Tips to become a professional golfer

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance” – Samuel Johnson.

This adage applies to everything you do in your life. Perseverance is the secret for all triumphs. Excelling in any sport is no different. While some pick up a sport for the sheer love of the game, some play it as a recreational activity before turning professional.

Golf looks like an easy sport to an outsider, but it is far from it. It requires the same amount of effort, enthusiasm, determination and confidence to succeed in like any other sport.

What does it take to succeed at the highest level of the sport?

Start Young

Tiger Woods

It is imperative if you start learning the tricks of the trade early on in your life. It gives you a distinct advantage over your peers when it comes to winning important moments of a match.

There are umpteen examples of sportspersons who hit their stride earlier than most and found success in their sport.

Spanish tennis great and 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal started playing tennis when he was just 3 years old. His uncle Toni Nadal is still his coach and the 9-time French Open champion is still going strong on the tour. The current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was just four when his love for tennis began.

Coming back to golf, one of the best golfers in the modern era, Tiger Woods appeared in the Mike Douglas Show when he was just two years old. When he was 5, he was featured in Golf Digest and That’s Incredible. He won the youngest division available (9 to 10 years) at the Junior World Gofl championships at the age of 8.

He extended his run to high school as he captured the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship when he was 15. The American was ranked World No. 1 for a record 683 weeks and has won 14 majors till date.

Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie is another name that comes to mind instantly thanks to her exploits on the LPGA tour. Wie’s love affair with golf started when she was just 4. After winning a prestigious tournament in Hawaii, she became the youngest player to make a cut on the LPGA tour.

Get the right guidance

A young kid learns golf from a instructor

“There are two kinds of golf: Golf and tournament golf” – Bobby Jones.

Having the right people guide you can go a long way in shaping your career in the long run. It is not enough if a golf coach teaches you everything from golf etiquette to swing mechanics. He should also make it more enjoyable while devising a strategy,dealing with team dynamics or instilling confidence in a player when the going is tough.

It is extremely important for young golfers to keep their coaches abreast of their schedule and performance. It is paramount for coaches to lead by example and gain the trust, respect of their wards as kids look up to them as role models.

Visit your local golf course to know more about the facilities on offer and golf faculty that can help you with basics of the game.

Becoming a pro

Take part in amateur golf tournaments before you head over to the PGA tour

If you want to make it to the next level, you got to play the game on a frequent basis and not just for two days of the week. Start competing in local amateur golf tournaments. If you are doing well in these tournaments, make a jump to state level amateur tournaments.

You can also register for a PGA Tour qualifying event by downloading a form from their official website. A golfer has to go through a pre-qualifying round and three stages in this tournament. PGA tour cards will be handed out to top 25 golfers in the final stage.

Indians on the PGA tour

Anirban Lahiri poses with the Indian Open

Several Indian players have gone on to win tournaments on the world stage. Anirban Lahiri broke into the top 100 last year after winning two tournaments on the Asian Tour. The 27-year-old won Malaysian Open and the Indian Open earlier this year.

The likes of Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur, SSP Chawrasia, Jyoti Randhawa have bought laurels to the nation with their impressive achievements over the years.