My round with a tour pro

[MWard]

Yeah, I always hate when they do that—in general, not the OP. Even tour pros aren’t so special that they require anonymity on a niche board on the interweb. It’s not like their names are classified information.

It’s the internet. You never know how that would somehow be used against them or parlay’ed into them being asked for something.

I’ve done the same thing.

 

[jfox789]

Pretty cool, thanks for sharing. Curious why you said you can't mention his name?

He is a young guy and an international player. He feels like he is constantly under a microscope by his home country and is trying to apply for a citizenship change and doesn't want anything extra put out on the internet.

 

[Jeff Spicoli]

I mashed one one the first hole and he hit one off the toe. I was about two feet longer in the fairway, so I set the tone early.

Got to assert your dominance early.

Some really good tips he gave. I really struggle with staying focused throughout the round.

 

[dmehrl23]

Thanks for sharing that’s really cool, would love to see that kind of elite ball striking up close

 

[donny475]

Great post @jfox789 , it is surely eye opening to play with someone at that caliber. If anyone has ever been lucky enough to play in a Pro Am the straight out ball striking of some of those guys if definitely fun to watch and damn sure humbling.

 

[Bernoulli]

@jfox789 I have played with you and I know you're a very good player. It really must have been so interesting to compare your game with a touring pro. I can see from what you posted that you were able to learn some things about your game.

 

[jfox789]

Great post @jfox789 , it is surely eye opening to play with someone at that caliber. If anyone has ever been lucky enough to play in a Pro Am the straight out ball striking of some of those guys if definitely fun to watch and damn sure humbling.

It really is humbling. Even the noise is different.

 

[jfox789]

@jfox789 I have played with you and I know you're a very good player. It really must have been so interesting to compare your game with a touring pro. I can see from what you posted that you were able to learn some things about your game.

Thank you! Hope to play with you again soon!

 

[Jeff Spicoli]

It really is humbling. Even the noise is different.

Very humbling. The consistency is mind-blowing. Short game and putting are shockingly good too.

 

[jfox789]

Very humbling. The consistency is mind-blowing. Short game and putting are shockingly good too.

And when youre hitting it so close, putting just has to be average to score, but at 7,400 yards putting will matter more.

 

[jfox789]

This afternoon, I had a cool experience getting to play with a young guy who has been bouncing around the PGA. He recently finished second in an event and had played in the USO here in LA last year.

For context, I was invited to play as a third (we didn't have a fourth), and my home course in LA gets a decent amount of really good golfers at our course, and I have met this player a few times. I told him I wanted to write this up but can't mention him by name.

I learned a lot, so I thought it would be worth a share -

• Taking it low - This was the first thing I asked. I struggle with keeping a low score low. Lately, I will be on track for a really low round and then take my foot off the gas and coast to a normal round - his advice is that every swing should focus on what you are doing well. If you are hitting a baby fade that you can control really well, stick with the fade. Keep making the same repeatable swing and focus on what you are doing well, not your score; take it one shot at a time; the second you zoom out, you lose focus, and if you can't do that, then make a mini-game for yourself to keep focus, Tiger often played mini-games. Funny enough, this guy didn't even know what he shot after the round, and it was mid-60s.

• Putting Alignment - This should be practiced as much as your swing on the range. As frequently as you change swing paths, your putting also changes. You may think you aim square but are actually open/closed, so it is crucial to spend time with alignment tools getting square. Regular golfers rarely align perfectly to their target. This is why you see so many pros before big rounds using alignment aids.

• Swing and on-course thoughts - Similar to above, when you make a swing, you should focus on making the swing that works best for you and has been best for you that day, not what was best yesterday. Between shots, you should be focused on only the hole you are on. For putting, the best players in the world will take their practice swings, align themselves, and then stare at the hole; after the pro gets their image, they are already set and just have to putt their ball to their image. There is very little time between visualizing and rolling the ball.

• Attacking pins - Tiger has said this a few times, but you should almost never take aim at a pin. Aim for the easiest putt to the pin. A few feet short or left or right or long. Whatever will leave you with the straightest uphill or flat putt possible. On the second hole today, I went a few feet long and had a tricky shot, and he pointed out the ideal spot is a landing zone about 4 feet short, which was a really simple putt.

• Tour Pros and Club Contracts - This was interesting because he is a free agent. Mathematically if you give up a single stroke because you aren't playing the best equipment for every slot in your bag, you will lose more money than whatever a club contract is worth.

• Playing a short driver - Super tall dude, but he plays a driver that is a few inches short for him. He already hits it far enough; all he needs to do is hit fairways.

His game was incredible. Probably the best ball striking I have ever seen. He hit three or four approach shots within 5 feet like it was normal. His putting was good; he made everything within 5 feet, but it didn't blow me away like his ball striking. We played at about 7,000 yards, so I was definitely impressed with how close he consistently hitting it.

All in all, great day. I have already ordered multiple alignment putting tools to arrive before my next round!

I should have mentioned what I ordered for my putter.

Putting plates to help with alignment and starting the ball on line.
https://puttingplates.com/shop/

A long ruler, so I can put one end at the hole and set up at the other end, just so I can feel what a square setup looks like. Not intended to hit balls on just a step in and step out drill to get a good stance and face.

Empire 72 in. Aluminum Straight Edge Ruler 4006 - The Home Depot

The Empire 72 in. Aluminum Straight Edge Ruler has many uses in the home and workshop. It has a heavy-duty aluminum frame for strength and features easy-reading inch scale graduations, allowing measurements

www.homedepot.com

Got a laser to practice my alignment inside.

Spot On Laser Aim System

Let technology fine tune your aim! The Spot On Laser System gives you laser precision in your alignment of your putting aids and your putter. Fire a brilliant green laser dot at the Spot On Target and know exactly where you are aimed; adjust and GO. The dot is bright even on the sunniest days...

eyelinegolfpro.com

 

[golfinnut]

What's fun about those experiences (I've had a few in my years) is the "Sound" that is made when they contact the ball. It's completely different than us hacks.

 

[jfox789]

What's fun about those experiences (I've had a few in my years) is the "Sound" that is made when they contact the ball. It's completely different than us hacks.

It was so good I regret not recording the sound. I could fall asleep to it every night and have the most wonderful ball striking dreams.

 

[That post]

Awesome read thanks for sharing.

It’s so cool to get insight like this. I’m going to be ordering some putting alignment aides too

 

[djt311]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like an awesome round.

 

[collegefbfan]

I had a dream once... and this is exactly what it consisted of. Well, at least it came true for someone. By the way, what was in his bag?

 

[jfox789]

I had a dream once... and this is exactly what it consisted of. Well, at least it came true for someone. By the way, what was in his bag?

Good question. He was trying a few things out.

He had a TSR driver with HRDUS shaft
BRNR mini driver
TSR wood
Taylormade TW Irons
SM10s
Lab Putter

 

[collegefbfan]

Good question. He was trying a few things out.

He had a TSR driver with HRDUS shaft
BRNR mini driver
TSR wood
Taylormade TW Irons
SM10s
Lab Putter

Ha ha. This guy was "trying a few things out" and shoots in the 60's? A god among men, I say.

 

[MGoBlue]

Wow, thanks for sharing that experience and those great insights!

 

[jfox789]

Ha ha. This guy was "trying a few things out" and shoots in the 60's? A god among men, I say.

The irons were new. He went from Titleist MBs to Taylormade TWs and he had a new Lab putter that was huge.