How Does Tournament Golf Differ From Casual Golf?

Ever wondered how playing golf in a casual round differs from competing in a high-stakes tournament?  In our latest podcast episode, we dive deep into tournament golf and decode its intricacies with Parker, an experienced golfer, who recently shot an 84 on the first day but rebounded with a 72 on the second at the New Mexico State Amateur Championship. 

Swapping the comfort of casual rounds for the rigorous trials of tournament play, Parker paints a vivid picture of the mental and physical challenges faced, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and a steady mind. Picking up from Parker's experiences, we explore the essential role of resilience and a solid support system in overcoming setbacks and building a competitive edge. We also discuss the temptation and dangers of altering your game plan mid-round, the value of post-round film analysis, and the critical need to trust your instincts and stick to your game plan.

As we wrap up our conversation, we underline the value of preparation in tournament golf. Transitioning from casual to competitive play requires a shift in mindset and the development of a tailored training plan. We offer valuable tips on gaining an edge, from researching the course to devising a custom diet and exercise regimen. Finally, we stress the significance of understanding the competitive environment and ensuring your practice goals go beyond casual golf. Join us for this insightful discussion, filled with practical tips that will benefit golfers at all levels.

Chapters

• 0:01 Tournament Golf vs Casual Play
• 10:36 Support and Resilience in Competitive Golf
• 22:50 Stick With Your Golf Game Plan
• 28:30 Coaching and Support in Golf
• 39:43 Preparing for Tournament Golf

Transcript

Jordan: 0:01

What is going on everybody? Welcome to the Pure Golf Podcast. My name is Jordan. I will be your host Today.

Jordan: 0:08

We are interviewing and by we I mean me and Zach the, the head of the YouTube channel, zach are interviewing our actually kind of another co-host for our professional tournament recaps, parker. Parker is a plus two handicap. He recently has been competing in into more tournament golf lately, so we had him on to discuss with Zach, who has never, ever entered a golf tournament, what is the difference between tournament golf versus just playing around with some of your friends or just you know, walking up to the tee box and just tee it off and just having a casual round of golf. Very entertaining, very informative. If you've never played tournament golf or if you have played tournament golf, I think there's a lot to pick up on in this of just the common mistakes tournament golfers make, just how tournament golf is a different beast than than the normal round of golf. But it's also just one of the most addicting feelings in the game of golf is to go play tournament golf and go and compete against other people in your region. So enjoy this podcast. It is a wonderful one. I'm going to send it over to myself for announcements. Have a great day. Welcome to the announcement.

Jordan: 1:27

So this week at the Pure Golf Channel, we are just releasing shorts every day on the YouTube channel we had one short where Zach is doing one of our very well-known drills. It is one of the Tiger Woods drills and that got a lot of views. Thanks for those who watched, for those who commented on it. If you haven't, it is a great drill for golfers of any level to do and, in order to interact with us, just give us a follow at my Pure Golf across all platforms, that is, at MYPURGOLF All one word and you can find us and interact with us.

Jordan: 2:07

Ask us any questions you have on any of those platforms. It's all the major ones Facebook, tiktok, instagram, twitter, all those. We don't plan on spending any money on marketing for this podcast. You guys, the listeners, are our marketing. So if you could share it, if you could like it, if you could review it five stars, give us a little bit of commentary or a review on Apple podcasts, that would mean the world to us. Thank you for all that you guys do for us and we can't thank you enough. Now over to the podcast. Thanks.

Zach: 2:46

Today we are talking about competing in tournaments, compared to just playing a normal round by yourself or with your boys, or just something that's very, very casual. So, parker, I know we talked about this before we started recording You've been in the middle of it. You have been competing in tournaments, you have been getting after it for the last 14 days and I know from talking to you and talking to Jordan, you had a pretty intense training regimen leading up to it. So, first off, before we begin and really dive into it, how did you place and how well did you do over the last two weeks?

Parker: 3:25

Yeah, so on Monday the 26th of June through the 28th was the New Mexico State Amateur Championship. It's the pinnacle kind of tournament of the season, outside of USGA sanctioned events, I'd say. For the state of New Mexico it extends to West Texas, so we get a lot of college players out of Colorado, out of West Texas, out of New Mexico, all the best guys in those areas that still reside close and or in these areas, and then just all the regular kind of you know, joe Schmoes like me, that are anywhere from 25, they're mid 20s to their mid 40s play in this tournament and you've got to have at least three handicapped to get into it and there was a field of roughly 72 guys. I think we had some withdrawals. People didn't make it all the way through the two, the three days, but yeah it that started last couple of Mondays ago and I shot 84 on the first day. So it was a very humbling first day.

