Forget Trying To Play Like A Pro Unless You’re Willing To Put In The Time

From 1977 to 2013, there were six rounds of 59 scored on the PGA tour. That is a span of 36 years. Already this year there have been two rounds under 60. There was even a 58 shot on the Web.com tour. Professional golfers are overpowering courses of late. Justin Thomas just shot 27 under par to win the Sony Open with the lowest 72-hole total in history. At the recent Tournament of Champions, seven golfers hit drives over 400 yards with Dustin Johnson topping the charts at 427. I would need a driver and 3-iron to get where Dustin did in one shot. I guess this is the future of golf.

The question I pose: Is all this good for golf? For the pros, maybe, but for the average guy, it is hard to say. I can’t tell you how many students come to me and ask why they only hit their driver 240 yards. They want me to teach them how to hit it 300. When I ask them why, they say because that’s how far the professionals hit it. Okay I tell them, here’s the plan. First you should lose about 40 pounds and start going to the gym every day. Then you must hit about 300 balls after. And guess what the answer is – “Well, I don’t have time for all of that.” So, my advice to all you tour wannabes is fuhgeddaboudit. You’re not playing to put bread on the table, so play like you have a day job. You’ll have a lot more fun.