How To Become a Professional Golfer

Golf
So…we see golfers on the tele, they show great composure, confidence and play some of the best golf courses in the world. How do they get on/in the box? Todays blog entry identifies the path/route to becoming a professional golfer.

How do you become a pro golfer?
Firstly the younger you start the better the chance of success.
Starting young should give you more practice time/hours on the range. However there are various conflicting 'schools of thought'. Some argue it boils down to just a 'hard work ethic/sacrifice' and/or 'natural talent'. However there is some good news if you are in your late twenties or thirties. According to PGA website :

'Golfers sometimes don't make the grade until as late as their mid-30s. If it's your dream - don't give up.'
(Source: http://www.pga.info/AboutThePGAPro/33811381.htm)

How do you make the dinero?
The majority of golfers put bread on the table through coaching and affiliation with various golf clubs. Tournament golfers on the other hand are an elite few, the majority of the profession do not feature on tour. Part-taking in competitions on Tour can be expensive. If you
leave your job as an accountant and become a professional golfer, the bank manager is likely to 'gulp' and remind you of your mortgage repayment(s). You have to pay entry fees, hire a caddy, pay for a top coach, travel+accommodation expenses. Unless you make the second cut it will be an expensive folly. However if you are fortunate to 'bolt on' endorsements, the financial burden can be eased.

How do you make it as a PGA Pro.
According to the www.pga.info website, the PGA organises in excess of 900 tournaments a year with prize money amounting to 3.5million plus. Becoming a PGA Pro equips you with a broad understanding of not only playing golf but but understanding the role of golf club management.

The PGA states you can become a PGA Professional golfer via two ways:
1) Register as an assistant at an affiliated PGA golf facility, there trainees undertake a three year Foundation Degree in professional Golf Studies-accredited by the University of Birmingham (source: www.pga.info)

2) To undertake a three year BA Hons Degree in Applied Golf Management Studies at the university of Birmingham.

How to make it as a Tour Pro on the box...
Many folk become a PGA Pro initially, it acts as a safety net and gives the golfer something to fall back on.

However to play in front of the crowds and have the chance of winning great sums of dinero, the European Tour is the scheme to get into.
My understanding is that there are 135 score cards available, amateurs have to compete at the tour School at San Roque for around 35 score cards (ibid). Another tour which is seen to be a 'feeder' to the European Tour is the 'Challenge Tour'. An interesting article on the 'European Tour' website summarises the difference:

“I think the main difference between The European Tour and the Challenge Tour is the golf courses. The courses on the Challenge Tour don’t seem to be as difficult as those on the main Tour, but the guys on the Challenge Tour go low every week. You have to make a lot of birdies to have a chance to win there.”
(Source:http://www.europeantour.co.uk/default.sps?pageid=127&pagegid=%7BAEFB93B0-EFF5-4C05-AB0F-FD08D947D944%7D&eventid=2006754&infosid=3&pageno=1&reportid=53632)

Other notable Tours include:
PGA America (not confirmed)
LPGA Tour (1950)
European Tour (1972)
Japan Golf Tour (1973)
Asian Tour (1995)
Challenge Tour (1986)
European seniors Tour (1992).

Overall
In a nutshell, you have to be good, whether it is down to sheer talent, a hard work ethic or both, it is tough and competitive. You will have to compete for given playing cards, and to do so you should be a scratch to four handicap. Captain Golf can conclude that it is possible to make a living from golf, but difficult. So get down to the driving range....

Next Golfing Blog
-The next Captain Golf blog entry will look at wacky places to play golf.

-Lastly,good news, the rib is on the mend, roughly two more weeks until Captain Golf returns to the range....

You can contact www.captaingolf.blogspot.com via cgcaptaingolf@gmail.com

If you have enjoyed the above, help spread the word and forward the link to a couple of folk...

Eco Golf

Golf and the Environment


Good day ladies and gents. 'Golf and Climate Change', it sounds like an epic subject/topic. I would take a seat, but I am in fact sitting. When you think of a traditional golf course, one might assume that there was deforestation, inhabitants moved and local wild life affected. This is potentially a hot topic.

