What makes the pros so damn good?

[Paul Stephenson]

One of the things that's always fascinated me about the way amateurs view the pros is that all of the scratch and plus handicappers I know have no delusions about where they rank compared to the Tour pros.

They all say the difference is dramatic.

But there are lots of ~5 handicappers who think they could make it on Tour if they just had the time to practice.

My brother is a +1, and people have often asked him if he ever thought about the Tour. He always says something like, "I've played with those guys, and I'm not close to being good enough."

Ken

I think if you asked some of the players ranked 300 in the world if they could be as good as Tiger or anyone in the top 10 the answer may be the same...they're not good enough.  But this is OT since I'd be asking why some of the pros are so damn good compared to other pros.

[Michael Moore]

I have seen Tiger hit balls and play no less than 10X; I have seen him hit perfect 7 iron after perfect 7 iron on the range along with every other pro hitting perfect shot after perfect shot.  You can not tell the difference between his perfect 7 iron and every other pros.  I am not saying that he isn't more talented; he is but to the naked eye on a driving range you can't tell.  On the range they hit almost every shot perfect, the difference is mental.

Amen, Brother Kenny. Woods does not swing the club faster, propel the ball faster, or hit the ball more on the sweet spot in any meaningful, discernable way. Mythology is necessary in all pursuits, and this is a good one.

Although we must entertain the possibility that Nike has spend a bazillion dollars getting his clubs to sound JUST RIGHT !

[Jordan Caron]

Mental Game
Short Game
Practice
Talent
Course Management

I left out desire/dertermination.  My case in point, Mike Weir.  I watched this pip squek play the Canadian Tour for a few years and never thought we would make it anywhere let alone win the Masters and still be around. 

They're guys I have played Junior Golf with who I thought had enourmous amounts of talent and just about all the tools to make it big but they lacked desire and the determination to play PGA Tour calibre golf. 

[Bob_Huntley]

"What makes the pros so damn good?"


Who on earth knows?

If you saw Ed Furgol, Gay Brewer, Des Smythe and Calvin Pete swing a club would you have given them a chance to make a living playing golf?

Bob

[Matt_Cohn]

I'll second consistency, course management, and short game, not in that order.

Even in mid-level amateur competitions, everyone hits it well on the range.

One difference is that in amateur golf you can get by on ballstriking alone to shoot a bunch of scores around par and have a lot of success. In the pro game you just won't make it unless you make putts and get up and down from everywhere.

An instructor who works with several pro's talked to me about one of his students hitting 6 greens one day and shooting 68.

[Kalen Braley]

Hmmmm,,,

And I always thought it was just cuz they could go round the old grassy yard with fewer strokes than everyone esle.

[Ken Moum]

An instructor who works with several pro's talked to me about one of his students hitting 6 greens one day and shooting 68.

Pelz has a game he calls "Miss 'em all" he does with the pros, where any time they hit a green he kicks it off. Some go in bunkers, others in rough, etc.

He claims the lowest score ever shot was 69.

Which is fairly impressive.  <G>

Ken

[Matt_Cohn]

An instructor who works with several pro's talked to me about one of his students hitting 6 greens one day and shooting 68.

Pelz has a game he calls "Miss 'em all" he does with the pros, where any time they hit a green he kicks it off. Some go in bunkers, others in rough, etc.

He claims the lowest score ever shot was 69.

Which is fairly impressive.  <G>

Ken

That actually sounds like an awesome game.

But holy crap, 69?

[JNC Lyon]

It's all about short game and consistency.  tons of guys have loads of talent--just look at any division college player.  But how many of these guys end up on the pro tour?  Only the ones who are consistent enough to make it, and often time this isn't a top-ranked college player.  Where do guys like Jerry Kelly and Jay Williamson come from?  Lots of practice and an ability to repeat good shots.  Every decent golfer hits plenty of good shots.  Its the ones who can hit good shots (not even great shots) with the most consistency and who can make the most out of them with a good short game that make the money.

To do these two simple things seems to require a tremendous amount of confidence and mental focus to eliminate any ideas of hitting bad shots.  No matter how much talent you have, you can always talk yourself into a bad shot.  Only mental toughness can overcome this.

A side note:  Labeling Charles Howell III as an 'average' putter is all relative.  The worst putter on the pro tour makes more putts than 99% of all golfers.  Just notice if a pro is 5 for 10 from 8 to 20 feet in a round, it is regarding as a bad putting day, whereas if an amateur makes five putts outside of 8 feet, he is 'making everything' and 'having the putting round of his life.'  Putting is often derided as lucky in amateur circles, while it is the ultimate test of skill at the pro level.

[Jon Wiggett]

To do these two simple things seems to require a tremendous amount of confidence and mental focus to eliminate any ideas of hitting bad shots.  No matter how much talent you have, you can always talk yourself into a bad shot.  Only mental toughness can overcome this.

JNC,

this certainly an important factor and the way in which most pros do this is through pre-shot routine. Going through a set ritual helps clear the mind of everything except the routine and thus eliminates negative or unnecessary thoughts.

To you comment on luck in putting, it is clear that the more often you play the ball along the correct line the more often that the ball is going to go in but outside of 10 feet there is always going to be a certain amount of luck invovled playing on greens at the stannard members club.