In talking with the golf pro I’m working with, he informed me that the test for certifying playing credentials resulted in only a 7% passing rate. In his group was a person who had taken the test 15 times, and once again failed. The person had a good score going, then mentally collapsed on a par 3 island hole. I’ve shared this information with my wife, as it had been my pipe dream (not really) to go after these letters (PGA) after I’m hopefully done with this deal. Aside from the even lower passing rate for the PGA, she balked at the $100,000 or so dollar needed to spend on lessons, equipment, etc. Guess I’ll just have to turn to the recommended reading thread to keep myself busy, and at a lower cost.
My pipe dream is now to caddie for a Camilo Villegas. I’ll pull in half a million a year and will have a shot at all the hotties he casts off.
FastEd Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In talking with the golf pro I’m working with, he > informed me that the test for certifying playing > credentials resulted in only a 7% passing rate. > In his group was a person who had taken the test > 15 times, and once again failed. The person had a > good score going, then mentally collapsed on a par > 3 island hole. I am not sure what “test” he is talking about, but I have taken the Player Ability Test (PAT) test, which is the first step to becoming a class A PGA professional (read club pro - not tour pro). You have to shoot a certain score over 36 holes. The pass rate was pretty low at those things. You then have to go on to book studies. I didn’t pass the PAT on my first shot and I had a similar choking experience (ironically on a par 3 over water). > > I’ve shared this information with my wife, as it > had been my pipe dream (not really) to go after > these letters (PGA) after I’m hopefully done with > this deal. Aside from the even lower passing rate > for the PGA, she balked at the $100,000 or so > dollar needed to spend on lessons, equipment, etc. This would be far more difficult than the CFA. Trust me. I will get the CFA someday…I will never be on the tour. It would be fun trying though…
If you do make it, be sure the PGA properly reference the CFA designation when they show your name on screen. Have you tried that PAT again? Or do you plan to?
Being a money manager for tour players wouldn’t be a bad gig, especially if you are a decent player.
nbnog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you do make it, be sure the PGA properly > reference the CFA designation when they show your > name on screen. > > Have you tried that PAT again? Or do you plan to? I passed it years ago. I was a club teaching pro for awhile before I got into investments.
mwvt dominates all kinds of tests. you’re a freaking teaching pro?? unbelievable.
If I dominated ALL tests I would be on the PGA tour right now. Some tests dominate me. How are you lessons going?
mwvt9 Wrote: > I was a club teaching pro for awhile before I got into investments. You have very diverse talents, mwvt!
Had one lesson so far. The guy told me, I can give you some tips that would probably lower your score some in the short run but since you’re young, we can pretty much start from scratch and you can REALLY improve your game over the many years you play. I fell for the sales pitch. So i’m starting all over… From grip on up. the guy’s pretty much locked me in at a fixed rate over the next year… But if i failed this test, golf is on the backburner again for at least another year.
btw, golf is definitely not recession proof. the cost of lessons seem to have gone down significantly since i last took lessons.
You made the right choice. If he is starting with the grip then it sounds like he knows what he is doing. You will benefit in the end. Be prepared for it to get worse before it gets better though.
mwvt9 Wrote: > > Be prepared for it to get worse before it gets > better though. exactly what he told me…
mwvt9 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If I dominated ALL tests I would be on the PGA > tour right now. Some tests dominate me. > Have you given Q school a shot?
nbnog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > mwvt9 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > If I dominated ALL tests I would be on the PGA > > tour right now. Some tests dominate me. > > > Have you given Q school a shot? Ha Ha. No. There is a HUGE difference between a club pro and a tour pro. I mean HUGE. I would get killed at Q school. I hardly get to play anymore.
I am a 5 handicap and played in the MD State Ameteur a few years ago…a 7200 yard course, 74.4 course rating and a 144 slope showed me a glimpse of what playing real golf was…I parred the last three holes to shoot 82. Good thing I have a day job
Just crushed that Watson couldn’t pull it off. I feel bad for Cink; what he has done is incredible, but all the media coverage is about Watson. I can appreciate all the admiration for Watson, but it’s time to give Cink his due. He is the Open Champion. I need to go to that tournament sometime. My ultimate sports vacation would be a two week trip to Britain, with a visit to Wimbledon for the men’s final, play all the golf courses possible, and then spend the last week at the Open. Also, I love some of these posts, in particular pingdanny’s notes that he is a 5 handicap. Surprisingly, my game has been improving since taking lessons and not getting worse. Shot a 47 on nine holes, improved from a 51. I did have a 9 on a par 5, which resulted from 2 lost balls.
agreed. i also wanted watson to win (he should have won on the 18th) but cink has paid his dues. the guy has come in second to tiger in so many tournaments. my scores are pretty similar to yours, fasted. i need to eliminate the couple of blowup holes i have per round…
why do people like golf? is it because it’s an “aspirational” thing to do? let’s be honest- it’s neither fun to play nor fun to watch, come on.
I have been playing for 25 years plus so damn it I should be at least a 5 
By the way, I have taken 3 lessons total during that time. I was so hoping Watson would pull that off today…wow what a nervous, indifferent effort on 18 to win it. Just goes to show how the pressure can get to even a legend of the game who has won the tournament 5 times and had nothing to prove to anyone except himself. By the way, the best advice I can give someone consistently shooting in the 80s, 90s is to work on your pitching, chipping, sand play, putting, etc. The sooner you can consistently get shots ont the green from 100 yards and in, and within makeable putting distance the sooner you will shave 5 -10 shots off your game. You will in general play more of these shots during a round than the better player because you will be in trouble more often. The problem is this type of practice is boring to many or they don’t have the facility available to do so. Most would rather bomb drivers at the driving range which is understandable but not how most people take the next step to getting better. One last piece of advice…tee 'em high and let 'em fly!!