A true trade off is the economic benefit brought to an area that comes along with a golf course vs the economic significance of 'nature' (which some might argue is priceless) but not reported/quantified on an organisation's balance sheet. Hence some folk may argue it is 'valued less' as a result. Let us continue....


Golf courses can certainly bring economic benefit to an area. Think of the jobs, from course construction, to restaurant workers, shop employees and the network of suppliers connected to the course. Just because a golf course is/was built, does not automatically mean a trade off, golf course =harm to the environment, or no golf course=good for the environment. The management of a golf course can do much to make 'their club' greener. With the business world becoming 'greener', and climate change firmly cemented in the world media (and rightly so), there is arguably a drive for golf clubs to too 'become greener' and adopt better practices. This would not only apply to those courses under current construction, but those already in existence.

Would a green golf club be a better club than a non green club? The environment/world would be a better place if every golf club in the UK recycled 50% of rubbish, or installed energy sufficient technology. It is through collective change that a greater change regarding the climate can be brought about.


Initially what may begin to be a niche, I predict will evolve and become mainstream. Although difficult to quantify, a given percentage of golfers may restrict their course play to those clubs which are seen to be 'green' or behold eco-accreditation. If golfers voted with the £ in their wallet, other courses would be forced to adapt/change. Going green may in fact save a golf club revenue and improve efficiencies. For example a water wheel on a river running through a course could lead to the generation of cheap energy (over the longterm). Other forces at work which may make a 'club play ball' are legislative measures. If X number of companies are forced to adapt, due to legislation, change would be enforced and enshrined.

An interesting organisation that caught my eye was NGO, the National Golf Organisation, their mission is to protect the environment and introduce better and greener practices to golf courses around the world.

The green club is here to stay, which can only be a good thing, but the key question is how will the uptake increase over time and at what rate....and will it lead to a more expensive round of golf?

Next Blog Entry
The next entry will take a look at some of the golf lingo to help any beginners adjust to the great sport....

If you liked the above take a look at the blog entries for the month of February located in the archive in the right column.

You can contact www.captaingolf.blogspot.com by emailing cgcaptaingolf@gmail.com. See you soon comrades....

Bad Rib + Golf Swing= Golf Not Possible

No Pain No Gain

Good day ladies and gents. A fine day it has been, in the words of Finley Quay, the sun is shinning the weather is sweet 'oh yeh'.

I am afraid there is no zen golf entry this week, the link which was to be used has disappeared into the abyss. We must therefore reflect and move on, Amen brother.

So..what has happened over the last week?
Captain golf injured his ribs on Monday. No I was not injured on the course and taken to A&E in a golf buggy, instead, having achieved success at the driving range, I played 5 aside football in the evening and took a wack to the upper rib cage, a golfer's nightmare. As a consequence, the golf lesson today was postponed. This was to be lesson 6 out of a new batch of lessons. Coach was to improve my short game on the course. Alas, friends I hope to be back in action in a week or so, ie on the course and driving range. Did we win the futebol? No, we lost and in fact got relegated (on goal difference, by one goal)....not a good day at the office.

Managed to get the rib checked over in the 'walk in' A & E but appears to be badly strained. Very impressive, only a 45 minute wait, hats off to the NHS, there has been improvement.

Bytheby, 'No Hard Hats Needed-lesson Five' is on the way soon. www.captaingolf.blogspot.com will also be including more photos/comical links in future versions...so stay tuned folks...

Next Blog Entry

The next blog entry will take a quick look at golf and the environment. Can golf be good for the environment? We will see.

Regards

captaingolf

No Hard Hats Needed- Lesson Four

No Hard Hats Needed- Golf Lesson Four

Quite a lesson. Lesson four out of five. The coach issued a new swing which would take approx two months to implement. So drumroll, in two months we will review this golfing lesson and see the results.

What did the swing involve? Well I can conclude that it did not involve anything you would see on Strictly Come Dancing. The swing involved a twist of hips but no 'cha cha cha'.
Having twisted slightly, I leaned to my left (allowing the hip to twist but stay in line) and kept the baseball cap to the right of the ball. On swinging the club, I was informed it should not go horizontal (i.e. not like the legend John Daly) but stop mid air, with a straight left arm.

