What did you shoot to win?
This all sounds great but it’s not that connected to reality. I don’t think you have played much, if at all, with people at that level. And, I’m positive that you have never played in any tournaments near that level. Let me tell you, it’s a shocking and eye opening experience. It’s great to have ambitious goals but they might as well be realistic. Try to win your club championship. I suspect you are pretty far from that and getting to that level in a few years would be massive and impressive improvement.
86/88 were the wins. 87/86 were the scorecard loss and second place. This was in my second year of competitive golf.
Hard work and determination! Best wishes!
2 Likes
I know I’m nowhere near “that” level. I also know that to you my number may not be impressive. However, remember, I’ve been playing golf for three and a half years. As I’ve said already: I have the time, the motivation, the mentality, the funds. I will get to that level. As for playing with guys at that level, I have actually and do actually have access to them. I play regularly with a guy that has his conditional Champions tour card. I also play with my cousin regularly, he was on the Asia tour. I live in Vegas so I can play golf all year. I’m set up for success, the only one that can hold me back is me.
3 Likes
You’re quite welcome! I hope it’s a quest that will increase your enjoyment of the game also! Golf is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get, to misquote Forrest Gump
2 Likes
I will definitely be following your progress in GHIN. I have no doubt that you will improve a lot but, to be frank, you have further to go than I thought.
1 Like
I love this. To be frank, the attitude you have is one of a realist and it’s necessary. However, it’s the kind of attitude that motivates me even more. Besides doing this for myself. I have an entire list of people to prove that this can be done. Whether it’s the people who don’t believe in me, the people who don’t believe it can be attained, or people who need a story to give themselves drive.
2 Likes
It’s is a realistic attitude and one that comes from many years of playing tournament golf and generally playing at a high level and knowing that I’m impossibly far away from the goal you have set.
This frustrates me because I don’t think people appreciate how good really good golfers are. And there is something about golf that makes people think it’s easier than it is. It feels really disrespectful to people who have dedicated their lives to this and not made it. Honestly, you are as likely to make the senior tour as you are to run a 2:20 marathon. You are trying to do something that is about a 1 in 100,000,000 shot. It would be cool if you were that one guy that could pull it off but I don’t get the point of setting an impossible target. What happens when you are a zero handicap in 2025, a legitimately good player, but not even remotely close to the tour. Did you fail? I’d say no way but that’s what is being set up here.
1 Like
Mine are to lose 65lbs, gain 10mph swing speed, get into the 170s ball speed, shoot under 70 at least once and qualify for some big events around me. Met Am, Ike or Met Open. First two ought to help with the fourth one. Third one will obviously also help if it’s well timed.
4 Likes
I love this forum. @Gisclairj - you are The Man! At the start all we knew was someone with a handle. Each post reveals more of Jim the man, the player, the competitor. Awesome dedication and self-belief. When I see your name on a televised event I will be the first to Whatsapp all my golf buddies to tell them the guy Jim leading the field - I know that guy!
I’m really interested to know if you can attribute any event, thought or learning from two months ago when your self-belief changed?
3 Likes
Thank you for the support John. In all honesty I’ve used golf as a way to improve myself. I struggled with a pretty good bout of PTSD from my combat experiences. When I first took up golf I realized I was a very angry person, but I contained it, until I was on the golf course. I didn’t like to see that side of myself, so I dove into the sport, aside from just watching a random tournament here or there. I started learning about it and enveloping myself with it. I knew from the first time I picked up a set of clubs that I was either going to never play again or strive to be a professional and since I’ve never quit at anything in my life, here I am. Not to mention, had I never played again the PTSD would have beaten me. Since that time 3 1/2 years ago, I’ve done a lot to better myself mentally. I’ve always been in good shape physically, but didn’t realize I wasn’t mentally. Took up yoga, meditation, and equine therapy since. All to better myself, my mind. That is a real brief synopsis, but to answer your question, about two months ago, I just realized I needed to stop “trying” so hard. I needed to relax and laugh at myself. I needed to not be so uptight when I make a mistake. All the things I knew before that point but was unable to actually do. One day I just did it. Then the next day and the next. Now I’m able to go play golf relaxed and with a sense of fun and purpose instead of stress. It’s been a huge weight lifted off of my chest because now the real improvement can begin. I equate it to jumping hurdles, knock one down and it’s hard to get going again to clear the next, but if you clear the first one, you can keep the moment and rhythm. However, every now and then you’ll knock one down during the race. Maybe just a little graze but it’s enough to get to the finish line. That’s where I’m at.
3 Likes
I appreciate your approach and your feelings. If you think that I believe this journey I’m on is easy then you’re as crazy as I am in my journey. However, just because you think it’s nearly impossible doesn’t mean that it is. Probably one of the hardest things I’ll do in my life, but I’ve had the cards stacked against me since birth, so I will be fine. Some of the best athletes in the world were told they’d never make it, it’s too hard, they’re not big enough, fast enough, strong enough, tall enough, etc. So, why should this be any different? By your assessment I should just quit because it’s not possible. But as I told @JohnM, I’ve never quit at anything and this will be no different. I’ve gone out and had some of the worst competitive rounds I could ever imagine, and watched people in those same tournaments who scored way better than me quit. I continue to show up. I continue to learn. I continue to grow. I continue to stoke the fire within. If I don’t make it by 50, I keep trying. Maybe I’ll be 55, but one thing is for sure, I’ll be playing on the Champions Tour, it’s my destiny.
2 Likes
Awesome sir! I look forward to seeing how this plays out for you 
2 Likes
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it John.
2 Likes
I didn’t say you should quit. I think you should recalibrate your goals. At least give yourself intermediate targets. The last round you posted was a 98 - you are not going to make it on the Champions Tour. But there are a lot of things you could do that would represent massive improvement and would be a lot of fun. Why not do that?
I’m not going to banter back and forth with you. You don’t know me or what I’ve gone through. I just had a complete swing rebuild over the last two years. The transition was very hard for me. The last round I posted has nothing to do with where my game is currently. My “98” is equivalent to a tour pro shooting in the 80’s it happens a lot. We don’t always perform to our peak standard everyday. You don’t know anything about the conditions that day or my conditions that day whether mental or physical. I have no excuses, I never do. But to ascertain that I need to change up my goals is silly. You have no idea as to what my 90-180-365 day goals are. Reading some of your posts from previous, I can assess that you know golf and that you were and maybe still are a great golfer. I can also take away that you’re jaded by the game from your own account. Don’t shit on my dreams because yours didn’t work out.
2 Likes
Im rooting for you, and will happily caddy for you when you hit the champions tour…
3 Likes
Thank you Will, I appreciate the support! It won’t be easy, this I know, but if it was “everyone would do it!”
3 Likes