Is it possible because i wanna proove my dad wrong

[scott.cant.putt]

Hey guys
I wanna make a living out of playing golf basically and i have been playing for 2 full years after the end of this season, i am constantly shooting under 90 on the par 70 and have had my lowest round of 82 with a back nine of 3 over
What i want to know is do you think its possible for me to get down to a 4 handicap in 3 more years, during this time one of the years(the next one) i will still be at collage and then i will have 2 years off so i can work on my golf and work at a golf club, obviously in my two years off i will improve a lot more than the remainder of this year and next year but am i at the right point now to continue my progress or havent i improved enough?
i mean yeh i do shoot ever 90 but if im more than one or two every that i consider it a bad round, if i play reasonable i expect about an 87 and if i play well i expect anything below 85, is this enough progress in 2 years, i have also had 12 lessons
I would be greatful of any imput
Oh btw im not wanting to become a tour pro i wanna becaome a club pro and teach people

[scott.cant.putt]

sorry if any spelling mistakes

[nsherman2006]

I'm in my 4th year of playing and i'm a 4 handicap, so yes you can do it. You need to try hard and play a lot, and even then, you might not do it. It's possible. A lot of people havent done it. Some have. I wouldnt bank on being a golf pro, but it could always work as something to fall back on if you get good enough. JMO. Neal

[ManchesterGolfer]

Best way to get your handicap down is to work on the short game religiously. Pitching, chipping & putting should be your main practice areas. An average long game with a strong short game will always get your handicap down quicker than the big hitter who has an average short game(me) IMO. Go out practice and who knows, anythings possable?

[dave.]

Your target is sloppy.Shove it up your dads pipe and set a target of 4 by the end of next season.

Set your goals high,push yourself hard,and don't give in.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by dave.

Your target is sloppy.Shove it up your dads pipe and set a target of 4 by the end of next season.

Set your goals high,push yourself hard,and don't give in.

Nicely said. LOl.

It's certainly possible but will take a lot of work. I've been playing 2 1/2 yrs. I shot a 122 my first time out on the course and shot a 79 3weeks ago. To get to a 4 I would think you'll have to hit balls or play every single day. I am currently at 11.7 and now when I go over my cap I can pretty much tell you every single shot or decision that put me over playing to it. I work harder on those shots and areas as well as making a better decision the next time.

[cypressperch]

that you have one more year left in college. After that year is over, you plan on working at a golf course for two years, work on your game, hopefully get your handicap to a four, then become a club pro at a course.

If you have worked your way through college, your father has no financial leverage from which to speak, but he is your father. Out of respect, we at least listen to our fathers (and mothers!). It does not mean that we will blindly follow them, but they have known us from the beginning, and sometimes know us better than we know ourselves. They have been through things that we have yet to go through, and they can make very good guides for us at decision times if we can be wiser than our years and overcome the communication barriers that invariably grow up between parents and their kids as the kids get closer and closer to becoming adults.

There is nothing wrong with being a club pro. There is nothing wrong with any job that a person has in which they go out and honestly make a living doing something productive and legal. There is honor in work and that includes being a club pro. I expect your father may have had higher expectations for you after you got out of college. He may find something questionable about how you plan to spend your first two years out of college. He may have questions about how much you have received in the way of education from the college time you already have had. He may wish that you had a little more drive. He may wish that your sights were set somewhat higher. He is probably like a lot of parents who want their kids to have more than what they had, and he feels that your chosen path will lead to less which means less for not just you, but your wife and kids. He may know of some club pros that are pretty much dead end jobs when it comes to pay and opportunities. He may have seen that some club pros who have done pretty well have had connections, family and otherwise, that explain their well-being more than the income derived from being a club pro.

Golf is obviously becoming more popular than ever before. It is scary how many courses are being built. There are even anti-golf organizations popping up in the world that believe that all that effort should be put into raising food for the world's poor, etc, etc, etc. So there will be golf jobs available. But all courses are not prospering, and there are many courses up for sale at the present time. They are businesses and in their concern for costs, they do not pay out a whole lot of money, especially to assistant pros. Often these assistants do far more work than the head pro, but that is just the way it is with most jobs. The best way to become number one is to be the very best number two. The best way to be the best number two is to be best at making number one look good. Again, the head pro often has connections, and if you try to stab him in the back, that would probably cost you rather than him.

