Topic: The Golf Thread

[nuts100]

For me the biggest difference between the pros and mortals/good club amateurs is mentality.

Mentality is a big one, they don't want to hear any, ooh that's a bad lie and don't see hazards, it's all numbers
But the one big difference is how they strike a ball. Go watch the pros and you can hear the compression of the ball. It's a totally different sound even compared to top amateurs. The sound coming off that sweet spot is so pure and sweet. Oh and even the worst player on tour, their short games are just on a different level.

the LPGA, wow those girls have some game also. Proper golfers that again have such good short games. Again would shit over really good male amateur golfers. I have the utmost respect for them

[4pool]

How much of that is down to the practice the pros put in too, they'll go to the practice range for a couple of hours when they're not traveling or playing, often when they finish the round too, plus don't rush your shots too, a lot of weekend golfers play like they're on a mission & fuck up that way too, slow it down a bit & take a couple of practice swings

A couple hours practice...try all day. 8-10 hours.

Was invited to play golf at a local Country Club. When we started a pro was on the end of the driving range. When we made the turn after 9 he was still there. We finished our round in about 4 hours. He was still there. So I asked my mate, has he been there the whole time? He went over to ask the range employee. Was told yep, been hitting nothing but an 8 iron all morning. When he ran out of balls, he had a large bucket ( like a painters bucket) and a couple lads would go collect his balls ( no range balls for him) and bring them back. He was hitting them high, low, draw, fade, etc.

He won 6 times on the PGA tour. 10 times on the Senior Tour.


Had a work mate. He played University golf for Memphis State. I once asked him what was his lowest score. He said 64, but in competition 65. I asked him if he ever considered the tour. He said no. He didn't want to practice all day. You need massive dedication. And even then there's no guarantees. He just preferred to be scratch handicap or better and beat his buddies out of some money.

[RedForeverTT]

A couple hours practice...try all day. 8-10 hours.

Was invited to play golf at a local Country Club. When we started a pro was on the end of the driving range. When we made the turn after 9 he was still there. We finished our round in about 4 hours. He was still there. So I asked my mate, has he been there the whole time? He went over to ask the range employee. Was told yep, been hitting nothing but an 8 iron all morning. When he ran out of balls, he had a large bucket ( like a painters bucket) and a couple lads would go collect his balls ( no range balls for him) and bring them back. He was hitting them high, low, draw, fade, etc.

He won 6 times on the PGA tour. 10 times on the Senior Tour.


Had a work mate. He played University golf for Memphis State. I once asked him what was his lowest score. He said 64, but in competition 65. I asked him if he ever considered the tour. He said no. He didn't want to practice all day. You need massive dedication. And even then there's no guarantees. He just preferred to be scratch handicap or better and beat his buddies out of some money.

It is extremely hard to make money on tour. What we see on PGA or European Tour are really the cream of the crop. I remember Matt Kuchar taking 2 years time off to consider whether to turn pro and this was despite having won the US Amateur. Kenny Perry who won 14 times on PGA tour was selling car stereos at one point to make ends meet.

If you are not on the top money list, you would probably make more money betting and hustling with all kinds of bets. I know a few ex-tour pros out there who do this for a living and managed a pretty comfortable lifestyle doing it.

That's why I admire guys like Rick Shiels who knows he is not good enough for professional tour but found a niche making Youtube videos.


Btw, has anyone noticed Bryson DeChambeau gaining some mass?

[4pool]

That's why I admire guys like Rick Shiels who knows he is not good enough for professional tour but found a niche making Youtube videos.

I like his vids. 

[Statto Red]

It is extremely hard to make money on tour. What we see on PGA or European Tour are really the cream of the crop. I remember Matt Kuchar taking 2 years time off to consider whether to turn pro and this was despite having won the US Amateur. Kenny Perry who won 14 times on PGA tour was selling car stereos at one point to make ends meet.

If you are not on the top money list, you would probably make more money betting and hustling with all kinds of bets. I know a few ex-tour pros out there who do this for a living and managed a pretty comfortable lifestyle doing it.

That's why I admire guys like Rick Shiels who knows he is not good enough for professional tour but found a niche making Youtube videos.


Btw, has anyone noticed Bryson DeChambeau gaining some mass?

Yep, not sure what tour prize money is outside the top 10, but by the time you take expenses out such as, travel, hotel or apartment, coaches & caddies wouldn't be much left for the golfer if you finish outside the top 20, & you have to make the weekend too to get paid, & that can be tough in itself, course conditions, other players on a charge, weather ecc, it can be a grind if you're not in at least the top 10.

[nuts100]

Yep, not sure what tour prize money is outside the top 10, but by the time you take expenses out such as, travel, hotel or apartment, coaches & caddies wouldn't be much left for the golfer if you finish outside the top 20, & you have to make the weekend too to get paid, & that can be tough in itself, course conditions, other players on a charge, weather ecc, it can be a grind if you're not in at least the top 10.

