how good are the pros?

[robert.redmile]

hi - have been to a few golf events, and constantly amazed at how good they are actually are!

so, firstly what "handicap" do the pros play to ? (I guess its plus 6 or 7?)

Secondly, when you see the championship tees and how far back they are, then see the pros hit driver 6 iron into a par 5 you again see how good they are.

It strikes me that in golf, the pro's are light years ahead of the rest of us, yet in other sports I've played the differences are perhaps not as wide, or pronounced? Or perhaps a little bit more subtle maybe?

 

[Cheifi0]

Have to agree that the pros are on another world compared to amateurs in golf and its a lot easier to quantify as you can compare their driver distance/dispersion to your driver distance/dispersion. The gulf in quality is still there in other sports but it's harder to see. In sports such as Rugby or Football they are playing against other people which are on a similar level. If you actually tried playing against them in a proper game you would quickly realise the high level of skill if it wasn't quite so obvious before.

 

[Dan2501]

The driver isn't really where the difference stood out to me when I was at Wentworth, it was how good they were with a wedge. We were sat in the stand behind 14, and it was amazing how consistently close they were all getting to a very difficult pin position with a wedge in. Their control of distance and spin is so good to watch.

 

[Cheifi0]

That was just an example of where you can directly compare your attempt at a shot with a pros attempt.

 

[Qwerty]

What impresses me most is the way they can hit long irons. The distance they get through the quality of strike is a joy to watch.
The sound seems different to club Golfers strike, like a dull click, a similar sound to when the rest of us thin it.

 

[Stuey01]

It strikes me that in golf, the pro's are light years ahead of the rest of us, yet in other sports I've played the differences are perhaps not as wide, or pronounced? Or perhaps a little bit more subtle maybe?

Curious as to what these sports are?
I think there is an enormous gulf in all mainstream sports between a top pro and even a good amateur.

 

[Jimaroid]

It strikes me that in golf, the pro's are light years ahead of the rest of us, yet in other sports I've played the differences are perhaps not as wide, or pronounced? Or perhaps a little bit more subtle maybe?

I don't think so, they are pretty wide. The difference between the top and bottom professional footballers is stark, compare Messi and someone playing for the likes of Hartlepool for example (sorry Hartlepool fans, it was a random pick).

Similarly the difference between an average teaching pro and a top-100 playing pro is absolutely massive. I'm not being derogatory, the lower ranking pros also have very realistic and honest views on the distance in talent between themselves and the very best in the world.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Agree with above posts. The difference between pro and amateur in all sports is massive. I've played with people who went on to be pro's at cricket and internationals at hockey and they stood out a mile. Everything was done better, faster, more consistently etc. Footballers we see on tv and think are awful would run rings around your best local team. You wouldn't believe the difference until you saw it. If you go to watch a conference football match and see an old knackered pro on the way down I suspect they will still stand out as the best player on the pitch.

I have been to a couple of golf tournaments and it is the consistent quality of ball striking that stood out for me. They didn't make magic shots but long irons in particular just kept soaring into the distance. Very inspiring.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Most top amateurs when they turn pro say the difference is short game. I've seen pros duff full shots as badly as amateurs (although much more infrequently) but invariably when they miss a green they at least give themselves a chance to save par. They also have MUCH better course management and miss in the right places.

 

[drew83]

I used to play football lunchtimes through work. One of our staff is an ex football pro/semi-pro.

Even in late 50's he was annihilating mid 20 year olds that play regularly.

 

[Foliage Finder]

I think that the gap in golf is more easily appreciated because of the individual difficulty of the game. When I used to play rugby techniques and skills were on occasion difficult to learn, but the real difficulty was integrating a team, seamless communication and moving as one unit with a common aim on the pitch. It's easier to kick a football/throw a pass in rugby than it is to hit a golf ball well.

With no team aspect of that nature in golf, I think this is what makes the huge gap between pros and amateurs so evident.

 

[garyinderry]

These questions do spring to mind when you watch glen Johnson and Ashley young cross a ball into row z.

 

[MadAdey]

I used to play football lunchtimes through work. One of our staff is an ex football pro/semi-pro.

Even in late 50's he was annihilating mid 20 year olds that play regularly.

Had a great example of the difference when my brother got released from Sheffield Utd at U20s, having also been the Villa U18 keeper. He played the last few for my team in the United counties league, a decent level of amateur football. Stayed up because he kept 4 clean sheets on the bounce, his answer was they can't Hit it fast enough to get it past me.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

These questions do spring to mind when you watch glen Johnson and Ashley young cross a ball into row z.

I'm nominating this as your best ever post Garry

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think that the gap in golf is more easily appreciated because of the individual difficulty of the game. When I used to play rugby techniques and skills were on occasion difficult to learn, but the real difficulty was integrating a team, seamless communication and moving as one unit with a common aim on the pitch. It's easier to kick a football/throw a pass in rugby than it is to hit a golf ball well.

With no team aspect of that nature in golf, I think this is what makes the huge gap between pros and amateurs so evident.

I went with my son to watch the All Blacks play Scotland at Murrayfield a few years ago. They did exactly the same warm ups that he did as a junior, nothing different in the match either. In the match they did nothing Messi like. However they did everything perfectly, the basics done over and over again. All done at high speed and without mistakes. Everyone knew where to be at the right time and the execution was spot on. He came away buzzing and the Scottish supporters all appreciated it even though they had caned their team. We could all see the difference.

 

[MadAdey]

Back to golf, I don't think anyone has a real appreciation of how good tour pros are until you have played with top level amateurs. At Spalding there are some good golfers, Simon Richardson (+4), James Crampton (played on the same Walker cup team as Westwood). The assistant pro is an ex EuroPro tour player that had to give it up. To play with and watch these lads is fantastic, but then you realize that they are not good enough to play on tour, you get the idea just how inferior you are to a tour pro.

One shot a round is what matters at the very highest level. The Assistant said that he needed to be 1 shot a round better and he would have been cleaning up on the Europro tour and his results back that up.

Distance is another major factor. Long hitters at your club will be in the 280-300 yard region, on tour that is at the shorter end of things.

 

[garyinderry]

I'm nominating this as your best ever post Garry

There is about as much competition for a spot in the Liverpool back line as there is for that accolade. Thanks anyway lol

 

[hovis]

My pp is off +3 and got destroyed by tom Lewis in a match play

 

[Hobbit]

My lad is a decent local pro. A number of years back he won a matchplay comp two years on the trot. In the third year he was drawn againt David Horsey. He was 3 under gross when Horsey beat him 6&4. Horsey was 9 under for 14 holes. Watching my lad shoot mid-high 60's pretty much every time he plays is a joy to watch, and he's done reasonably well in the in the odd professional comp he's played - think he finished mid table in the NW last year only playing a handful of comps. And then when you see him at Open Qualifiers you realise that there's a few levels above him that are just stellar!

 

[rksquire]

Back to golf.....Distance is another major factor. Long hitters at your club will be in the 280-300 yard region, on tour that is at the shorter end of things.

Not at the Irish Open... 280 was at the longer end of things!

On the scale of excellence was the chipping (seem some atrocious ones though), putting and control from bunkers. Also seen some quadruple bogies which made them look quite normal at times!