Difference between pros & single figure amateurs

[rgs]

An interesting article in todays Irish Times newspaper.
Colin Byrne Refief Goosens caddie(he writes a weekly column for the paper on life on tour as a caddie-Byrne is a 6 handicapper out of Royal Dublin).
He wrote about playing the Victoria Old Course on the Monday after the Portugal Masters with a few golfing friends-He reflected on the difficulty in getting out of the rough-How he was hitting 3 wood to the first green whereas Retief during the tournament was using 7 or 8 iron. On the short 4th Retief used 3 wood and a full sand wedge whereas Byrne used a driver and five iron. In the end the best score of the group was 26 pts whereas Webster won with 26 under par or roughly 8 under par per day or 44 pts.

I would recommend people to get the Irish Times on a Tuesday as they have a golf supplement includingp8 Byrne's weekly informative column.

 

[RGuk]

As you say, interesting stuff.
It's no surprise....the distance thing. I know some single figure players who don't hit it far at all (I was one, for a year or so) and some players off "only" 7 or 8 who hit it miles.

I've only been under-hit by about 2 good players in my whole career, one was off 4!!

I am constantly in awe of the talent of the pros and big hitting s/f/g's. The rough can be punishing on courses set up for serious tournaments (I played Lytham a few days after the 2001 Open) and the skill of these players to get round (once off the beaten track) defies belief.

Dave

 

[John_Findlay]

One of the things I've noticed when I've watched the pros at tournaments I've visited is also their ability to recover from fairway bunkers. At Loch Lomond I saw many guys hit onto the green anywhere between 170-200 yards from fairway bunkers I'd be struggling to hit a 9 iron over the lip. Incredible skill.

 

[RGuk]

Yup, that's the kind of stuff they pull off regularly!

As my old pro used to say, Tour players are chasing birdies, when the rest of us are chasing pars....

We are not worthy.......

Dave

 

[rgs]

I agree the Pros play a different game from the rest of us mere mortals.

 

[lewi73]

realgolferuk: I think some of us even have to chase bogies!

 

[clubchamp07]

I tink u lot are forgetting that these pro's play golf 24/7. thats all they know...............given half a chance and i know we could all play like these guys..................I've been there and done that but never turned pro.................to be a top pro u must have talent but to be a normal pro just takes alot of money We could all be the also rans given half a chance!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[madandra]

Right now I would settle for LEVEL FIVES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HTL]

Id say the biggest difference is in timing, Pros just seem to have a natural ability to flow through the ball with perfect timing in their movements.
This is something that can not be learned, however hard a person might try. Same goes when looking at technical and tactical abilities, skills like hand eye co-ordination etc.
I work withing professional sport and see the vast diference between a good club player and a professional every day, and 9/10 times it comes down to timing and movement.
When somebody is born with these technical and tactical talents the coach must recognise them straight away and decide to either let nature take it natural path letting the athlete develop on thier instincts and natural ability, or work with the athlete trying to alter their styles and forge what the coach sees as the perfect swing.

 

[happyhacker]

Undoubtedly on skill and playing the game, pro's are a world apart from the everyday player imo.

But on a pure distance thing, I have often wondered what it is that gives the pros that advantage. And more importantly how I can catch up!

 

[muttleee]

The short game is the biggest difference, I would say. Plenty of low amateurs can smack it a good distance down the fairway but the average pro can get it up and down from anywhere around the green.

 

[Up_Point_1]

Difference between Pro’s & Single figure golfers: Talent, talent and more talent !!

I’ve been to a few Professional golf events this year and the one thing that struck me is just how much better the Pros are in every department than even the very best golfers at my club who play off as low as 1 or 2. It’s quite simply phenomenal.

There are thousands of low handicap golfers up and down the country who have ambitions to one day play on the European Tour. Sadly they’re unlikely to ever realise their dream as they’re quite simply not good enough. You need to be off at least a + handicap in your mid/late teens to even have the faintest of chances. You also need a fair amount of luck along the way.

DHM.

 

[USER1999]

A guy from my club turned pro, off +5 and he is struggling. It really is that hard.

 

[par_par_par_treble]

Obviously natural ability is a big thing, but I would imagine most pro golfers had hit more golf balls by the time they were 10 than I have ever hit.

Bet they wouldn’t be very good at my job though - they will be gutted by that

 

[madandra]

just think, if all those Pro's had stuck in at school they would be working as a Civil Servant in some magnolia painted tomb wishing they could have practiced more and stuck in at the sport and who knows? Maybe even make it as a Pro.

 

[Teetotal]

I believe that anyone can get down to scratch if you're young enough and fit enough to put in the hours and hours of practice like it's your full time job. But to get to the level of a tour pro you need do a special talent which let's face it - most of don't have!

 

[brendy]

I agree teetotal, golf is a little similar to snooker, it really takes either a misspent youth or every waking hour outside school/work to get the skill levels adequate enough to become a pro.
I dont get any practice at all at the moment (got a weeks worth while the missus was giving birth in july!)and I saw an improvement almost instantly, you really need to have time to suss out what you are doing wrong before you can go forward. Ive since started using my video capabilities of my fuji s9500 camera to film myself hitting drivers, long and short irons and wedges. This means I can watch the back later when Im in the office and not able to get out and hit more balls. I can see where Im hitting the ball well and make notes on where im not.

 

[Parmo]

I am sure that if I was hitting thousands of balls a week with a top coach next to me I would be playing off scratch, that’s the way I look at it.

 

[madandra]

A top coach can help you hit the ball from tee to green but its what you do on the short stuff that matters. If buying success was so easy then the tour would be flooded with superstars.

THEY can, WE can't, so WE talk about it.

 

[viscount17]

THEY can, WE can't, so WE talk about it.

Harsh. Madandra, harsh.

We dream!