So how are these mechanics translated into practice? Well with difficulty, with so many mental 'checks', you might forget that you need to hit the ball. Alas, tricks of the trade include using a long mirror often located at a driving range and found in the teaching area. You should get some electrical tape and place two lines on the mirror.
Yes folk may assume you are a wee bit weird, but it should help. Why use the mirror and electrical tape? You need to ensure that the head and hip do not move beyond the parallel lines. When using the technology/video system to analyse the mechanics, all the pros maintain a movement within a 'certain' range. When your movement (i.e. a beginner like myself) breaches the given parameters/range, it will result in a duff shot.

Did it make any difference? 'Yes' and 'no' is the answer. Some horrific shots but one or two good ones. Coach advised that Faldo when training was not allowed to hit a golf ball for 6 weeks….the drill was to simply practice the swing/movement. So practice is needed.

A couple of days later I made another outing to the driving range.
This was a good decision. Things seemed to click. I managed to hit around 30 balls using this technique, with no duff shots. Although still difficult when moving between the driver and the irons to maintain the consistency.

Key Criteria Learnt From Golf Lesson Four:

-Practice the mechanics, stance and swing.
-Be patient and refrain from hitting a 1000 balls until you are confident you have the right 'swing'.
-Practice, Practice Practice.
-Use a long mirror if possible.

The Poll Results
Does the brand of your golf club make you a better player?
The results were 'even stevens'. 33% reported 'yes', 50% reported 'no' and 16% were 'unsure'.

I would strongly recommend you read the comment by Mike regarding the blog entry: 'do golf brands really matter?'

He raised some excellent points, and a good comparison with playing a basic guitar (to learn the basics) before then moving on to better kit. Anyhow, have a quick look and please do add any further comments. It was an interesting blog entry and we will return to this topic in future editions.

The next poll will ask the question:

Does a 'water' feature such as a lake or river have an adverse effect on a player's score?

Next Blog….

The next blog entry will look at 'golf photography' and the 'Zen' of the golf course.....

If you have enjoyed reading captaingolf, bookmark the page and spread the word. You can also contact captaingolf at cgcaptaingolf@gmail.com.

Driving Range Practice Practice Practice

DRIVING RANGE ANTICS

Well today was a further day of trying to put into action the wise words of coach. The weather was not great, cold, damp and intermittent showers. This meant I would postpone my outing on the 18 hole course and focus my efforts at the driving range. The initial plan was to do the 18 hole alone, that determined to improve and play even when others can not make it! Bring on the better weather, sunshine and longer hours of day light.

In a nutshell, I didn't start well. 'On' and 'Off', some good, some bad shots. Slowly I tweaked my stance, 'left arm straight', correct grip', 'feet shoulder width apart', 'peak of the cap' to the right of the ball, 'drop the shoulders to the right', 'knees slightly flexed', 'bum out slightly'. Then as I drew the club back, I staggered the swing as recommended by coach, imagining the pane of glass.Turned the hips, moving the upper torso 90 degrees to follow the club. Keeping the head still but only twisting the upper torso I brought the club back through and struck the ball, following through.

It was great to see a sweet shot. However I was conscious that I was slipping back into the old routine. If the left hip wasn't turned sufficiently, the shot would go awol, or not anywhere at all. Eventually more consistency crept in, the stance feeling more natural. The bad side though, on a number of a occasions perhaps 8….I sliced the ball to the left and lifted the driving range nets, landing the balls on the main course, tally hoe old chap. It was then I switched to the PW and attempted to use the same pane of glass analogy.

On closer inspection, I noticed my five iron lynx starting to show ware and tear. Any one recommend a new set of clubs and the source!? Drop me a comment here if you do.

Next Blog Entry
Next weeks blog will look at an outing at a National Golf Course in the UK...as promised in last weeks blog. Did the above teachings work? We will see.....

If you have not already done so, check out the www.captaingolf.blogspot.com video in the blog entry 'Say Cheese'. Thumbs up and there may be more on the way.

Regards

Say Cheese

Lights Camera Action

Ok ladies and gents. I managed to create the first captaingolf video for www.captaingolf.blogspot.com Yes folk were requesting a video or two. See what you think and let me know if it gets the thumbs up or thumbs down?