Pga tour pays well for the top 100. Endorsements are also massive
They do not pay appearance fees like they do in Europe

Take a look at https://thegolfnewsnet.com/golfnewsnetteam/2019/08/26/2018-2019-pga-tour-money-list-see-who-earned-the-most-total-money-115868/

[Statto Red]

Pga tour pays well for the top 100. Endorsements are also massive
They do not pay appearance fees like they do in Europe

Take a look at https://thegolfnewsnet.com/golfnewsnetteam/2019/08/26/2018-2019-pga-tour-money-list-see-who-earned-the-most-total-money-115868/

Cheers for that.

[RedForeverTT]

Pga tour pays well for the top 100. Endorsements are also massive
They do not pay appearance fees like they do in Europe

Take a look at https://thegolfnewsnet.com/golfnewsnetteam/2019/08/26/2018-2019-pga-tour-money-list-see-who-earned-the-most-total-money-115868/

I thought Tiger don’t get out of bed for less than $1m?

PGA are so well endorsed that anyone who has a tour card is like striking lottery. I wonder if it unfairly sucks up all the available prize money from the rest of the tours. What we are seeing on tv is really elite.

Those on lower leagues like European Challengers tour will need to get to the top 20 to make ends meet. Make no mistake, those below the top 20 could still shoot a 68 on your average golf course.

[fowlermagic]

For me the biggest difference between the pros and mortals/good club amateurs is mentality.

SNIP

The mentality side of it massive.

Came home and watched the resumption and watched Rahm leave an easy chip well short on the 240 yd par 3. Not a flicker. I'd have been one club less in my bag probably.

The game is played between the ears so no matter what clubs you have in the bag if you cant think your way around the course then its twice as tough. Pros will plot their way around the course during their practice rounds and know where the misses are, ie Do Not Miss This Green On The Right etc. How many of us see a short Par 4 and hit the driver when all it needs is a decent 5 iron and 7 iron? How many of us actually leave the driver in the bag and have Option 2 just in case the Driver is all over the place AGAIN. If I made a bet with 10 average golfers (me) that their handicap would improve if they didnt use their driver at all for a month, their overall game / score would be better. I honestly think the Driver is most golfers' enemy as it puts you into places on the course that makes the hole impossible to par from.

[nuts100]

The game is played between the ears so no matter what clubs you have in the bag if you cant think your way around the course then its twice as tough. Pros will plot their way around the course during their practice rounds and know where the misses are, ie Do Not Miss This Green On The Right etc. How many of us see a short Par 4 and hit the driver when all it needs is a decent 5 iron and 7 iron? How many of us actually leave the driver in the bag and have Option 2 just in case the Driver is all over the place AGAIN. If I made a bet with 10 average golfers (me) that their handicap would improve if they didnt use their driver at all for a month, their overall game / score would be better. I honestly think the Driver is most golfers' enemy as it puts you into places on the course that makes the hole impossible to par from.

I think I posted in another thread. My back is screwed, herniated disk and it is catching the sciatic nerve so pain comes in waves where all I can do I lie down for 30mins and try and stretch

However I digress, I played with a 6 iron for 9 holes and shot 6 over with my back screwed. I reckon when healthy, no issues I’d be close to par for 9. Depending on course obviously and weather

[nuts100]

Got to love the way golf has resumes with the normal Rory weekend 

[fowlermagic]

Had the potential to be a shootout at the OK corral and then players fizzled away with one error after another or a putt that just would not drop. Sounds like Berger had a tough couple of years so great to see him win, Rory did his usual hot or cold when steady Rory probably would be winning all round him. Also was great to see Faldo go on about why is a pro practicing his driver when all he needs is a 5 iron and wedge on the 1st playoff hole. Should be a note to us all

[RedForeverTT]

Had the potential to be a shootout at the OK corral and then players fizzled away with one error after another or a putt that just would not drop. Sounds like Berger had a tough couple of years so great to see him win, Rory did his usual hot or cold when steady Rory probably would be winning all round him. Also was great to see Faldo go on about why is a pro practicing his driver when all he needs is a 5 iron and wedge on the 1st playoff hole. Should be a note to us all

I missed what Faldo said, what did he say?

There must be a few bumps and doughnuts on the 18th, it is very uncharacteristic for players to be missing from 2 feet out.

Seriously, I wish all courses could set up like Colonial where the rough are not too rough and the greens are fair to players. I hate US open greens where a good approach shot would bounce 3 feet high and then roll off the greens. There is no fun in playing and no fun to the fans watching it.

[dudleyred]

I missed what Faldo said, what did he say?

There must be a few bumps and doughnuts on the 18th, it is very uncharacteristic for players to be missing from 2 feet out.