Parker: 4:40

I played at a golf course that's pretty tough out here. It's called Black Mesa and pretty much everything off the rough line is desert and it's a lot of undulation, a lot of slope, a lot of kind of a royal erosion kind of scenarios where you really, you really probably won't find the golf ball in most cases if you're off of the grass in some way. So intimidating off the tee, tight greens, huge slopes, different tiers, which is a ton of fun. They grew the rough out. It was a great test. Yardage wise came in, you know, from the backs, then they, they, they kind of played with the boxes over the three days. But yeah, that was the first one shot 84. The first day was pretty humbled, put in a lot of work leading up to it, as you said, and, honestly, shooting 84, I was Jordan, I was in the dumps Like. I was just like gosh. That is so far from the start that I wanted after the work that I felt like was so meticulous and intentional leading up toward, in comparison to last summer, leading up to this tournament, and so it made me kind of do some soul searching.

Parker: 5:56

That day I went and tried to just keep it simple, went out and shot 72 the next day, so posted even par and it could have been better. I had a three under at one point in the day and was really trying to. I was trying to see the sixties and maybe just got a little ahead of myself and made some bogeys coming in. I had like a four and a half footer for birdie on 18 to post thread numbers and it leapt out Second day or the third day I had it gone.

Parker: 6:22

I felt like I was playing just as well, as I was the second day but unlike my, unlike 12th hole, I went for a pin that I probably shouldn't have and it was going to lead to a double. Like it was just written in the sand like got too aggressive, needed to take my medicine and I kind of just have like a mental breakdown and was like you know, like I'm away from the goal already If I make double here, when in reality I really had a lot of golf left, you know, only through 12. At that point I had a lot of golf left and a competitor in my group asked me to move my coin because it was in his way and I didn't move it back and I finished the hole. So that's a two shot penalty. So a six turned into an eight really quickly and which is even that was probably the most humbling moment of the golf tournament for me, because like I felt like I had turned my game around, I learned from the bad start and I was really going to, you know, polish off two days and then to kind of get, kind of get hit with that, which is my own mistake and it's me being in my feels about to make double, you know, making it worse. So it was humbling, but posted four over that day. So 84, 72, 76, were my rounds for the three days and that came in T 23rd, which was still in the money, which isn't a horrible thing. I think it was like a $80 pro shop script for that.

Parker: 7:50

Nine under ended up winning over the three days and it was a back to back champion. A college player out of New Mexico State University won it this year and it was back to back. He won it last year as well. His name's Aiden Great player. Really respect his game and just his overall outlook. Yeah, he's talking on. On the first day he shot 66. And he said he made about 200 feet of putts in the first six holes. So that's.

Zach: 8:19

That's insane dude.

Parker: 8:20

Yeah, he started. He started a solid, great event. I mean I think we should just start there, maybe. Yeah, princes that I saw in that tournament versus I played six practice rounds for that event beforehand. So to play six practice rounds and shoot 84 on the first day, I think I had reached out to Jordan one of my practice rounds. I had six birdies and two Eagles on one of my practice rounds. So, like you know, I think in terms of where I am in my game, like scoring isn't a problem. We can score, we can. We can score on the par fives because my length is above average and it's really like the number, the bogies and the doubles that occurred in and some of the small things that just like need so much more polish.

Parker: 9:12

And I don't want to say caution, but Ben Hogan always, you know, said his mission in his golf swing was to build something that was improved in competition. And like you really understand when you're in an event and they're announcing your name on the first tee box and there's 40 college kids in the event, and like you can feel the atmosphere just thicken in comparison to playing with your friends that like you have it or you don't have it, there's not like, there's not an in between, like you're either going to be scared and playing out there or you're going to be prepared and playing out there. Yeah, you could, just you could almost smell it, like in the people that I played with you knew somebody had it. I played with a 16 year old that shot, that shot even the same day that I did 16 man and like local state champion, fearless, like just fearless. And then the next morning, like for some reason, I talked to him on the range and I was just like me, seems, seems a little iffy shot. He shot for the third day.

Parker: 10:15

So, like you know, like confidence comes from the preparation, but also like the line between you having it and not having it is pretty damn fine when you're competing Right and you don't have time to let me just figure this out real quick. Let me maybe think about some other swing thoughts. Let me work on my elbow or make sure I'm shallowed out. There's just no, you're going to make double on double, on double. If you're kind of thinking like that, you got to just go play with what you got and try to work with it, and so it just really solidified thoughts for me that I need to put myself in the environment of competition in my preparation as much as possible. And like I love playing with the boys Don't get me wrong Like I like getting out there with my dad, I've got some buddies that I like going to play with. But if you're really serious about taking on some of these tournaments, I mean it's got to be like 24, 7, 365 in my opinion.

Parker: 11:24

If you're really serious got it Like, just keep it tuned up to that kind of environment because it's going to test you. It's going to test every single part of your game, not just like you know I drive it well, like I'm going to be fine out here. It's going to test every single piece of it and it put every single piece of it under pressure multiple times a day, if not every hole. Yeah. So yeah, it was a for everybody else's history like I played a lot of competitive golf as a junior, at the junior level, you know, like 10 plus years, and then I took a break for 10 years and this is kind of like my return to competition. So I think it relates to anybody that wants to get into it, that that's been away from it and or is in it now.

