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Paige Spiranac shared her experiences as a junior, college, and professional golf player in a recent video, providing advice to fans aspiring to start a professional golf career.
Spiranac started playing golf at the age of 13 and her career spanned approximately until 2016, including a couple of seasons in professional golf.
In the video posted this Thursday, March 28, she focused on tips to keep in mind for players who want to play professionally and shared anecdotes about how she dealt with the challenges of a starting pro career.
Paige Spiranac: 5 things all aspiring pro golfers should keep in mind
Paige Spiranac's recommendations range from how parents should guide their children when they are juniors, to what topics should be explained when talking to them about their future on a professional tour.
These are the five topics touched upon by Spiranac:
1- Not care about rankings so much, especially in junior golf
Paige Spiranac explained that, as a general rule, the junior category is highly competitive in golf and most players are obsessed with being the best, whether in the state, the country, or even the world.
Spiranac explained:
"To have that much pressure on you at such a young age and continue that on from junior golf to college to professionally it burns out so many kids and I've seen this first-hand, where you have a highly ranked junior golfer completely burn out by the time they get to college because they are so focused in it and it feels like a job."
"I would say focus more on your development as a player and less on the rankings."
2- Not looking for the perfect swing
Paige Spiranac narrated that the fact that her mother was a professional dancer and that she practiced gymnastics during her childhood, led her to try to seek perfection in everything. In her opinion, this is a mistake in golf.
The former player and current influencer recommended not trying to develop a technically perfect swing and instead spending more time playing golf as such. This was part of what she said:
"You can't do that [seek perfection] because it doesn't matter... I wish instead I was trying to hit the ball as hard as I possibly could, and then, from there, I can control it as I get older, and practice my short game, and putting, and learning how to score..."
3- See competition as fun
In the video, Paige Spiranac addressed how her professional career went awry because she couldn't handle the pressure of playing on tour, something that she has talked about previously too.
That is why she recommends parents to work on this issue with their children from their early days in golf:
"Conditioning your kids at a young age to see competition as fun and something that they look forward to and not something that they're scared of, because they are scared of not being perfect and failing and so it's just changing their mindset around it. I wish that I did that differently."
4- The role of college in a golf career
Paige Spiranac suggested that collegiate golf players should find a positive environment in college, regardless of their level, to succeed.
She said:
"It doesn't actually matter what college you go to. You have to find a place that fits your game and your personality best... There is the pressure on you to go to a Division 1 school, get that full ride scholarship... but I don't think that's as important as finding a college coach that really understands you and can develop your game."
5- Preparing mentally to face a professional career
Paige Spiranac explained that, in her experience, many golfers do not have a clear perception of what it means to face a professional career, especially from a financial point of view:
"When you're in college everything is provided for you so we had tees and golf balls and shoes and apparel and our bag and all of these things and head covers, and then in junior golf your parents are paying for everything and so, you don't actually really understand the process and how expensive everything is... I don't think that is stressed upon young college kids enough."
Spiranac also spoke about the challenges of life on a professional tour, in terms of the schedule, the amount of travel, and the distance it imposes from family.
