How good are the pros in golf?

I am interested in how good the pros are in golf. I was wondering since I am working toward becoming a scratch player or someone with a zero handicap in golf. I want to know just how good I need to be so I can become a pro myself. I also want to know which exercise program I should use. Plus, do you have any advice for me concerning practice? Thanks|||Tournament pros are all excellent golfers. The top of the PGA tour are the great ones. The chances of winning the lottery are greater than a good golfer becoming a competitive pro. All that said, I would suggest that you take lessons from a pro. Most all of us would like to be a competitive golf pro; but, it is just not going to happen. It is so much like a learned skill than a real athletic competition that it takes many years of serious lessons to become a top 200 type player. Forget practice until you have had several lessons from a pro. Practice is a place to pick up bad habits. Unless you are instructed in the game by a pro. Not a relative or friend.|||4 hours a day, bunkers,bump %26amp; run, flop,left to right, right to left. Can you break 70? I can't. putting,putting,putting, reading greens, low burners,high fades.call the KFAN am1130 Dan Cole "the common man" radio show 12:00-2:00 cst he'll tell you everything you need to know.1-800-320-5326 i think|||I'll start with the easy part, the exercise. Go to www.mytpi.com





It is Titleist Performance Institute. This are the best of the best when it comes to fitness. As far a playing. You better have one heck of a short game! You can work on your full swing like crazy, and get a few strokes better. on the other hand you could spend that time on your short game and watch you scores drop fast!!!





GetGolfInstruction.com|||Well it depends on what type of professional you are looking to be.





If you just want to become a member of the PGA of America then you have to fulfill a couple of requirements. I believe they are that you must have worked in the golf industry for something like three years. You have to pass a written test on things like the golf swing so that they know you can teach people how to play. You also have to pass a PAT (Playing Ability Test) where you have to shoot a two round total score which would equate to something like both rounds being under 77, meaning you can shoot an 80 in the first round and a 74 in the second and still pass. I could be wrong on the specifics of these facts but the requirements will be something similar to what was mentioned above.





If you want to become a member of the PGA Tour i.e. what most people think of when you say a pro golfer, that is a completely different story. As the saying goes, "these guys are good." I read once that if the average professional golfer on the PGA Tour was given a handicap (they do not have handicaps as there is no need for them to have one) it would equate to something like a +4 or 5. So when your club champion says he is a 1 handicap, that means that the average pro on the Tour is a full 5 to 6 "handicap points" below him. We all know there is a big difference between a 10 handicap and a 5 handicap and a 5 handicap and a scratch player. The lower your handicap gets the harder it becomes to lower it even more.





If you want to become a member of the PGA Tour, I am not trying to discourage you. I think you should definitely go for it. Let your life take you to unforeseen places and things always have a way of working themselves out. Sometimes it's not the destination but the journey ( blah blah blah ;) ). Just understand the level of competition (keep in mind you do not need to compete with that level right away) and that it will take a lot of hard work, dedication and practice . . . but that's what golf is all about right?





Hope this helps,





Gregory


Founder of LaymansGolf.com|||Tiger's handicap has been estimated at +8 (by Golf Magazine), and he, along with every other pro golfer, is playing 7,500 yard courses with some of the highest course and slope ratings imaginable. That's how good they are... but that in no way means you couldn't be that good. It all boils down to practice.





Fundamentals are obvious- no matter how good you get, it's always a good idea to work on the basics. The short game (yes, 150 and in, plus chipping/pitching and putting) are also very important. You also need to have a grasp on how to handle the "odd" situations- like when your ball lands in a divot, or behind a tree, in some pine straw, that sort of thing. Don't forget to never settle- always find ways to improve. Don't focus on your strengths; focus on your weaknesses while keeping an eye on your strengths (so they don't become weaknesses themselves).





As for the last part- it doesn't matter what the courses par score is- if you're home course is a 68 and you break par there by a stroke, you'd be a +1. That's why they have course and slope ratings- it evens the odds. Let's say you and I are going out golfing, and I'm a +2 at my lower-rated par 68 course. I'm going to your higher-rated par 72 course, where you're a -1. Depending on the numbers, it's very possible that while you'll stay a -1, I could jump up to at least a -1, or even higher, if my course is that much easier than yours.|||Good luck. If you are able to reach scratch, you will still be miles off the pace of those guys. The touring professionals will spot your basic scratch player about 5-7 strokes a round. I was a scratch by age 14 and I never made the tour. Its tough. Damn tough.|||Setting your goals high is terrific, but judging from the questions you are asking, I'm guessing you're fairly new to the game. Write down your big goal stick it in a drawer for awhile. Then start with the basics. Becoming a great golfer definitely takes practice, but succeeding in competition at high levels takes a combination of hard work over many years, great instruction on every aspect of the game from mechanics to course management and usually a mental toughness that you either have or don't have. It's hard to teach. The pursuit of excellence in golf can make you a better person as it requires patience and persistence, Or it can make you frustrated and unhappy! It's not easy, but can be very rewarding no matter how far you take it.





The short game is any shot that is on or near the green that does not require a full swing. Putting, chipping, pitching and bunker shots.





Handicap is not dependent on par. It is determined from your scores as they relate to course rating and slope. Someone who carries a postitive handicap (+1 or better) breaks par a fair amount of the time.





Find a great instructor and find some low handicap golfers to play with. Ask them for help and learn from them. Make your practice time quality by having specific goals each time you go... And always have fun.





Good luck.