My name is Mike Gray and this is my story. I’m on a quest to become a golf pro.
When I was in college I worked on a golf course for several years and it was then that I became hooked on the great game of golf. I played every chance I got. Now, I’m 35 years old, out of college, and work as a software engineer. I like my job. It’s interesting, but it doesn’t captivate me like golf does. I think it. I read it. I watch it. I play it. I live it.
Everyone who follows a sport has either an inner or outward desire to play that sport professionally. Golf is one of the very few sports where a person can make money as a professional for a long time, without necessarily having to reach the highest levels of competition to do so.
One day, I came to the realization that at some point I’ve executed every shot in the book. High fades, low draws, dead straight, flop shots, running chips, long putts, short putts, 320+ yard drives, delicate pitches. My handicap was approaching the single digits. So, why am I not on tour? For starters, I had a series of nagging injuries that kept me from playing and practicing for long stretches. And second, I wasn’t putting the work in. I mean real work. Not just showing up and playing a round, or going to the range and beating a basket of balls. It also doesn’t help that I didn’t seriously take up the game until I was 18 or so.
Well, I’ve come to the realization that I want to make golf my life. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m willing to put the work in. How far I go is something I’ll figure out as time goes on. Maybe I’ll get into a club pro or teaching job and like it so much that I’ll stay there and be happy. But for now, I crave competition. I want to play competitively. That doesn’t necessarily mean the PGA Tour. But I’m going to climb as high as ability and determination will allow.
So what’s the plan? The plan is for me to do the things in my life to make this happen. That means health of mind and body, lots of practice, lessons, more practice, lots of play, and some more practice. I’m single with no kids so I just need to balance this goal with my current career. My pathetic social life won’t even notice the difference. I need to drop a significant amount of weight so diet and exercise are critical.
My friend Frank turned me on to the idea of putting a website/blog together. The purpose is two-fold: I figure if I have people watching me, there’s accountability. That’ll help me stay on track, even though there aren’t any real consequences other than me being perceived as a huge failure. Second, I want to share what I learn with others. Maybe I can share nuggets of wisdom that come my way to help others with their own golf quest.
My plan is to keep track of my progress, but also to provide information that might be of general interest for people who couldn’t care less about me. That includes things like book reviews, equipment reviews, course reviews. I’m not a pro yet, but I’d like to share some of my favorite tips and drills. There are tons of great golf blogs out there that cover current events in golf and I have no desire to do that. But I might engage in some technical analysis or other discussion about current players when I feel it suits what I’m trying to accomplish. I’m going to be sharing my story, but I hope to share a lot more useful information.
While I’m going to be doing most of the talking, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear from you too. I’d love to hear feedback from everyone about my quest. Feel free to leave comments on my posts or shoot me an e-mail. Some time in the near future, I’m planning on setting up a forum as well, so we can really chat it up.
Hang around, grab a spot in the next range stall and let’s get to work.






Artful Golfer said:
Posted on September 1st, 2007 at 10:38 am
Double Eagle said:
Posted on September 1st, 2007 at 10:41 am
c.a. Marks said:
Posted on September 4th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Double Eagle said:
Posted on September 4th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Paul said:
Posted on September 29th, 2007 at 6:32 am
Double Eagle said:
Posted on September 29th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Scott said:
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Double Eagle said:
Posted on January 27th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Cameron - OddBlast said:
Posted on July 9th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Double Eagle said:
Posted on July 9th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Daniel said:
Posted on November 10th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Double Eagle said:
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Jack Clarke said:
Posted on November 11th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Double Eagle said:
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Scott Jessee said:
Posted on November 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Double Eagle said:
Posted on November 22nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Chet said:
Posted on December 20th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Double Eagle said:
Posted on December 20th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Derek said:
Posted on March 1st, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Yardage Pro said:
Posted on March 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 am
Paladin said:
Posted on May 30th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Double Eagle said:
Posted on May 30th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
tommyd said:
Posted on June 5th, 2009 at 7:26 am
twadlund said:
Posted on July 13th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Paul said:
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Double Eagle said:
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bob said:
Posted on September 13th, 2009 at 2:41 am
Double Eagle said:
Posted on September 13th, 2009 at 8:21 am
M. Rice said:
Posted on September 14th, 2009 at 6:57 pm