You can still see an awkward movement/stance in the swing, yet this coach assures me will disappear once I crack the swing and keep the head still. Potential to add few more videos if this one proves successful. The stance was a lot worse prior to this. Hopefully it has improved since.

The Poll
Meanwhile, following on from the blog about golf brands, make sure you register your vote on the matter. Locate the poll on the right hand side.


The Next Blog Entry:
The next blog entry will look at lessons learn't from lesson 3 as promised in the previous blog.

No Hard Hats Needed- Lesson Two

Lesson Two. No Hard Hats Needed.

Good day ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have had a good weekend. Today's entry is focussed on what was learnt from Golf Lesson Two. Gone are the days of slicing the ball and hitting the driving bay roof. Progression.

The lesson started with a review of the previous session and a quick check that I had remembered the key elements. The grip and starting stance were given the thumbs up. The next step was to look at the swing.

Now, we had cracked the initial stance and had successfully removed the hunched 'look'. I hit a few shots, some good and some bad. With the PGA coach looking on +camcorder, it was frustrating at times to miss the ball, but satisfying when a good shot was eventually hit. Next the video footage was loaded onto the laptop. in this example I was compared to the 'shark', that legend Greg Norman with his classic hat.

The key question was to establish why I could hit the ball well in one scenario but then miss or hit a poor shot there after. On looking at the video footage it was clear my initial stance was good….but as I swung the club, my head moved far more than needed.

Now then- I really do advise the use of technology and video profiling. The coach drew a square around my head (i.e. on the laptop) and it was clear that there was too much movement when the action was replayed. Greg on the other hand, as his motion was replayed stayed relatively stationary within his framework.

Now the solution: It involved head butting a pillar next to the driving bay, crazy times. No doubt there were some strange looks from the nearby golfers but it was a good exercise. The aim was to keep the head still yet allow the body to turn using one's hips. My previous style involved movement of the hips and head. The head needed to be stationary. This was potentially a 'headache' (the pun could not be resisted), my previous stance/swing had developed the bad habit of moving the head too much. The coach suggested that this was a major factor in my inconsistency, i.e. being able to hit one good shot yet then miss the ball thereafter.

Leaning against the pillar, I crossed arms over my chest and practised rotation with the head staying straight. According to the coach, this was an exercise popular with Faldo's and Tiger's coaches.

This was followed by an exercise holding the driver horizontally behind my shoulders, almost crucifix like in description. Home work for the week was to perform the above manoeuvre 1000 times, teaching the body the correct method and making it feel natural. If I rock in my sleep, perhaps I've cracked it.



I spent another hour post lesson focusing on the new technique. There was instant improvement. So much so, I decided to use the driver, it felt good and there was consistency. Mental check points included: 'grip', ' left arm straight', 'head to the right of the ball', 'feet shoulder width apart' but pointing slightly outwards. On swinging the club, attempts were made to keep the head still whilst rotating the shoulders/hips as I turned with the club, ensuring that the left shoulder reached the gap beneath my chin whilst focussing my eye on the ball. I now had an objective 'check list', and felt like there was more structure compared to my previous approach.

Comically the 'range buggy' appeared on the horizon, a caged machine collecting 'hit' balls. Although tempting to use as target practice it delayed the practice session. My mind wandered and thought whether the sheer force from a ball driven by a driver could breach the caged unit on the buggy. Quite a dangerous job.

Out of the five lessons booked, two have been completed. The jury was out, whether I should attempt the gremlins, primarily the PW and SW clubs. The advice from the coach was to focus on the long game initially rather than the short game. An interesting theory, the theory that the short game could be counter productive and dilute the teachings of the long game. With that in mind, lesson three looks like it will focus on the swing.


Key Things learnt From Lesson Two
-Posture extremely important.
-Important to keep the head still (within an an imaginary square box), rotating only the shoulders/hips.
-Practice given exercises, recommended by Faldo's and Tiger's coaches as advised by my PGA coach.
-Feet: wide just wider than shoulder width apart, pointing outwards reacher than at 90 degrees.
-Long and short game: two different ball games. Conquer one and then the next.


In the next posting I will delve into age and golf……See you then...

(PS: If you are new to my blog, check out the previous post 'The Beginning' by clicking on the link in the archive on the right).