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Fielding a few lobs Posted: Friday June 28, 2002 12:35 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity was a 42-year-old 8-handicapper when he suddenly lost his swing. Since December 1989 he has been looking for it -- a modern-day Odysseus adrift on the troubled waters of swing theory. As Garrity travels the world reporting on golf, he visits as many driving ranges as he can, avoiding the dreaded "mats only" ranges that prevent him from teeing it up. Friday, June 28 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- I'm still getting e-mails about Keith Shin, the Texan who thought any good athlete could crack the PGA Tour with a year of diligent practice. Steve Kirby, a former bond trader in Toronto, writes that he undertook a two-year tour-or-bust program in 1999, financing his dream with accumulated savings. "At worst I thought I had the opportunity to become a scratch golfer. I hit balls every day. I received lessons from the head CPGA pro once a week. Twice a week I went to the No. 1-ranked golf academy in Canada, where I spent eight hours a day rolling putts, hitting bunker shots, perfecting my chipping distances and pitching from all sorts of weird lies. I played a round of golf three times a week. I read all the books, watched all the videos and even listened to golf psychology audiobooks." Three years later, Kirby has awakened from his dream: "I am a 5-handicapper, and I still struggle to break 80. I could play every day the rest of my life and never get to scratch." He adds, "I have a job interview on Thursday." Another sadder-but-wiser report comes from Brien Kocsis of Omaha, Neb., a former mini-tour player. Kocsis says he took up the game at 13 and was a scratch player by the age of 20, but eight years as an assistant club pro -- "eating and sleeping golf" -- led him nowhere. "I made zero in tournament golf," he says, explaining why he joined the Air Force a decade ago. "I've played probably 24 rounds of golf in 10 years, and during the last round I played I cold-topped four drives and ended up bunting 5-irons off the tee about 150 yards." His conclusion: "You have to have some talent and killer instinct to make it. Just practicing will not cut it." Steve Gerold of Sandusky, Ohio, is similarly skeptical. "I wish Keith well," he writes. "I'm pretty confident, however, that I will first realize my dream of winning a multi-state lottery and joining Augusta National." But Boris Connally of Oklahoma City thinks Keith is a winner just for dreaming the impossible dream. "Keith Shin might never make it to the PGA Tour, but he gives himself a chance just by trying. I fully believe that one day people will go from being good golfers or even bad golfers to pro level in one year or less. (Just look at how kids are developing pro-level games at younger and younger ages.) As more is learned about the mind and the way people learn, ways to accelerate learning will be uncovered." That sounds right to Paul Scott, a 25-handicapper from Des Moines, Iowa. Scott, a student of the golf swing, boldly predicts that he will be a plus-3 handicap within two years, without ever taking a lesson. "Then I will turn pro." And don't tell him he isn't athletic enough. "I believe most pros don't have superior physical skills at all," Scott writes. "Ninety-five percent of them just grew up in affluence and have played since they were kids. The pros are just people who had the discipline (and finances) to learn how to hit the ball." And finally there's Bob Walter of Elk Grove, Calif., who was impressed that I rewarded Keith Shin with a copy of The Ultimate Golf Book. "Hey, if I think of a really stupid question to ask you," Walter writes, "can I get a copy of the book, too?" Nice try, Walter. In a related matter, several sharp readers have pointed out that the story about Harvey Penick and Tom Kite, sent in by a reader, couldn't have happened because Kite was only 45 when Penick died and thus couldn't have been 49 and ready to join the Senior tour. Actually, I caught that myself. But it was a great tale, and I emphasized that the story was apocryphal ... Anyway, my colleague Gary Van Sickle provides this welcome clarification: "The story on Kite and Penick is supposedly true, except it was Tinsley Penick, Harvey's son. Not Harvey. Either way, it makes for a nice bubble-bursting tale." Gary, a fine player himself, is charmingly self-deprecating when people ask him if he's going to try for the Senior tour in a few years. "Gee," he says, "don't you think I should be shooting under-par rounds first?" Watch this space for another installment of Mats Only. To send John Garrity advice, share your experiences, or suggest a driving range, click here.
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