Not ready for pro golf? Write about it instead!
08 Sep 2010
by Member Blog
see also: , David Wogahn Profile
SHARE:
by David Wogahn, for amateurgolf.com
Show me a serious golfer who hasn’t dreamed of making a living from playing golf and I’ll bet that golfer isn’t really serious. The good news (perhaps more so for your significant other) is that you can live vicariously by reading about someone else’s dreams.
Here are a few selections you might want to check out.
John Paul Newport penned "Fine Green Line" in 2001. Newport, you may know, now writes the excellent weekly Golf Journal column for the Wall Street Journal.
The motivation for his career detour was a single, spectacular round of golf. Taking a leave of absence from his wife and family Newport takes a year off and hits the road playing golf’s mini-tour circuit. Far from alone in his delusional quest, Newport discovers the nature of his own obsession with the game, and how this constant pursuit of perfection on the golf course reflects the same challenges and frustrations one encounters in life.
My second selection is a little more recent (2007), well reviewed, and a great bargain right now. With a title not-so-unusual, or golf-sounding for that matter (it’s actually derived from Chinese according to Wikipedia), "Paper Tiger" is author Tom Coyne’s chronicle of his amateur-to-would-be-pro journey.
Coyne is a freelance writer (A Gentleman's Game) and former junior standout dedicated one year to try and make the pros. He moved to Florida for the winter for intensive training with swing doctors and sports psychologists, staying out on the course until his hands bled.
In the end he realized that his year's age difference with Tiger Woods is the only thing he'll have in common with the champ.
Lastly, if The Fine Green Line or Paper Tiger discourage you from turning pro, you might be ready for this intriguing title - How to Make a Living by Being an Amateur Golfer
. According to the author, if you have mad golf skills, there are corporate execs willing to pay you to play with their clients, and companies that will compensate you to rate courses as a "mystery golfer." At less than the price of your favorite beverage at the 19th hole, what do you have to lose?