Seriously, I wish all courses could set up like Colonial where the rough are not too rough and the greens are fair to players. I hate US open greens where a good approach shot would bounce 3 feet high and then roll off the greens. There is no fun in playing and no fun to the fans watching it.

The two in the playoff were keeping warm with Berger hitting drivers and the other fella wedges

Faldo quite rightly said why hit driver when the playoff holes didn’t require it

That said Berger won obviously. Likely he wasnt practicing at all or keeping warm per se, more just keeping his mind occupied.

[4pool]

I missed what Faldo said, what did he say?

There must be a few bumps and doughnuts on the 18th, it is very uncharacteristic for players to be missing from 2 feet out.

Seriously, I wish all courses could set up like Colonial where the rough are not too rough and the greens are fair to players. I hate US open greens where a good approach shot would bounce 3 feet high and then roll off the greens. There is no fun in playing and no fun to the fans watching it.

The playoff started on 17. A short par 4 of roughly 380 yards. Tight fairway, tree lined. Slight dogleg right.

Numerous players hit driver, even 3 wood, because they would be up by the green and fancied their chances to get up and down. Didn't always work though. 

[Lad]

Thank god Dustin Johnson only had two rounds to gob his way round the course. Should be banned for that in the current climate. If he needs to spit at some point ok but to be doing it constantly is disgusting...bit mouthfuls as well.

[Gerry Attrick]

Thank god Dustin Johnson only had two rounds to gob his way round the course. Should be banned for that in the current climate. If he needs to spit at some point ok but to be doing it constantly is disgusting...bit mouthfuls as well.

His game is way off at the minute. He's only had 1 top 5 finish in over a year and that was in Saudi Arabia. Got big problems with his game.

[nuts100]

His game is way off at the minute. He's only had 1 top 5 finish in over a year and that was in Saudi Arabia. Got big problems with his game.

Had knee surgery last year
Think I’d be a bit distracted if my other half looked like Paulina

[RedForeverTT]

Seeing Bryson knock a drive 400 yards and follow up by a wedge have knocked every joy out of golf. Really boring golf now.

They should put a net above the dogleg to trap those aggressive drives

[Fiasco]

Seeing Bryson knock a drive 400 yards and follow up by a wedge have knocked every joy out of golf. Really boring golf now.

They should put a net above the dogleg to trap those aggressive drives

Bryson finally gets his win. He averaged over 350 yards off the tee throughout the tournament this week. Just read that again.



It isn't golf as we know it, but fucking hell it is impressive. He's hitting it miles, but he's hitting it very straight.

[RedForeverTT]

Bryson finally gets his win. He averaged over 350 yards off the tee throughout the tournament this week. Just read that again.



It isn't golf as we know it, but fucking hell it is impressive. He's hitting it miles, but he's hitting it very straight.

Indeed. 350 yards average! On downhill drives I think he is closer to 400+ which is bonkers.

I have never seen anyone hit so far yet so straight. Normally one or the other.

On the other hand, it throws all shot making out of the window. Doglegs become pretty pointless for strong hitters like him and Matthew Wolfe for good measure.

[BarryCrocker]

Seeing Bryson knock a drive 400 yards and follow up by a wedge have knocked every joy out of golf. Really boring golf now.

They should put a net above the dogleg to trap those aggressive drives

He put on 10kg/20 pounds of muscle during the close-down. That's amazing for any athlete.

[ALPH1217]

On one of the par 5's he's on in 2 with a driver and a 9 iron. Welcome to the modern game.

[4pool]

On one of the par 5's he's on in 2 with a driver and a 9 iron. Welcome to the modern game.

Tiger did that when he broke onto the PGA tour.

They said no one could compete with him.

The rest of the tour took notice and changed to catch up.

[4pool]

The 2020 Ryder Cup has been silenced.

Because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the PGA of America and European Tour are expected to jointly announce at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday that the Ryder Cup will not take place this year, according to ESPN.

The 43rd biennial bout between the U.S. and Europe was scheduled for Sept. 25-27 along the Lake Michigan shores of Wisconsin at Whistling Straits. The two will meet at the same location and according to ESPN, citing an anonymous source, they will play September 30 to October 3, which was supposed to be the dates for the 2021 Presidents Cup.

[Statto Red]

I see DeChambeau has missed the cut at The Memorial Tournament, one of the holes included a 10 on the par 5, 15th.

[iamnant]

I see DeChambeau has missed the cut at The Memorial Tournament, one of the holes included a 10 on the par 5, 15th.

From nailing 400+ yd drives the other week, to this. Oh dear, Bryson.

[blert596]

From nailing 400+ yd drives the other week, to this. Oh dear, Bryson.

That was ridiculous.

I actually don't get the whole Bryson myth that he's perpetuated about how he takes every single shot as  being completely scientific, allowing for specific humidity etc on every shot be it a drive, a wedge, or a putt. Its something he has run with for years feeding this intelligent golfer - when basically the only thing different than any other golfer was his clubs were the same length.

