Natural talent..... how low?

[Imurg]

Got to my lowest of 8.1 without lessons. About to go lower, without lessons and could go lower still - without lessons.
I suppose I must have some sort of natural talent for the game, I don't practice much, I've had no formal lessons and I'm quite capable of throwing in a low 70's round from time to time.

 

[richart]

I seem to have a bit of natural talent for some sports, but as soon as practice and hard work are needed I'm stuffed. Basically I only enjoy playing sports and the competition.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

I have the natural talent of a dead giraffe

I get by on Luck and tenacity

Fragger

 

[Imurg]

I have the natural talent of a dead giraffe

I get by on Luck and tenacity

Fragger

I am remaining tight-lipped and silent..................

 

[richart]

I have the natural talent of a dead giraffe

I get by on Luck and tenacity

Fragger

I am remaining tight-lipped and silent..................

But for how long, ten, nine, eight,.....................

 

[Imurg]

I have the natural talent of a dead giraffe

I get by on Luck and tenacity

Fragger

I am remaining tight-lipped and silent..................

But for how long, ten, nine, eight,.....................

Mmmmm.....Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........Mmmmmmmmm...

 

[HRC99]

I don't believe there is such thing as having a natural talent at a sport but if there is then I don't think I have any for any sport.

Eh? No such thing as natural talent at a sport?

You're kidding, right?

Tell that to Usain Bolt, Maradona, Roger Federer, Michael Johnson, Lionel Messi, Ian Botham etc etc.

They may well have practiced and practiced and practiced but their colossal basic natural talent was always there.

Even sportsmen who are viewed as having worked to get where they are by making the absolute most of their talent will all still have huge natural ability.

The reality is that only people with some talent at something will persist with their sport when younger which then leads to higher skill levels through the practice and coaching at younger ages.

Yes but what I meant was that I don't believe one is born with a talent at a SPECIFIC sport. I'm sure some people are born with certain physical and mental traits and attributes that enable them to become better athletes than others but they are probably for the most part attributes that would translate well into lots of different sports and activities. I mean do you really think that humans are born with some sort of golf gene? Or that golfing talent is somehow sewn into ones DNA?

I take your point and but I think that it is a mix of different talents that determine your particular ability in a sport.

Many of those talents may well be transferable to other sports which is why many people who are good at a sport are also good at another. But these blends of ability aren't any kind of guarantee of transferability to another sport. I know plenty of good cricketers and footballers who are good golfers but, equally, I know some good cricketers and footballers who are rubbish at golf.

 

[sev112]

I've had 3 lessons, all from different pros, and all of which (well 2 of them certainly) gave me something valuable.
Also had 2 playing lessons. All bar 1 were birthday presents from mrs sev112 at various places around the UK.

Being theoretically minded, and spending my normal workday as an engineer, i've always studied how golf swings work, and have a bit of a thing for working out why different swings work.

i certainly have no golf talent that i started off with - took a lot of play, practice, and working it out. Was similar to cricket when i started playing aged 18, and by 22 was playing to a good staurday league standard. Similarly with skiing, where i also approach it from a theoretical approach alongside (less frequent) practice.
Similarly table tennis, rugby, pool (could never see the end of a snooker table with my eyesight!) , chess (where i got to county standard from study and practice), and even middle/long distance running, again from study and practice.
All of them i was absolutely cr*p when i started, and pretty good when i gave up.





Having said that, i am waiting for our junior / assistant pro to qualify, and i am tempted to let him have a go at seeing whether he can drop me a couple of shots as a bit of an early career "project"