golf pro chances

Question
Im 17 years old and I have been playing golf for about 1 year and I shoot in
the low to mid 80s and sometimes in the 70s. And my step father said to me
that I'm the only person he has since that has really loved to game and
pretain to it so quickly.I have been working really hard, I practice about 2 to 3
hours a day almost everday. And my question is what do u think
me chances are to become a professional golfer and since I'm new to the
game I want to know what I can do to go to college to play golf because I
love this game?  

Answer
Dear Clay,

Thanks for your question.  I get it fairly often so you might also want to look back into the archives here for my answer to similar questions.

The best advice I think I can give you to prepare to play college golf or someday, professional golf, is to continue to practice hard and get the best instruction you can afford.  There are many good teachers around the country.  Not all of the best teachers are well-known.  The ones that are well-known are very expensive and may not have time to devote to you anyway.

A good teacher that learns "your" tendencies is more valuable than one of the top 10 teachers who's unfamiliar with your swing and habits.

You need to be well-rounded as a person.  In other words, don't get so focussed on golf that you neglect all the other facets of your life.  If you don't, the days when your game sucks will be hard to let go of.  It's best to keep golf in perspective so you can recover from the unavoidable dips and get yourself back up on top again.

Play in as much competition as possible.  Your game on the range and your game on the course in casual rounds are not the same as your game under the heat of competition.  Just like lifting weights and working out constitutes stress on your physical body that will help you get stronger...competition is stress on your mental and emotional self and will make you stronger for the next tournament.  You must expose yourself to pressure in order to learn to handle pressure.

Finally, continue to enjoy the game.  Find fun and enjoyment in it.  Don't let it become drudgery.  Watching Rocco Mediate this past weekend...you can see the joy in his heart and in the experience of the moment.  He may or may not win the playoff today, but he will enjoy the journey.  

Good luck Clay!

Sincerely,

Paul Dolman