U want to know about pro golf!!!!

[kemau]

With a response to all the posts above, ive found them very interesting.

I am finishing my 3rd and final year of PGA training and am at a cross roads....

 

My game has come on in leaps and bounds and i am finding myself swinging better and putting in better scores due to that but how do i maintain my job- coaching, running a proshop and play??

 

What i would like to do is cut back my hours in the shop to allow me to play and prepare better for tournaments but i still need to pay for the tournaments etc!

 

I am lucky that i am in a great club environment with a large percentage of members being very good people. We are not a snooty posh club, but a number of members do have enough money and have shown an interest in my game.

I am thinking of offering 25 'shares' in myself to the members for X amount of dollars per year. At the end of the year they will get 75% of my winnings split amoungst the 25 share holders, aswell as any left over money from the original outlay.

In return they will get small, yet viable advertising space on our proshop newsletter, my facebook page etc. I will also wear clothing with small 'tactful' logos if needed.

 

What i am asking is has anyone written a letter asking for this sort of thing or can offer me any 'draft' copies of similar letters? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers

 

might be able to contact a few from this topic or on their websites......

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20054

http://www.galleries.com/tourshares/gallery.htm

http://www.codylowrygolf.com

[Kumabjorn]

First, kudos for your choice of tour. It shows that you are thinking ahead and not settling for the most "comfortable" solution. Having said that, didn't Simon Dyson play the EuroPro Tour? He has done fairly well (although not visible lately, injuries?). Almost every tour player immediately recognizes the importance of the game's mental aspects, yet few really understand what they are. On the range and the putting green you will soon notice that you will have difficulties separating the very good players from the merely mediocre (in relative terms) if you just look at trajectories or how the ball rolls on the green. Once they leave that area, it suddenly becomes obvious that there exists a noticeable difference in their respective abilities. Why is that, and what can you do to reach the higher echelons?

 

I've discovered that the "mediocre" pro has a pronounced tendency to be obsessive about his golf, in terms of technique, approach, ambition, work ethic etc. he reminds me of a religious zealot, a true believer who is convinced that a strong faith will reap its own reward. The range and putting-green is his church. The "accomplished" pro though is more like a priest, he has discovered that there exist contradictions within the dogma, that no matter how hard you may pray, sometimes they go unanswered, once he leaves the church he stops thinking about scripture, the next sermon or why nice decent people seems to get cancer more often than the nasty egotists. He has the ability to turn of golf when he leaves the course, it doesn't preoccupy his whole day, so when he is on the course he is in church.

 

Hence, the capacity to reach a higher level - in the mental game - your first priority needs to be the ability to have fun when you leave the course, and not hang around too much after a round to try to fix the things that didn't go as you planned. Set a specific time limit for after round practice time, say 75 minutes, 25 minutes for swing, 25 for short game and 25 for putting. Once that is done you are finished. Time to leave and discover what your locality has to offer. If things go well, you shouldn't have to come back, you should be playing on a higher tour. So it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet some local people, learn something about the place, see something that will stimulate your intellect. All things that will help you in your next round, because you will have something to think or talk about between shots, the ability to focus when required will improve, imagination and ingenuity to hit certain shots will appear because both your brain halves has been utilized. The obsessive golfer becomes one-dimensional and that kind of play will eventually erode confidence by putting pressure on the self-made limits. The imaginative golfer will see opportunities where the mundane sees obstacles and unfair bounces.

[mesegrn]

First, kudos for your choice of tour. It shows that you are thinking ahead and not settling for the most "comfortable" solution. Having said that, didn't Simon Dyson play the EuroPro Tour? He has done fairly well (although not visible lately, injuries?). Almost every tour player immediately recognizes the importance of the game's mental aspects, yet few really understand what they are. On the range and the putting green you will soon notice that you will have difficulties separating the very good players from the merely mediocre (in relative terms) if you just look at trajectories or how the ball rolls on the green. Once they leave that area, it suddenly becomes obvious that there exists a noticeable difference in their respective abilities. Why is that, and what can you do to reach the higher echelons?

 

I've discovered that the "mediocre" pro has a pronounced tendency to be obsessive about his golf, in terms of technique, approach, ambition, work ethic etc. he reminds me of a religious zealot, a true believer who is convinced that a strong faith will reap its own reward. The range and putting-green is his church. The "accomplished" pro though is more like a priest, he has discovered that there exist contradictions within the dogma, that no matter how hard you may pray, sometimes they go unanswered, once he leaves the church he stops thinking about scripture, the next sermon or why nice decent people seems to get cancer more often than the nasty egotists. He has the ability to turn of golf when he leaves the course, it doesn't preoccupy his whole day, so when he is on the course he is in church.