Your handicap does not necessarily mean how good of an instructor you will be. Some golfers go to instructors who are good players and not good instructors and feel cheated. Head pros often charge more for lessons than the assistants can, but they are not necessarily the best instructors. They lack enthusiasm. Any teacher who has no enthusiasm will not be very good. Develop your own game, but gain as much knowledge about the swing and how to teach as you can. An assistant pro who does not get much instruction time is going to have a rough go of it financially.

Learn the rules of golf to the point that you are a true expert!!! Work on getting all the PGA certification which is usually required to be a pro at a lot of better courses. There is money to be made being officials at golf tournaments. If you are truly an expert at the rules and can make really high marks on the rules tests that are given periodically, you might end up serving as a rules official at professional tournaments. These guys make pretty good money at times for their services.

Make certain that you are a people person as you go down this road. Get good at things that operating business requires because someday a big hunk of your income may come from what the pro-shop brings in.

A lot of people want to work at a golf course because they like to play golf. Assistant pros play far less golf than most people think. Some go sort of crazy being right there at the course, but unable to go out and play it. It seems to me that insurance sales people play more than golf course employees.

Lots to think about with career decisions. Talk to assistant pros and try to find out how they really feel about their jobs, both positive and negative. The best of luck to you with this big, big decision. Sincerely, Cypressperch

[scott.cant.putt]

cheers guys, one point i would like to make a lot of you said i should be hittin balls every day which yes i will be doing after my last year of collage because i want to have two years of working as an assistant and then want to get a PGA qualification so i can teach
Dont get me wrong my dad wants to me sucseed but i know deep down he thinks i wont make it, and tbh its not a matter his aspirations because he belives the same as me that it doesnt matter how much you are paid unless you enjoy your job and teaching golf is something i would love to do.
cheers guys and il keep you posted on how i get on

[huggystyle]

It can be done, but you will only get there if you stick at it and you need to be hitting balls and practicing your short game religously. Spilt your practice time up to one third on the range hitting balls and two thirds on the putting / chipping green. I'd also find a good coach and have a lesson every two weeks. It can be done. I started young and got myself down to 8. But other the last 20 months I've worked hard, tried to practice my putting and chipping most days. Even if I can't get there I will just practice my stroke at home, making a point of getting used to strike the ball. I found myself a great coach, respected as one of the best in my county and I'm down to 3.5 so its all about what you put in, oh and make sure you stay fit and get to the gym too. Good luck.

[obagain]

You can do it but it will be tough.
You are already starting wrong, saying you will practice more after collage.
You need to start now, every day you say I will begin tomorrow is a wasted day in terms of reaching your goals.
You can buy nurf balls and practice chipping indoors if you have to.
Get a cheap putting green and practice putting, they can be found for a few dollars.
If this is really a dream and not just a , I would like to do that kind of thing you will have to make some hard choices.
When you are hanging out with friends, someone else who has the same dream is practicing.
Are you going to let the other guy steal your dream?

[flomarilius]

hey man its very easy to prove your dad wrong. Ive been playing for upwards of a year now and Ive tried to play everyday possible (4-5 times a week). My current HCP is a 6.6. Its long and tedious work but once you start getting home in 2's and 3's oh man you will love it. Putting is my issue but its getting fixed slowly but surely. Remember the sky is the limit my friend.

[JEFF4i]

Just a note, being a Club Pro isn't all it's cracked up to be. Talk to a few first, I did, they said it's long and very hard work and you don't play nearly as much as you wish you did, especially since you are a Club Pro.

But, yeah, you can do it. As stated before, short game is important to lowering you handicap, but I do disagree in part, because it isn't everything. If you hit 13/18 greens in regulation, and two putt everything, you'll shoot single digits.