what do i need to shoot to be a pro golfer

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A Real Await at Being a Pro Golfer: 5 Questions With Andrew Jensen

Every week we sentry a PGA Tour Player win around a million dollars. It'south either a offset-time champion who has now secured a life for themselves in professional golf, or a seasoned veteran who is adding some other long line of zeros to their bank business relationship.

We can't help but envy them on some level. I always turn to my married woman when I'thousand watching some other guy in the winner's circle and say to her, "how great must that be to travel around the world playing golf…for money!!!" I'm sure about of you reading this have had like fantasies too.

When you've secured your bill of fare on the PGA Tour, and won a tournament or two, your troubles are by and large behind yous. Your professional life is secure, and you don't have to worry most what you are going to do if things don't piece of work out in your golf game career.

What nosotros see on TV is certainly glamorous, simply there is an army of players out there trying to make it to the large time who don't get much coverage. They are on mini tours all around the globe struggling to go their shot on the big stage, and are often playing for purses that won't even comprehend their travel expenses.

They all can shoot a 64, and most of them accept had storied apprentice careers before they fabricated the bound to the professional person ranks. At that place'southward a razor-sparse line that separates many of these players from "making it." Information technology's a few more putts for birdie or par a circular when information technology matters most, and maybe 1 less tee shot that doesn't find the trees.

Most of all, common cold difficult greenbacks is what separates them. When you are a professional person golfer trying to brand information technology to the PGA Tour you are essentially a startup company. You need capital to go along the performance running. Traveling each week, and paying another tournament entry fee adds upward. Yous need to have access to a summit-notch practise facility and golf game course to piece of work on your game. That costs serious coin besides.

A player's bankroll can exist as much of a determining factor (if they stick effectually), as the quality of their play. If you lot've got the funds to enter a bunch of tournaments, and not feel the pressure level of having to cash a bank check every single week to keep moving frontward, that tin exist a huge benefit. If you're sitting on a mountain of debt, and y'all experience like every tournament y'all enter could be your last if you don't brand enough money to continue, then you are most playing with a noose around your neck.

This is real pressure.

I got a take chances to speak with one of the other guys trying to make information technology. His proper name is Andrew Jensen, and he plays professionally in Canada.

Andrew has been a professional person golfer since 2008, and his path has non been like shooting fish in a barrel. If you lot Google his name you lot will likely run across articles about his battle with depression, and multiple suicide attempts. He has gone public with his struggles, and shared his story so he can help others who are suffering from mental wellness bug. I commend him for standing up, and going public with his story. Nosotros need more people like Andrew in this earth.

Notwithstanding, this does not define him. Andrew is a golfer, and information technology was refreshing to hear him talk about his love for the game and deep belief in his abilities to brand it to the PGA Tour. He is 31 years old, and has foregone most of the conventional milestones in life similar getting married and having children then he can focus on his dream. In other words, he is laying it all on the line.

Golf is an isolating game, and professional golf is like living on an island. If y'all have a bad calendar week, you lot don't take a teammate to blame it on, it's all on you. Carrying that brunt is a tremendous corporeality of pressure, and the only way to motility forward is to put the work in, and believe in your abilities.

I have to tip my hat to all of the guys like Andrew. I am trying to pursue an apprentice career in my spare fourth dimension, and only last week had a terrible functioning in a qualifying tournament. The pressure got to me, and at that place was pretty much cipher on the line except my ain ego. My performance shook me to my golfing core, and that is nigh 1/1000th of what guys like Andrew must feel like when they don't perform to their abilities when existent money is on the line.

I spoke with Andrew on the telephone, and he is an extremely squeamish guy. Information technology was fascinating to hear almost how a pro golfer prepares for tournaments, and the pressures he faces both financially and mentally. To a higher place all, it was great to talk to a guy who loves the game so much that he fabricated information technology his life's work. Yous tin visit Andrew's website hither, or follow him on Twitter.

Here is a summary of what we spoke nigh:

Is playing professional golf as fun as some of us recall information technology would be? Does it feel like a job sometimes? What is your typical day like at piece of work?

To be honest in my hard times information technology felt similar a job. I honey information technology again though. Golf is my place to escape. All I desire to do is practise because I beloved it and so much. I ever want to feel like I'thou working towards something.

When you're a professional person golfer sometimes the business organisation finish of things can take abroad from that. Y'all accept to spend fourth dimension taking meetings, and trying to discover new sponsors, but that's function of the bargain. What you really want to do is exist on the course, or at the practice facility working on your game.

A typical 24-hour interval starts with grabbing a java. I program out what i'm going to practise on a spreadsheet. I base of operations what I'm going to work on for the day off of my concluding practice session, and proceed track of everything I do and try to produce measurable results. It's non necessarily about keeping track of the amount of time I spend on each role of my game, I endeavour to do it in shots hit.

For case, I'll do 100 six-footers with a drill I take, or take 20 pitch shots. Deciding beforehand how many shots I'm going to hitting makes you focus more on each shot. Having this plan, and measurable metrics allows yous to see progress.

(Everyone delight have annotation that he has a plan before his practise session, this can help you lot too!)

What separates the guys who make it? Is it more than mental than it is physical abilities?

It'southward a perfect combination of both. There are technical things that need to happen to hitting more skilful shots than bad shots under pressure, but that ultimately is a mental thing. The guys who are on the PGA Bout aren't necessary the best balls strikers, merely they can handle the pressure and produce shots when they need to.

I personally believe it comes down to decision. If you are determined to succeed, ultimately it will happen. Unfortunately, sometimes it boils down to if you have the backing to sustain your career. The elevation players ultimately don't have to worry about anything because they have the job security. If y'all're playing week to week, dollar to dollar, it'south all nearly conclusion, belief, and do you let bad golf get you down, and get in the way? Do you have the grit to go along trying?

How long volition yous chase your dream for?

Since starting again afterwards I was ill in 2013 I take it one year at a time. I started playing professional golf when I was 23, and I experience similar I wasted 4 years. My plan was that I would be past the Canadian Tour at this indicate.

At the end of this year I'm going to evaluate if this is something I can yet exercise. In that location are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Do people still want to invest in me? At 31 do I want to start thinking about existence a husband, or a begetter?

As of right now all I want to do is play golf though. Yet, financial reality comes into play, and I have to exist realistic well-nigh coin constraints.

You've been a huge advocate for mental wellness, and been very up front with your boxing with low. How has going public with your struggle affected your golf game? Was it a huge relief?

Going public came naturally. It help me brand sense of the earlier part of my career, and why I struggled then much. I was under the myth that conviction on the golf form led to confidence in life, but it was really the other style around.

I had to make changes to exist healthy in my life, and now that has immune me to be more confident on the form. I try to remind myself of this all of the time, and the whole process of going public has been cathartic.

Amateurs are e'er asking pros for "the tip", what would yours exist?

It's funny, whenever I play in a pro-am guys are always request us to wait at their swings and cure their piece. I recall they've been trained to think this way about lowering their scores (yous're preaching to the choir!!!)

This is what I would say to them, and it'south pretty simple. Simply work on 6-human foot putts. People are blown away when I tell them I don't practice outside of 6 feet. If you feel you are automated within vi feet, all your other putts won't seem as scary.

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Source: https://practical-golf.com/a-real-look-at-being-a-pro-golfer-5-questions-with-andrew-jensen/

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