How manyhours must a golfer put in on the course before he can become professional?Though there is no right answer there is certainly opposing arguments on theissue. Some golfers are true believers that you must have some sort of"natural talent" to have any chance of becoming an"expert". If becoming an expert means joining the PGA Tour than it is believed that a veryminute percentage of us will actually make it, no matter many hours it is. Thisside of the issue believes that while most PGA pros have spent thebetter part of their lives playing golf, they still possess an underlyingtalent that separates them from the rest of the pack.
For every guy on tour there are probably 50guys that did the same thing growing up but did not have the talent to take itto the next level. It comes down to the fact that talent by itself can bewasted without practice, work ethic, and desire, but at the same time desire,practice, and work ethic are all pretty useless without some natural talent.While most professional athletes do have a very good work ethic, it's theirnatural talent that got them to the point where they are at the top of theirgame. The variables are obviousand definitely plentiful in this case scenario, but we know that every personis different. Some people take longer to learn whereas others pick up on itright away. So how can we ever truly know what it takes to become aprofessional golfer?
The opposing views of the ?natural talent? argumentstates; it is just an excuse for those that lack drive, motivation, mentalfortitude, dedication and the ability to sacrifice. All of these things can belearned and for many professional athletes are learned at an early age so itappears to be "natural ability." No one can hit a fast ball out ofthe womb or drive a ball 300 yards just because they exist. Playing golf yourwhole life and logging 10k hours practicing, experimenting and learning withoutdistraction are completely different. Especially for those who played theirentire life considering it a recreational activity or just doing what theythink should be done by never bothering to learn or experiment. If you read anystory about a top performer or even a pro that sits on the bench, they havespent the majority of their life honing their skill because it brought themgreat pleasure to compete or play.
Many havealso said it came at the expense of a "normal" childhood. But that issacrifice for you have to make. The people who call themselves optimist can?thelp but boast with the feeling that in sports anyone or almost anyone can become pro, if they have propertraining. It is obvious that if you started golfing at 4 years old, and kept onpracticing, by the time you're 15 years old you will have more experience thananother 15 year old that just started. So after all is said and done thecontroversy prevails as it will for a long time to come. The one thing bothsides are most consistent in agreement with is that golf is a game that cannotbe mastered. Perhaps by agreeing that even Tiger Woods will never master thegame, most golfers can continue to love and cherish the many great names thathave made the sport what it is today.
