Going Pro
Introduction
I love working with all my golfers, but I particularly like working with ones who were great in college, turned pro immediately after college, and pretty quickly realized that those two worlds are completely different! Make no mistake – they are completely different! Part of your job as a coach is to help players be aware of and understand this. You’ve probably been there, so share your experiences.
As a coach, I know it’s hard to think of everything you should say or do, but that’s partially why it’s important to have a well-rounded relationship with your athletes. This does not mean you have to know every intricate detail about them, but knowing more about them than just how they play golf is key to their success. Ironically, this will help them be a better golfer.
The chronology of a golfer
Good-to-great golfers have probably been playing golf since they were 7 or 8 years of age. At that age, golf was fun. The reason to play golf was more about hanging out with friends and learning a new skill than anything else. Throughout middle school, there still isn’t a lot of pressure to “perform,” and the number of hours playing is minimal. For many athletes, though, high school can be a bit rocky. High school is where the good golfers are separated from the great golfers. The good golfers (mentally) struggle in high school, and things start to fall apart. The demands of school increase and the demands of golf increase, usually all at the same time. The collision of these worlds can be dramatic, and athletes who don’t know how to handle the pressure, stress, worries, doubts, and fears see their once-unwavering confidence getting depleted.
On the other hand, the great players don’t struggle, or struggle minimally in high school, and that confidence is what carries them through college and keeps them resilient in their ability to play. Another huge factor that makes a good-to-great golfer who they are is their support system. Generally, from an early age through college, good-to-great golfers have a great support system including parents, coach, teammates, and physical therapists.
In many respects, the demands of college are similar to high school. The great thing about that is that after having gone through the demands and pressures of high school, for most, college almost seems easy. For that reason, many great golfers adapt well to college. There’s really not a lot to worry about except for playing golf and taking classes. For great athletes, their natural ability, alongside all of the continued support, takes them a very long way…some to #1. I’ve worked with many #1-ranked athletes, so I know this is the case. Sure, there’s pressure in college golf, but it’s the kind of pressure that can really motivate a great athlete to perform well, particularly when they have support to back them up.
Being ranked #1 (and #2, #3, #4…) in college brings with it an unconscious “how much harder can it be as a professional?” Great college athletes don’t realize that being great in college doesn’t bring any guarantees in the professional world. When these athletes go pro immediately after college (which they should because they are great athletes), they don’t really think about what it’s going to be like. Unfortunately, subconsciously they think it’s going to be like it was in college and quickly realize that’s not the case. Here are some of the reasons why:
- Golf is no longer something done for fun. It’s done as a profession, to make money. The pressure to make money via golf is in and of itself a huge transition.
- Not only does their support system dramatically change from what it was, but now they have to hire and pay for a support team such as coaches, managers, a caddie, physical therapists, and sports psychologists, all of whom the player can’t initially afford to have travel with him. This leaves players open to loneliness, worries, doubts, and fears.
- It can be challenging to maneuver through the professional system in terms of going to Q-school and making it to the Tour.
- There is a lot of travel. There are tournaments all over the world. This can be hard on family, friends, and relationships.
- The level of play at the professional level increases. Yes, there are better golfers, but that’s not what usually gets a new pro in trouble. For the first time, golf becomes a mental game outside the ropes. This may be the first “real” challenge of the athlete’s golf career, and because of this, play can decline (for the first time). Once play declines, an athlete has to get it under control quickly or it can ruin them.
College or professional golf?
I just want to take a second to address a question I am frequently asked: Should a great golfer go to college before going pro? I customarily respond by asking, why not go to college? There are so many benefits to college that only add to an athlete’s experience and prepare them to play professional golf, such as playing golf, getting a degree, individuation, financial independence, having a job, developing adult social skills, learning, changing, being more prepared to deal with adulthood, and the list goes on. If nothing else, the athlete gets more experience playing golf and is able to lead a more balanced life by pursuing other interests. The piece of this I hate talking about, but must, is that if an athlete does not go to college, plays professional golf, gets injured and can’t play golf again, what will s/he do?
I understand there’s a lot of fear around not going professional immediately, but that fear is mental. I’ve heard that fear and it sounds like this: What if this opportunity never comes around again? Why wouldn’t it? If you are that good, why wouldn’t you still be that good after four years of playing college golf? The next fear issue I hear is, what if I get hurt? If you get hurt, you won’t be playing any golf, or at least for a while. The conversation usually ends on the subject of money: But I can start making money now. Yes, you absolutely can start making money now (if you absolutely have to), but then I go back to talking about the benefits of college and playing college golf.
I imagine you have some of these conversations with your athletes. These are important conversations, so if you aren’t having them, why not? You don’t have to give your opinion, but you can talk about the pros and cons.
Conclusion
This is the reality. I’ve seen it time and time again. The key for you as a coach is to understand that college and professional golf are completely different, and you need to help your player prepare for that. Part of that preparation is making sure they have a mental game plan. Playing professional golf is a whole new level of golf, mainly because the pressure to make money via golf is, in and of itself, a huge transition from playing for fun. If your golfer is made aware of the challenges with going pro and has a plan for dealing with them, there is far less mental destruction, and way more continued enjoyment in the game.
USGTF contributing writer Dr. Michelle Cleere holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and an M.A. in Sports Psychology. She serves on the faculty of JFK University. Her research and client work focuses on how the mind can be used as an ally and trained to enhance performance. In addition to writing an acclaimed blog, Dr. Cleere has been an expert writer for numerous magazines. She has contributed to articles in Real Simple, Women’s Health, and Men’s Health magazine, and spoke at the 2014 United States Golf Teachers Cup. Dr. Cleere has just published her first book, From Here to There, a simple blueprint for women to achieve peak performance in sports and business. You can find it on Amazon in Kindle or paperback. For more information, visit Dr. Cleere’s website: www.DrMichelleCleere.com.
