i just got back from attending my first PGA event, and was blown away by how effortless they make it look..........i know most of you guys have seen them in action, and was wondering what impressed you the most about professional golfers??
like i said, for me, it was the ease of their swing.......i'm a fairly long hitter, but i have to swing it pretty hard.......these guys looked like they were hitting a 3/4 wedge, but had a driver in their hands
by the way, i've never heard of Bubba Watson, but he hits the ball LOOOONNNNGGGG!!!!!!
What makes the pros pros? Besides the fact that they have been playing golf their whole life, I think most pro golfers need to have a very strong mental game. The guys you see who win tournaments are mentally strong enough to win tournaments and stay focused the entire time. Besides that, though, I think being pro really requires dedication, committment, and a great practice regimen. Considering it is their job, they probably play 8 hours a day, lift weight, eat well, and whatever else they do to stay at the top of their game
As long as they have been playing and as much as they play everyday, they really can make it seem effortless. However, I think there is a much bigger difference between the great pros and the decent pros. But thats for another discussion...
There are a lot of things that the pros have that amateurs don't. But, I think that the overwhleming thing that pros have is consistency, consistency, consistency. A lot of that comes from what SdG said above, they have the time to practice all day, but even then pros tinker with their swings not unlike we do. The difference is that the pros are making subtle changes whereas the average amateur is making large chages -- some of us need to make large changes! But, the result of this is that the pros average miss may be a little pull or a stronger draw or fade than they wanted -- not the total fluff shot or the toe shot or the 12 inches of dirt fat shot or the brutal skulled shot or the "power fade" or the topped driver or the smothered driver or etc. etc. (I bet you get the point). This comes from the consistency that they are going to reach each position in their swings every time, plus or minus just a tiny amount.
The rest of the issues SdG brought up are important, but I think that consistency is the biggest factor.
I agree with the comments given. What makes the Pros', Pro's? A strength that is constantly worked upon and holds up under pressure better than the average golfer. It lies in the area between the ears
The short game and the mental side are two of the biggest differences between the tour pros and amateurs, as a matter of fact it is what separates the tour pros and the teaching pros like myself. The ability these guys have when faced with chip shots and other shorter shots is amazing.
The mental aspect is another huge difference, how many times does the average player hit driver on every tee that is not a par 3, then you look at how Tiger played the British Open, using his tee shot to set up approach shots that he felt comfortable hitting. It also shows when the pros are in trouble, they will calculate the risk/reward of trying a heroic shot to get out of trouble, or simply taking their medicine and chipping out.
What impresses me the most about the pros is how much they can control they're shots. Phil knows the difference between a 98 and a 100 yard wedge- I'm just looking to put it on the green!
If you think about how many people there are with PGA Tour cards, they're one of a little more than a hundred people in the World. There are millions of golfers in this World so they are definitely a select few.
I think it's a little deceiving because most professional golfers don't look very different from us and may not be ultra athletic as say a professional basketball player or football player might look. But from seeing the pros play in person a few days, I truly believe the gap between pros and regular amateurs is just as large.
There was another thread here that pointed to a Golf Digest article about various amateur golfers shots vs. Tiger and other pros on a hole at Torrey Pines: Golf Digest: The #1 Golf Publication!
Average driving distance for the pros: 272 yards
Average driving distance for those with handicaps under 10: 231 yards
Average driving distance for those with handicaps over 10: 195 yards
I have a buddy who has a chance to play with alot of pros at his country club. He hasn't played wtih the big names, but some of the older guys who used to be top-10 pros, and some of the up and comers from the Nationwide tour who are on the tour now.
He is a solid single-digit (probably a 5-7), and what he said impresses him the most is their iron play. He said he can watch them hit iron after iron, and they all fly at basically the same flight, very solidly-hit and all are very straight compared to an 'average' player. They hit green after green after green...
This is aside from the fact that they are hitting it a long way, and of course they can get up and down very consistently.
I guess I am basically saying they do everything well.
making 4 foot putts over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
making 4 foot putts over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
They also seem to be really good lag putters. Some of the putts you see on TV really amaze me as to how well they get the speed correct.
I read an article a couple of weeks ago where somebody calculated some of the top pro's handicaps. Everyone knows they have PLUS handicaps, but nowhere are they published. This guy, based on the courses the pros play, the lengths, etc. calculated that Tiger Woods would play to a +13 point something or other handicap. Jim Furyk (who ain't no slouch) would play around a +11. Since their driving is sometimes shaky, it means their greatest strengths have to be coming from incredible iron play and short game skills.
One time one of the pros hit a wayward iron that landed right at my feet, so I had a great view of his wedge shot back to the green. He was playing a BeCu wedge. There was a tiny little polished area about the size of a dime right on the sweet spot where he'd hit that spot so often.
They're just better than us...period. In every aspect of the game.
That's true. The one thing I love about golf, though, is sometimes we can hit shots like the pros. Stick a shot near the hole from 120 yards, hole out from the bunker or make a putt. I might not do it as often as they do and luck may play a much larger factor in my good shots but I can still hit one every once in a while.
I read an article a couple of weeks ago where somebody calculated some of the top pro's handicaps. Everyone knows they have PLUS handicaps, but nowhere are they published. This guy, based on the courses the pros play, the lengths, etc. calculated that Tiger Woods would play to a +13 point something or other handicap. Jim Furyk (who ain't no slouch) would play around a +11.
'Find Articles' give snippets from Golf Digest in regards to the HCP of Pro Golfers
April 22nd, 2007, 01:50 AM
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