Natural talent

[cliveb]

A young chap has just joined our club and I played with him yesterday. Looks to be in his 20's, but I'm an old fart and all young people look alike to me so I guess he might be as much as 30. He plays off 8. I watched him, and his stance and swing looked basically perfect to my untrained eye. He hit draws and cuts at will. His average drive was probably about 280 - and I mean that genuinely, we're not talking forum yardages here. He knocked a 5 iron onto the green from about 210.

I asked him how long he'd been playing. "Two years".
So then I asked him how many lessons he'd been taking. "None - I am self taught from books and YouTube".
OK, so what other sports did you play previously? "Basketball" (Hardly a stick-and-ball game).

Now of course everyone has a different degree of natural talent for the game (most having more than me) but this is just ridiculous. What might he have achieved if he had started as a kid?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Perhaps lots, perhaps he might be at his peak now. A shame though. It shows how opportunity to play sports is so key. Golf is probably his sport but if he didn't get a chance to play until now he didn't know it. It applies to all sports. Great to watch someone who plays so naturally though.

 

[ScienceBoy]

We all have things we are good at. Some people naturally good at golf.

I got down to 12 within 18 months of taking up a membership. I would say I had some degree of natural talent. Clearly not as much as that guy however...

I was not down to shooting in the 70s, took me another year to get to that level.

I did however have coaching but I only think this allowed my natural ability to be utilised effectively. The youtube vids are as good as a lesson if you have natural ability so it is comparable.

In the end my peak was about 11, give me a membership, a couple of refresher lessons and time to play and I will be back there.

 

[ADB]

The key is the frequency of play - he may only have been playing two years, but if that is steady practice and competitive golf i would expect a similar handicap from anyone with decent coordination and flexibility.

 

[351DRIVER]

The key is not assuming your natural talent will take you where you want to be, it wont

I would say i am pretty talented with regards to golf and probably should have been no worse than scratch, but talent without application just does not get it done.

I would also add, there is a world of difference between hitting impressive golf shots and producing impressive scores

He needs a coach and he needs one now if he wants to shoot for big things, self taught will only take you so far (There is only 1 Bubba Watson)

 

[PJ87]

My old pro always tried to convince me no-one is born with natural ability at any sport etc and if you put the hard work in you can be as good as anyone..

what a load of old rubbish! A friend of mine plays off about 17, he hardly plays or practices.. maybe he goes gets a round in 4 times a year but he always has been the best out of our group..natural at all sports he plays.. best footballer.. table tennis he always smashes everyone. cricket.. anything

then you have me putting the work in 3 times a week at the range and normally a round a fortnight. I will never hit the ball as well as him!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Paul - Dead right. That pro was an idiot. Hard work can only take you so far. If you don't have ability then you have nothing. Hard work takes you forward and a hard working average player can turn out better than a lazy talented player but to be good in the first place you must have some natural talent to work with.

 

[shewy]

We all know that someone who is good at whatever they turn their hand to. I take it he is tall? Makes the game easier if you hit it a country mile

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Can't see how anyone can be born with sporting ability per se - easily confused with those who are just very adept at using their motor skills and imagination to complete a task; be it golf, pole vault, writing or nose picking. This is how some folk are perceived to be good sports people, they are just quicker to learn how to use their innate human skills to complete a task.

Apply said skills to hours of thoughtful practice and a decent golfer is born.

 

[PJ87]

We all know that someone who is good at whatever they turn their hand to. I take it he is tall? Makes the game easier if you hit it a country mile

on the contrary he is about 5ft 7! very skinny build but he smashes the ball miles.. Id estimate his driving is approx 250 yards , minimum 200 yards per drive

there is a word for people like him.. however in polite company I cant repeat it lol

 

[Deleted member 15344]

A young chap has just joined our club and I played with him yesterday. Looks to be in his 20's, but I'm an old fart and all young people look alike to me so I guess he might be as much as 30. He plays off 8. I watched him, and his stance and swing looked basically perfect to my untrained eye. He hit draws and cuts at will. His average drive was probably about 280 - and I mean that genuinely, we're not talking forum yardages here. He knocked a 5 iron onto the green from about 210.

I asked him how long he'd been playing. "Two years".
So then I asked him how many lessons he'd been taking. "None - I am self taught from books and YouTube".
OK, so what other sports did you play previously? "Basketball" (Hardly a stick-and-ball game).

Now of course everyone has a different degree of natural talent for the game (most having more than me) but this is just ridiculous. What might he have achieved if he had started as a kid?

I took up golf and first joined a club 7 years ago - within a year I went from 24 to 16 HC , then from 16 to 12 and hit single figures within another 6 months. After just under 4 years I hit cat 1

Have had no lessons and learnt via magazines and you tube videos as well. Sometimes I wish that I had taken up golf as a kid and seen how far I could have gone as a golfer but then I have managed to do so much within sport I have no regrets - im just glad that I have now found a sport that I can play for many more years and hopefully could go lower than the 4 HC I am now