 

Hence, the capacity to reach a higher level - in the mental game - your first priority needs to be the ability to have fun when you leave the course, and not hang around too much after a round to try to fix the things that didn't go as you planned. Set a specific time limit for after round practice time, say 75 minutes, 25 minutes for swing, 25 for short game and 25 for putting. Once that is done you are finished. Time to leave and discover what your locality has to offer. If things go well, you shouldn't have to come back, you should be playing on a higher tour. So it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet some local people, learn something about the place, see something that will stimulate your intellect. All things that will help you in your next round, because you will have something to think or talk about between shots, the ability to focus when required will improve, imagination and ingenuity to hit certain shots will appear because both your brain halves has been utilized. The obsessive golfer becomes one-dimensional and that kind of play will eventually erode confidence by putting pressure on the self-made limits. The imaginative golfer will see opportunities where the mundane sees obstacles and unfair bounces.

 

Hell of a post!! I need to work on my imagination off the course, I find myself mulling over sh*t that in the end does not matter!! Self-made limits are restrictive and place too much emphasis on only certain parts of the game. I appreciate the insight!!!!!!!!

[Ezgolfer]

I do n't agree with above poster. Where would you put Ben Hogan ?

A very meticulous very hard working man who would hit balls even play the same course 18 holes before teeing up .

Those are your thoughts ....

If every mediocre pro thought what you are advocating . They would never reach the level of accomplished player.

Remember Trevino - It depends on how much time you are willing to put and how bad you want it...

What is the mental game going to do, if you hit GIR and knock it close to the pin every time . Remember that would be the result of range work not your grey matter or imagination.

[hbear]

From my perspective I think Kuma is saying that the great players are no so consumed by the "game" that they live and die by each tournament, each round, or each shot.

 

Practice habits aside....as some players prefer to hit balls on the range....while others do better by actually playing golf on the course.

Neither is better....just depends on what's best for that particular golfer.

 

However the fanatics mentally burn themselves out, while the mentally strong know when to "turn it on" and when to "turn it off."

[Ezgolfer]

Remember a 15 put is going to go or not . You cannot just turn on your brain to fall it in .

Even tiger admits at times the putts did not go in today or putting was off.

And yes the great players are consumed by each shot and put .Tiger at US open each and every shot with a broken leg . That's why Butch Harmons and Leadbetters of the world have jobs following them and checking their swings on day to day basis.

Everyone has seen Phil win and loose. Does that mean he is consumed when he is loosing or he is turned off.

Hogan and Moe did it the old way , hitting balls till their hands bled.

 

I do agree that Golf should not be on your mind every minute of your life.

 

The mediocre guys are mediocre because they cannot hit the ball close to the hole/score despite their best efforts , compared to the counterparts , who have either mastered this by hardwork or had better talent in doing so . Simple as that ......

If your grades were not good in school you are told to work hard not take your mind of your books .

Mental Game is overstated . It is my belief at least , could be my physician background.

[SpinMill75]

Thanks for the post.

All the best with your game, as mentioned, keep us updated!

 

 

Could you take some pics and post of your gear? That would be pretty cool!

 

Cheers.

[Kumabjorn]

Ezgolfer

 

Appreciate the reply, nothing like a little discussion to focus your thoughts.

 

I wasn't around in Hogan's days, but from what I've read his practice regimen can be divided into two particular eras. The first, that was intense. was getting rid of his nasty hooks and that required some major swing changes together with an endless supply of shag bags. The second, when the changes had fused was more of constant maintenance. As for Moe Norman, his brain certainly functioned on a different level. Moe simply loved the sight of a golf ball flying to the exact target he had chosen. Every shot was a joyous sensation for him.

 

As a physician I'm sure you will agree that muscles don't have memory, only the brain does. Thus hitting balls, grooving a swing, is all about teaching the brain to send instructions to the muscles utilized in that particular kind of swing. What probably set Hogan & Norman apart from most other golfers of their era, or Vijay & Tiger today, was their ability to associate every practice shot with emotional associations. Do you remember what you did Sept 10, 2001? Do you remember the day after? Totally different emotional associations, right?

 

If hitting 600 balls a day on the range feels like a chore and your scoring remains fairly static it is time to make a change. One change could be to hit 800 balls a day, but if it already feels like a chore, it will be a negative change. Hitting 100 balls - while enjoying it - is the kind of change that just might lead to lower scores. Having walked one path and not found your goal, you can either change goal or path. If you're aiming for the top your only option is the path, the goal reminds as fixed as ever.

 

And remember, the contrast to Hogan's practice regimen is one Jack William Nicklaus. He had a specific purpose when he entered the range, once achieved he left.

