Pro Am

[flandango]

My playing partner and good friend is a registered pro. He used to be the pro at iverurie (not sure if thats right spelling) in scotland.

He hasn't recieved a penny as a pro for 6 years as he now earns a stupid amount of money as a kitchen / bathroom fitter.

He is joining my club with hopes of re-gaining his amature status and playing competetivly.

He also is hampered by injury so is getting his doctor to write him a sick note to help his cause.

Has anyone ever heard of such a transition? Any pro's on here?

 

[Macster]

I used to have lessons with an assistant at a local club, he got fed up with it all and went back amateur.
I gather they have to go through a certain process but should be easy enough, - he'll know the score surely ?

 

[flandango]

He knows what he has to do and has got the ball rolling but I was just interested to see what my forum buddies thought!!!

 

[Tommo21]

I used to have lessons with an assistant at a local club, he got fed up with it all and went back amateur.
I gather they have to go through a certain process but should be easy enough, - he'll know the score surely ?

He should know.

 

[Imurg]

I've got a feeling that if waits 6 years after his last earning from Golf he can re-apply for amateur status. I'm sure the R&A website will have all the gen.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think it is determined to some extent on how long he was a pro. I think from memory the rules say something like less than five years as a pro means you can regain amateur status after a year from application and being a pro for five years or more is a 2 year wait.

When I was assistant at Wimbledon Common and turned pro I only had to wait a year to regain my status but that was 25 years ago and was a straight forward process of writing (It hink it was the R&A but I can't remember) and getting my professional and club secretary to counter witness it agreeing I would no longer receive payment or services for playing for prize money in competition, teaching, or for providing a direct golfing service (club repairs, salary for working in the shop etc)

 

[RGuk]

We had a chap at my old club who "had" been a pro. I can't remember how he went back to amateur status but he did.

I played with him a few times.....he was very good indeed.....I've got a feeling he had to play off scratch.....

 

[Andy]

One of the Mizuno Custom fit guys at World of Golf in Clydebank Glasgow used to be a pro and gave it up. He was bored stiff and frustrated with the amount of starters and learners he had coming to him. Now just does the custom fitting...

Andy

 

[HomerJSimpson]

True story. I only gave one proper golf lesson in my time at Wimbledon Common as my pro did that as it was his main earner. The one person I taught was a 19 Finnish law student working at one of the big houses next to Royal Wimbledon (about 200 yards from our club). She was tall, slim, striking blue eyes and and lets just say I was a consummate professional who managed in the 30 minute slot to get her hitting nice high 9 irons dead straight.

 

[haplesshacker]

And, You married her!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Nope but once I locked the shop I wasn't on duty and ......

 

[haplesshacker]

OHHHH. Too much information!!

Nowt like being a sports instructor when your in your late teens early 20s though. Except my sport was sailing.

Seems like a lifetime ago now though.

Drifted off topic though!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

.... and I bought her a drink in Wimbledon Village with the intention of pursuing other matters later. It never happened.

 

[Leftie]

Any pro's on here?

Well. I seem to remember that we have the newbie "Westfield" who tells us that she is a female pro in the For Sale section and is trying to get us interested in some "men's clubs". Apparently she seems to want to write about her experiences on our Forum in some unspecfied magazines.

No good for a short house like me - I can't reach the top shelf....

 

[backwoodsman]

I think it is determined to some extent on how long he was a pro. I think from memory the rules say something like less than five years as a pro means you can regain amateur status after a year from application and being a pro for five years or more is a 2 year wait.

Still correct Homer - although the Rules say that "the period may be extended if the applicant has played extensively for prize money, regardless of performance."

And they also say that a "player of national prominence who has been in breach of the Rules for more than five years is not normally eligible for reinstatement.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

No wonder I got my status back so quickly. Career earnings £276.78p. Recognition. None. Only known to a couple of other locals assistance we use to car pool with to save cash

 

[Dodger]

Thats not bad if it was 25 plus years ago that must be like the equivalent of a grand nowadays.....you would have been in the top 100 on the Europrotour last year with that!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

That was over a season and a half and it cost according to my old expense sheet I dug out at my mums £391.45 in various expenses (entry, accommodation etc)

 

[Dodger]

You must have been half decent back in the day so how come you are off 14 now? Usually if someone is good enough to play even a few Pro events they are still capable of single figures at least.....bandit alert?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

A lot of things really. I didn't pick up a club for over a decade and came back with some really bad habits that never really went away (reverse pivot and lateral head movement). I also lost my short game (still have) and so the days of scrambling well are few and far between. I'm focussing on shots from <100 yards in 70% of my practice time in 2009 (including putting).

I think the biggest problem though has been my health. It is well documented on here that I use to enjoy a beer and that I had chroni pancreatitis and was an hour from croaking. It took a long time to get over that and I've developed diabetes as a reminder of what not to do again. I get very easily tired especially on hot days and have to be careful what I use to keep myself hydrated (no lucozade drink or glucose tablets, check the sugar content on snack bars etc). As a result I tend to play great rounds of 12 holes and then fold like a deck of cards as my concentration goes and fatigue sets in.

I also still have a problem taking shots on that 25 years ago would have held no fear and I would have hit well 8/10 times. Now that margin is probably 2/10. It kills me when I'm playing badly and either can't work it out in my head (during a round) or know the cause and can't make the change.

I think 14 is probably too high although last year I played very poorly in club competitions. I over practiced and worked on the wrong things. Once I get my short game back I think 10, maybe 9 would be a fair assessment.