His "intelligent golf" certainly seems to have gone out the window and been replaced with a somewhat more simplistic (and somewhat intelligent) approach of "if I can hit it closer to the hole earlier then I'll have easier shots after that."

I've no idea what he was trying to do yesterday. It certainly seemed to be a lack of intelligence applied to his decision making. Ad then to compound it by repeating the shot, and then doing so again and then being very lucky not to end up in a hazard was mind boggingly stupid when only just below the cut line.

I'm not sure if his decision makings become more of an ego thing now.

I realise its only one bad hole, but I just get the feeling with him that its all going to go horribly wrong soon. Not sure he has the mentality to continue to play such a high risk game.

Also think in a normal season he'd be picking what competitions to play very carefully.

[fowlermagic]

Well Bryson sure has changed the discussion as his name pops up every day and will be interesting to see if he follows through with multiple wins / majors. The game always has the next big hitter come along which gets the tour thinking do we change the courses again to Tiger/Bryson proof them and where can they add distance when space is limited. 500 plus par 4s will be common soon as the next generation will be longer again as they see what Bryson is doing and follow suit. Not a big fan of the lad but hats off to him for doing something different but lets see how his back is at 35 after 10 years of this big hitting. No one else has suggested how did Bryson change his physic so quickly as the last time I saw someone pack on 40 pounds of muscle / soft muscle perhaps in 6 months there was a wee input from hormones too.

[nuts100]

I see Rory had his normal weekend of shits the bed

He’s now blamed the lack of game on no fans to motivate
So to recap
It’s His caddie
It’s the ball
It’s new clubs
It’s the fairy in my sleep
It’s the other half
It’s now the fans

Nope Rory it’s not the arrow.

[paulrazor]

Open for the ages is nicely done.

[fowlermagic]

Only caught a few mins of the Open but looked pretty good as to see those names on one leader board surely would be a fans dream. I still think Watson would win if everything was on the same playing field as the man loved links golf & to nearly win it at 60 years of age is still the best ever golf achievement I have seen by an individual. Hell Jack it is as look at what he did at the Open from 1963-82, in a 20 year period he won it 3 times, 2nd 5 times, Top 5 14 bloody times. He was basically in the running every year for the Open for two decades. Just to compare Woods in 20 plus years of trying has finished in the Top 5 at the Open six times. Pretty impressive but Jack deserves the best ever tag.

[FlashGordon]

I see Rory had his normal weekend of shits the bed

He’s now blamed the lack of game on no fans to motivate
So to recap
It’s His caddie
It’s the ball
It’s new clubs
It’s the fairy in my sleep
It’s the other half
It’s now the fans

Nope Rory it’s not the arrow.

He was number one in the world until last week, he must be doing something right.

[nuts100]

He was number one in the world until last week, he must be doing something right.

6 years since winning a major and counting
Rory has always stated that majors are what counts

And to be honest he's not even been close in those 6years. He should have won the masters when Reed won, but he just collapsed mentally. Also collapsed mentally the The Open last year.


Paired with Tiger and JT for the PGA
Since the break he's been dire - let's see if he hopefully proves me wrong.

My boy thinks the sun shines out of his arse - I just wind him up with "he should be sponsored by Huggies on a weekend" 

[Statto Red]

PGA Championships this week, funny thing is this would around be the normal date for the PGA anyway had the calendar not been changed[PGA used to be in August about 3 weeks after the Open], PGA Tour changed the calendar & moved the playoffs to August last year.

[campioni]

PGA on the west coast which means about a 2am finish in the early hours of Monday for us in the UK.

[DangerScouse]

Yep, the time difference is pretty annoying. Really looming forward to this though.

[fowlermagic]

Thats a bugger about the time difference as going to be near nigh impossible to see the end of day play. Rory played well here last time out but that was 5 years ago so will be interesting to see who can win this weekend. Pretty long course withtight fairways and the rough should penalised any wayward shots. Thomas looking hot right now and Koepka wont be far away but neither have done well I think on the West coast. Woodland also did well here last time around so might be worth a bet and good old Phil is playing well recently and loves the West coast so perhaps theres one major left in the old dog as he would swop a green jacket right now for an Open.

[Crosby Nick]

My sleep pattern is all over the place at the moment and I’m off next week so I’ll probably watch the finish on Sunday if it’s shaping up to be a good one. Normally have a little flutter but have no idea about form or anything at the moment!

Anyone got any recommendations?

[paulrazor]

My sleep pattern is all over the place at the moment and I’m off next week so I’ll probably watch the finish on Sunday if it’s shaping up to be a good one. Normally have a little flutter but have no idea about form or anything at the moment!

Anyone got any recommendations?

Berger?/finau?