[Ezgolfer]

Thanks ,

 

I agree with a structured range session . All work and no play is not good either . And you are right you should relax before every

competition or tournament . Stepping up on 1st tee with lot of swing thoughts is not good .

 

It is how you take it, when it comes to work ethics .

You have Vijay singh and Anthony Kim as an example. Vijay hits thousand balls a day, works at it tirelessly . Kim does n't have as rigrous a schedule . Hogan beats them both . He used to chip for hours in his bedroom. All three have been succesfull golfers.

 

I think by the time you are a mediocre pro , you have recognized that there is no point in beating balls at range aimlessly. If you are doing that, nothing can save your career. On the other other hand if you are spending 4 hours for short game every day nothing wrong with that, lot of tour pro's do that .

 

Remember the game of golf is bigger than any pro ever. Trevor immelman wins masters and everyone is talking about it for whole month. What has happened since than .... Failing to make cuts .. If anything his mental game should be stronger now .

David Duval ---- now , he can mentally relate everyshot to his 59 or british open wins. But has trouble making cuts .

 

Staying positive and mentally centered is needed in every sport . Mental game is not as much emphasized in other ball games baseball , tennis , cricket or basketball.

[mesegrn]

If your grades were not good in school you are told to work hard not take your mind of your books .

Mental Game is overstated . It is my belief at least , could be my physician background.

 

Staying positive and mentally centered is needed in every sport . Mental game is not as much emphasized in other ball games baseball , tennis , cricket or basketball.

 

 

Make up your mind Doc!!!

[Ezgolfer]

I stand corrected , You need to have a steady brain to compete any where .

I do n't get is golf, where it is overstated and overrated.

Talk to Trevino or did Hogan say anything about mental game of golf ? I sure would like to read it.

People have made career out of it . Everytime I read rotella and others . I do n't think it adds anything new to my game .

May be its just me .

[mesegrn]

I appreciate your opinion on this matter, but I have played with a handful of guys that are very good amatuers locally. When they get into an unfamiliar environments (people and courses), they crumble. They practice all the time on the physical side, but I know if they were mentally stronger they could reach that next level. I also have friends that are fair weather golfers. They play during holidays and the occasional wekend. When we meet up for a little bit of money, they turn into totally different players. They are very confident in there rarely worked swing and can play some good golf. Explain this phenomenon to me? Is this not mental?

[307golf]

Baseball, cricket, tennis and basketball are all 'reaction' based sports for most of the players, most of the time. It requires different mental skills than a game where every movement is planned. Apples and oranges...

[307golf]

Also, during Hogan and even Trevino's prime the mental aspects were not as well understood, just like the mind-body connections in medicine/science were not as well understood 50 years ago. I believe that during those times a player either 'had it' or didn't and there was no known way of improving or becoming a person who 'had it'. It doesn't mean that it was any less important.

[danimal]

1day2day

 

Great post - Thanks for sharing your experience it's great stuff. We are all routing for you!

[hbear]

Golf is one of the few sports where a) it is not reactionary... b) what you do from your initial action (tee shot) has a DIRECT impact on your next action, and c) you have a disproportionate time between actions (e.g. swings) in which you can brew/think about what you had just done or are now going to do because of it.

 

Over a 4 hour round....your actual action time for swings/putts would be less than 3 minutes.

That gives you 3h57m to be inside your head.

 

To add, of that 3 mins of action.....the ONLY time you have actual control of the golf ball is a faction of a second at impact, after impact no matter what you do, your ball is at the mercy of a multitude of factors that are almost completly of of your control.

 

Ezgolfer: You honestly do not believe that controlling your mind, be it emotionally or through sharpening focus has no impact on performance?

 

As for the comment on "turn it on" turn it off" it is not about being able to "turn on" performance....(if it were only that easy).

It's about the ability to turn on/turn off focus. You physically CANNOT keep a sharp focus for 4 hours straight. Impossible.

The ability to shift in and out of focus, as well as understanding what to/not to focus on, as well as when/when not to focus is what I am referring to.

 

For example. There was a par 3 2 years ago in which Steven Ames preceded to pretty much shank the ball of the tee. Most players would be a touch upset and fuming about not only the shank....but also thinking about how they just threw away a stoke to the field.

Ames actually laughed, found a way to quiet the negative thoughts, proceded to stick his approach to a foot and made par.

There wasn't a shot he took that no other pro wasn't able to make as well (nothing unhuman like Tiger seems to do every now and then)....but his mental game played a big part in him making par, and not the bogey like most other pros would've.

 

Like I said, I'm sure given enough chances EVERY pro could've duplicated what Ames did.....so they all have the physical "skill."

So what enables some to perform when they need to, and others to fall by the way side? It can't be physical because they ALL have the ability to do so.....