A CONVERSION BASED ON EXTRAPOLATION OF OBSERVATION
(MY) WORLD-RECOGNIZED CONTAINMENT THEORETICAL
Golf is a game for life. You can (will take) that long to reach your potential in this sport. You will never be as good as you could be. That is one of the truly sublime things about this game. This article will attempt to identify and describe the fifteen levels of achievement in golf. It will also give you an estimate of the time needed to move to the next level, depending on how much work you can put into it. The extent of your desire to move to the next level is also very important.
The reason I have chosen to title this article as a “rough estimate” is because, by my own estimates, I am only at level eight (OK 7.5). Everything beyond that is based on what I have learned about the work that went into reaching the levels up to that point. In other words, this is far from an exact science.
–SIDEBAR-
The best golf I have ever played was a round where I was 3 fewer for 13 holes before collapsing. The best score I have ever shot was 77. I was so out of my skill level in those days … man could I be good at this … my shots look like the pro’s … (thought to myself) …
How bad (ly) do you want to be good? How much time do you have to dedicate? Answer these questions by selecting the appropriate index from “Estimates Needed to Achieve Proficiency.” Use the CRAP index to determine how long it will take you to reach your desired level. Some levels will require time as well as hits.
CRAP TABLE
Index 1. Players who play 5 times a year practice 20 times a year.
Index 2. Players who play 20 times a year practice 100 times a year.
Index 3. Players who play 100 times a year practice 200 times a year.
Index 1 is what I would consider a recreational golfer. This golfer may play a little more than 5 times a year, but he probably won’t practice much more than 20 times a year.
Index 2 is a golfer who is dedicated to the game as much as possible. Considering that they have a full life, this is all they can dedicate to a pursuit of leisure.
Index 3 is a person who can dedicate himself to golf full time. (You know, rich-unemployed-retired-living at home)
Level 1. The first level of golf is reached when the player obtains his own clubs. Now they no longer rent or borrow clubs. This is important to the extent that you can now work on the beginning of a repeatable feel swing. It is also important because now you can begin to determine the distance you hit with each club. Golf clubs should always be tailored to the player, but even if your clubs don’t fit you, you’ve eliminated a variable that would have had a negative effect on your practice or game. Before moving on to any of the higher levels, I must point out that any index golfer can increase the rate of progress. This is accomplished when that golfer notices a few things about how the game is played. That golfer must also be content enough to accept a realistic assessment of his skill level. More on this as it becomes relevant.
Level 2. The second level is breaking 100. I roll 99. Once you have your own clubs, you can reach this level in quite a short time. (so to speak)
Index 1: 4.5 years
Index 2: 3.5 years
Index 3: 2.5 years.
Level 3. The third level is breaking 90. Shot 89. These 10 shots will probably be half as difficult to get out of your game as those shots from anywhere you started, up to the score level of 100. Now you are discovering how enjoyable it is. it’s golf. Occasionally you are taking one or two shots per round that are sheer majesty. They look like the shots the pros are doing (you think to yourself). Yeah man could be good at this All I have to do is make more shots per round. HMMM … So what if there are MANY more of those shots per round?
Index 1: 2.5 years
Index 2: 2 years
Index 3. 1.5 years.
Level 4. The fourth level is 85 shooting. These 4-5 strokes is where you start to notice how difficult each and every stroke is to carve your score. It takes a lot of effort to avoid costing you strokes. You realize that you are going to have to start thinking more strategically.
UH OH! Here’s one of those realizations I talked about.
It’s called course management. It is a completely different article. Suffice to say, you should be able to consider the possible outcomes of your shots, so that you can plan your attack on the particular hole according to its design. Then you start to consider the fact that certain clubs do not work well for you.
UH OH! Here’s one of those realizations I talked about.
It’s called “knowing your limitations.” Until you realize that certain clubs don’t do the things that everyone says they do (at least not for you, they don’t) and you take them out of your bag, you will unnecessarily increase your score and your disgust level. Many men will resist realizing it and put off the necessary changes in their game. This will cost you valuable time lost in climbing through the golf levels. It’s a man thing to resist changes that might make you better because of the way they might make you look at your friends. This is one of the (many) places on the trip, where women make a quantum leap over men in terms of their rate of improvement. The sooner you get to these realizations, the sooner they will get you to where you want to be. You will improve your swing and your game faster with these concepts than without them, I promise you. Now, let’s get back to our regular schedule …
Index 1: 2.5 years
Index 2: 1.5 years
Index 3: 1 year
Level 5. The fifth level consists of deciding to count each hit and play it accordingly. You are discovering the wonder of golf. You are recognizing how difficult this game is. You have decided to stop lying to yourself (and your friends). You’ve heard that “ghost” golf is pretty good and you want to see if you can actually shoot an 85. The “time and stroke penalty” for each golfer rating depends on how much you are a MONKENED MULLIGAN MAN. If you are a big liar, this level will cost you 20 hits. If he is a little liar, the level will cost 10 hits. Women, much less prone to misrepresentation, can skip this level.
