Yesterday we talked about working toward goals, and I said that I wanted to talk about mine a little more. As I said, I get the feeling that people are a little unsure of what I’m really trying to accomplish so I’ll clarify a bit.

My tag line says it all: “My quest to become a golf pro”. But what does that mean? I said yesterday that goals should be specific and that’s about as broad as it gets. Have no fear. My goals are very specific, but I just haven’t done a good job relating them to all of you.

Some people have probably misconstrued that to mean that I believe that I’m headed to the PGA Tour after a little practice and a couple of competitive rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I look at my ultimate goal like a ladder. I’ll begin climbing and will keep climbing until I determine that I can’t climb any further. For me, the bottom rung of that ladder is to become a teaching pro or a club pro. That is the minimum achievement that I will accept as a successful realization of my goal. I think teaching golf will be lots of fun. And it will open the opportunity for me to spend more time immersed in the game. I’ll be able to play in competitions locally or regionally. I’ll be able to do the things necessary to try to climb more rungs on the ladder. I’m aware of what I need to do to reach that level (that will make a good post for tomorrow), and I have complete confidence that I can meet that part of my goal.

But I won’t stop there. After that, I’d like to consider playing competitively. That brings up the possibility of being a tour pro. Does that mean PGA Tour? Not necessarily. There are tons of tours across the U.S. and in the world. Some just require a financial buy-in and some require players to play their way in. But there are many outlets for competitive golfers to play.

If I ever get to that point, I’ll evaluate the situation and make a decision on the next step at that time. Since I’m on a ladder here, I only want to climb one rung at a time.

I’m getting the feeling that there are those who look at me and think that I’m just naive and don’t know what it takes. Believe me, I do. I may not have the physical skill (I think I do…but weight loss is key). And even if I do, I’m flirting with the possibility of financial hardship or even ruin if I get my foot in the door and find that I’m not good enough to make any money.

But I won’t go to my grave wondering if I had what it takes.

That brings up the question: what does it take? It seems like such a huge leap between a run of the mill scratch golfer and a player on the PGA Tour. I submit to you that the difference between a scratch player and a tour player is mainly mental and also a matter of dedication. A scratch player has the physical ability and consistency to play every shot in the book. From there, it’s a matter of further refining skills through serious dedication. Not a couple of range sessions each week. I mean serious dedication. A willingness to spend hour upon hour exercising, reading, learning, practicing, refining, playing and then doing it all over again the next day. That’s dedication.

The other component is mental. There has to be a mental toughness, an ability to handle pressure, a drive to compete. You have to be able to take the plunge with confidence in your ability. You can’t succumb to the fear of failure. You can’t crack under pressure. You can’t let your focus or determination waiver for even a moment.

You could point out thousands upon thousands of people who have tried and failed over the years. And I don’t mean to trivialize their own stories. I’m not saying that they failed because they weren’t dedicated or skilled. Sometimes luck is a factor. Sometimes you need a lucky break to get over the hump and a lot of people just never get one.

Do I have what it takes? I don’t know. I’m a long, long way from even being a scratch player. But I promise you: I’m going to find out.

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