What it takes to get on the tour

I had a young golfer approach me and ask me the age old question what it takes to get on the tour.

Of course i gave him the simple answer score better than everyone else. All kidding aside there are several things to take into consideration.

1. You dont know what you dont know.

This can be a very good thing if you are a feel player and go slickly by instinct and perception. If your a “A” type personality this will not work for you because you will always want to know what you dont know. Being a “A” type myself i always thought it was better that i knew what could happen that hit it and find out later. I also had a regimented process to approach the ball and would do it religiously on every shot including practice so if i ever got in a tight situation it would be normal not out of the ordinary to slow down and repeat. Not knowing what to expect can be a relief for many players because if they knew they wouldn’t even attempt to try the tour. It is beyond comprehension how difficult it is but once there you cant realize how easy it can become going forward everyday.

2. How good is good.

Ather telling this young player this he looked at me like i was crazy. I explained to him slowly of course that if he hit a good shot was that good meaning as good as it gets or is it just the beginning of what might come. If the answer is it is as good as it gets then the tour might not be for you. If you continue to think it can get better then maybe there is a chance.

3. Short game

I explained to this young man that for every full swing he takes he should be hitting 3 short shots around the green and 4 putts. The short game will encompass Half your strokes so you need to make sure that is the best part of your game. And putting well that should be the best part of your game. A putt can make up for many mistakes elsewhere. I had a lengthy discussion with a very intelligent person i no consider a friend but how every get got quite heated when i made the blanket statement that a player needs to average 29 puts a round to make it on tour. If you do the math if the average player hits 11-12 greens in regulation. Proximity to the hole one outs 4, two putts the rest we are at 8×2 =16, plus 4 one putts =20, 8 greens missed, 75% up and down so 5 one putts, 3 two puts , for a total of 31 putts and a score of 71. If the player had just 2 less putts he would be under 70 and would make according the the last qualifying score would place 10th and would easily get his card. Would have lead all 4 majors at one time during the year and won two.

It sounds so simple just to have 29 putts. However you can have 29 putts by hitting fewer greens, and that is not the way to accomplish the number we are trying to ge too which is under par.