusson von Magnusson was able to transition his achievements in worlds strongest man competition to another area but I can’t readily recall what that was... it sure as hell did not require finesse and I think that’s probably the dilemma this guy will face.

[Golfjack]

He is using his popularity to give it a try.  He knows it's a long shot, but it's also great for generating content, and he makes money off of that.  He's done a great job connecting with Bryson, and is finding ways to take it further.  Also who knows when LD events will (ever) be back.  It's a win win for him.  Honestly though I think it's a long shot for him to even make the Korn Ferry Tour.  But if we can get some content on him trying and tour insight along with all the grinding that he should be doing (short game stuff) it would be good for the golf nerds out there.  

[Dicka]

The whole "trying to make it on Tour" is a good story for him to spin and will no doubt help with sponsorship. But I've watched a lot of his course vlogs and he's miles away from being anywhere close to Tour standard. He'd struggle to get a card on the Korn Ferry Tour at this point.

 

Not saying this to hang it on the guy...I enjoy his content. But when hitting the green with an 8 iron is a 50/50 proposition, well, you start from a LONG way back.

 

If he did end up making it as a Tour pro, I'd be the first to say well done.