PRO's - advice needed...

At what point in your development did your consistency really kick in? I have gotten fairly good, but my consistency isn't quite there yet. just wondering what your time line was before you were playing OPEN. Thats where I want to be and on some days could be. Sometimes the basket looks huge yet other times not so much. Is it all mental? TIA

[Jay Dub]

Mine kicked in right after and during the time I practiced putting every day.
Good luck!

[The FORCE]

uhhhh, 10 years playing maybe. yes its mental.... the basket is huge.... get yourself a few solid am1 tourney wins and you could test the waters of Open. think about it though, if you go pro you cant win an amworlds title and you cant win the amateur nationals at toboggan. just think about it. try to get a lifetime supply of plastic before quitting amateur. thats how long you should play am before going pro.

[Eirik]

Why Blaine Kinkel played pro most of the year he won am nats and bowling green.

[Jamie Mosier]

For me it was when I actually moved up to pro am is just figuring out raw skills like hyzer anhyzer sidearm putting etc pro is putting it together and reallizing u HAVE to throw all ur high % shots in am u can still have shanks and 10' duffs n throw dumb lines and win pro u have to cancel all that out to cash. But remember all things apart the entire game is putting. And putting come from practice it's not all mental it about how much u put in to it to get something out. It's hard too shoot bad when u putt good but it's easy to shoot bad playin well and just putting bad. If u want to obtain pro level and consistancy u got to putt putt putt hours everyday even if u don't see it improving imedietly it will I u keep @ it putt putt putt putt putt putt putt putt

[mark ellis]

The game of golf is more above the shoulders than below, especially for experienced players.

In the Pros the mistakes are more important than the good shots. You can only gain so many strokes through brilliance but you can lose unlimited strokes through errors. Since (almost) all the Pros throw far and accurately putting separates the field more than any other single skill.

Players move to the Pro ranks at very different speeds. The phenoms get there in a year or two.

At every level of competition, the ability to make the next step up becomes more difficult. If you thought moving up from a handicap rating of 850 to 925 was hard, wait until you get to the high 900's and want to join the elite in the 1000's. Many top Amateurs test the Pro divisions and fail and their tournament career comes to a close. The biggest single factor is motivation. For a player used to moving up a division and immediately cashing then moving to the top of that division, the Pro ranks can be a harsh reality.

All of us have a natural level of athletic skill. For any given sport there is a level where our skills take us to. To move beyond that requires time and motivation. Few players will put in the sustained effort. I'm not talking about playing lots of rounds-that is the easy and fun part. I'm talking about practicing, drilling and cross training.

One of the fun things about playing in the World Championships, which I just returned from, is watching what the good players do to prepare for a major tournament.

[Jim Coonradt]

Well said Mark. The game is very mental and recovering from a bad shot is just as important as making a good shot in the first place. So is the ability to let a bad shot or bad hole go and get on to the next hole. All very important skills. Of course having a good physical game is important but the best players have a good mental approach. It's the old risk versus reward thing as well and knowing just how far you can take that risk and when to do it.

Patience and hard work will get you there. I turn 50 this year and my development is still ongoing. However, my experience is also showing through at times. Experience is a big thing because you realize that you don't have to sweat the little things.