Index 1: 2 years
Index 2: 1 year
Index 3: .5 years
Level 6. The sixth level is 85 shooting. (REALLY) They have taken the following times to get to this point:
Index 1: 11.5 years
Index 2: 8.0 years
Index 3: 5.5 years
It will only be more difficult to reach all the later levels. Index 1 golfers cannot reach more than one or two more levels in their lifetime. (Most Index 1 golfers started playing the game very late in life, otherwise they would have found a way to become Index 2 golfers)
Level 7. The seventh level is breaking 80. Shot 79. I’ve read somewhere that only 5% of all golfers get less than 100. I think 50% of that 5% is probably lying. If you have reached this level of golf, you are truly a talented athlete. Many golfers will never release a score like this, no matter how long they play. I’ll list the Index 1 golf time estimates for this tier, although I don’t think many are likely to make it here.
Index 1: 2.5 years
Index 2: 1.5 years
Index 3: 1 year
Level 8. The eighth level is shooting a 75. These four hits take a lot of effort to build your game. You are hampered by a bad switch or two during each round that you can’t recover from. It only takes two medium to medium bad shots to prevent you from playing the best golf you have ever played. (Regarding the scorecard) Then one day, put it all together. Congratulations!
Index 2: 2 years
Index 3: 1 year
Level 9. The ninth level is shooting a 75, walking. Golf at a competitive level is played by golfers who walk the entire round. At the competitive level, golfers generally don’t carry their own clubs, but they still require the stamina to make 18 holes of good shots. If you started playing golf by walking, you can skip this level. The ninth level is the level where you decide that to really test yourself against the best players, you must play the game by walking. (The purest form of golf) If you have been playing golf from a cart until now, this will turn out to be an expensive level for you. What kind of shape are you in? Can you walk 5 miles on your neighborhood street? You will find fatigue creeping into your swing after 5 holes. By the time you hit the last nine, you will probably be down 40% on your swing reliability meter. The last 5 holes will be the rubber arm ballet. The “level penalty” at this point is difficult to measure. Only you can judge this. I bet the average player will experience a minimum of 10 strokes / a year. I hope you are physically ready to continue. Try to start walking well before reaching this level. (If you reach it)
Level 10. The tenth level is golf shooting, walking. It will take you about a year to shoot a 75 walking. Since it has taken him about a year to get into shape to play golf well by walking, it should only take another six months to get the last three or four shots out of his game. Again, anyone who achieves this level of golf is in the top 1 to 5 percent of all golfers in the world.
Levels 11 to 15. The last 5 levels are competitive golf levels. The closer I got to these levels (that is, writing about them in this article), the more apprehensive I became in stating that I would know how long it would take you to get to any of them. I have decided to state that I only know what each level is, not how long it will take you to get there. Each of them involves making golf shots (one after another) in front of ever larger and more demanding groups of strangers. Over the years, as you work your way up the “level ladder,” you learn to deal with people who see you hit a golf shot or two. At first, these people are generally familiar to you. They are less critical. There are only a few of them. There is no money at stake. Hopefully this decade or two (yes, that’s how long it will take) in the gallery’s learning curve will teach you how to handle the pressure associated with competition. You could be an amazing golfer with your friends around and just a $ 2.00 bet on the line. Think about the performance anxiety issues you’ll feel when lots of strangers are watching … (you play golf).
Level 11. Making the “cut” in a municipal amateur tournament.
Level 12. Make the cut in any “staged” professional tournament with cash prizes leveraged against out-of-pocket money.
Level 13. A top 5 in a mini-tour event. (If you place fifth in an event, you will probably be able to beat those other four another day.)
Level 14. Make the cut in a top-notch touring event.
Level 15. A top 5 in a top-notch touring event.
ALL ITEMS OF TEN CUPS PRINTED ON “SEPTIC SAFE” PAPER