It’s no secret that to play golf well you have to stay motivated. Golf is a hard game to play, even harder to excel at it. The following success stories of PGA/LPGA golfers from guest author Kate Thora, will inspire you to push through whatever barrier stands in your way.
Daily Dose Of Motivation: Success Stories Of People In Professional Golf
When it comes to hard work, sometimes it’s tough to keep going if you don’t have enough to motivate you. Training is hard work indeed, and not everyone who sets off to play golf ever gets very far. Here are some of the top motivating stories of people who found success as professional golfers. They should keep you going next time you feel you’ve hit a rut!
Ian Poulter – Ian was born in Hertfordshire in the UK, and while he says he didn’t grow up in poverty, he admits that his family weren’t well-off either. He inherited a love of golf from his father and ended up becoming the assistant pro and golf shop manager at the Chesfield Downs Golf Club because he couldn’t get a place at a private club. He could never afford to take part in competitions because his managers wanted him to pay a full green fee, and therefore his handicap stayed at 4 until he finally went professional in 1996, aged 20. Since then he’s had 2 PGA Tour wins, 12 European Tour wins, and plenty of other wins to his name for a total of 16. He’s also made it to 5th in the world rankings.
Ariya Jutanugarn – Ariya faced several obstacles when she first became a pro golfer. She was female, which means she was thought of as a lesser player from the start. She came from Thailand, and no one there had ever won a major golf championship. She was also just 11-years-old, and no one had ever qualified for an LPGA Tour event at that age. She did it anyway, and went on to win the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic aged 20.
Ricky Barnes – Ever hit a slump when it seems like you just can’t do anything right anymore? Take heart from the example of Ricky Barnes, who had a career slump from 2004 that lasted 5 years. He won the US Amateur in 2002 and gained a spot in the 2003 Masters, which saw him paired up with Tiger Woods. He finished 7 strokes better than the reigning champ – but it all went to his head. Then he couldn’t get out of his own way. Training mistakes led to mistakes on the course, which made him more and more frustrated until he could barely play anymore without thrashing a tree with his clubs. A change of coach helped him to change his outlook. With a fresh attitude, he finally gained his PGA Tour card and qualified for the Masters once more.
Scott Langley – Ever thought to yourself that there’s no way you can become really good at golf because you’re just an amateur? Well, someone should have reminded Scott Langley. He made the cut at the 2010 US Open even though he was an amateur, having trained with The First Tee. He was their first alumnus to get onto the PGA Tour. He turned professional in 2011. Even though he was just an amateur, he was able to rapidly translate that into professional success with good training.
Are you a late bloomer? If your inner turmoil comes from your age, it’s time to let go of your worries. Think that only players who start at a young age can be successful? Think again. Larry Nelson was in his 20s when he first started to play golf – just as Calvin Peete, and KJ Choi was another late bloomer. YE Yang left the Korean Army aged 21 and then for the first time was able to really apply himself to golf, and he won the 2009 PGA Championship at age 37. But that’s not to say that you can’t see success even if you start in your 30s. And while a beginner in their 40s is not likely to see a PGA Tour, you can still compete in smaller level tournaments with great success.
If you ever need motivation to keep trying, you will see there are a lot of real success stories in professional golf to inspire you, no matter what your situation – so never give up! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Kate Thora is a Senior Content Specialist for Uphours, an online resource with information about companies. She loves to play sport, write and dance to her favorite traditional Indian music. Follow her on Twitter @katethora1