Parker: 12:13

Like it it's just another beast, but like man, I love it so much Like it's just like it's why I was, why I play golf. I got, I love going. Like I said, I love going out for a social experience. But like tournament golf is just the buzz and the excitement and the, the, the test of the game. I think if you love, if you love golf enough to try it, you you've got to at least put yourself at some point over your lifetime in it in a competitive tournament at some point during the year, because it it's just, it's golf. And we say it's golf to a lot of things, but like it's truly golf. Yeah, and it's a blast man I had. I had a ton of fun, yeah.

Zach: 13:07

No, I, I get that, let me, I've got. I've got a few questions after you kind of just laid it out for me, because to the people listening I didn't know the story, like I knew some of the scores that that Parker shot, but I'm hearing it for the first time while you guys are hearing it as well. So I'm a firm believer in even in our downfalls or the times that we really struggle, you can always pick something out of that and then take it with you as a positive right. So you said in your first day, after all of these weeks of preparation, you shot an 84. Okay, and obviously you're a lot better than that. I'm trying to just link it to the person that is playing every single you know weekend golfer, that one round with the boys, right. What was the one thing that you took out of that 84? To make that adjustment, to go out and shoot 72 the next day.

Parker: 14:03

That's a good question. I mean, I will say you need to make sure you have support in this game, like whether it's your dad, you know your coach, you know your peer group, whatever it is. Like I hope, if you're going after some competitive golf and and or you're just playing casual and you had a bad day and like you have somebody to reach out to because I put 12 straight weeks of effort into this tournament. So after that round I was, I was still hungry, but like you're so tempted to just be like whatever man, like screw it, like why am I even playing this game, right, right, what am I doing out here, you know? And I reached out to my dad. He couldn't watch me that day. He showed up on day two, which was cool. But I reached out to my dad and I reached out to the peer golf group and I just kind of like I'm light about, like I'd, I'd prefer to joke about my pain a little bit. It helps me kind of just start to process it.

Parker: 15:17

So first thing is reach out to somebody, like don't keep it internal. Is is what I, what I think contributed to the turnaround, because it's easy to think you suck at this game, it just is and, like you know, people talk about self-talk and they say things, like you know, it's important that you don't beat yourself up, and that's true, and I don't think I did. But more than that I did need to pick me up, like I did need like all right, like let's get back after it, like you got two days left, you know, like let's, let's keep going. And so I called my dad and he shared some great thoughts and he actually spoke from example and was like look, I remember when I was your age and I played in the to try to qualify for the California State Amateur, which is different than New Mexico. You actually have to qualify for the State Am in California. There's so many people that want to play in it. And same thing happened. He said he practiced all summer long, he took some work off, he did everything he could to be ready and he shot like 86 the first day and he's just like I was, you know, shredding it in practice rounds and he goes.

Parker: 16:24

You know, part of it is just golf, part of it is the game testing how, how true you are to wanting to do this, and I guarantee you everybody that's ever tried to get good at this house stories like this. The game's going to test and put entry barriers in your way, whether it's technical entry barriers, whether it's mental entry barriers. It it's going to just say like you really want to do this and and test, like that line of temptation that I was kind of saying you want to, you want to throw the flag in, or like what kind of competitor are you truly? And I think that was part of it. You know, like I see parts of my game and my swing as, as Jordan knows that, that were loose. You know that didn't hold up with the pressure for sure. But also you can't dig, you don't have time to dig into that. You just gotta say like I'm better than this, I've got what I've got right now. I need to go put it out there tomorrow and like see what I can do. And so just having the support was big. You know I texted our group chat and you guys were there for me and, like you know, by maybe 90 minutes post round I was like all right, it's all about tomorrow. Like I'm done even thinking about today at this point and it's done like the card is in, the scores are posted, all I can do is think about my strategy into tomorrow. I got my tee time.

Parker: 17:49

I was gonna tee off on the 10th hole instead of the first hole on day two, so I immediately clicked into like all right, let's walk through the holes a few times. What am I hitting off of? 10, 11, 12? You know what did I see out there today? Pin position wise. You know what can I at least sharpen going into day two?

Parker: 18:06

And by the time I got close to the house I stopped at the golf course I practiced out of, I worked on some short game, I worked on some putting, I made zero swing adjustments and just work on developing one confident swing thought before I started the next day and went out. And you know it was night and day. You know I got starting on 10, man, my dad showed up, which was cool, you know I love when he's out there and supporting and watching. But like 10th hole is this tight par four dog leg left and it drops in elevation. You can't even see the landing area. You gotta hit over a cliff. And I just roped this three wood tight trajectory, baby little draw, and I was like, oh, we got it. You know, like just wanted to click into what I was looking for all of the first day, into that first tee shot and it carried. It made a lot of good birdies I think it was six birdies that day and posted a number.

Parker: 19:05

So support group and you can't overthink it Like you need to get back on your feet if you've got a tough day. And my dad reminded me like and I think this is just a law of nature, it might be unique to my game a little bit, but historically I always come back strong after a tough day, like it's happened many a times, and so he just kind of left me the. It's like you remember when you shot 80, 68, you know, 10 years ago, and I'm like you just kind of like get some self-belief, cycling and work on a couple of the things you saw, if you can, during that day that need a little more polish, but it's just polish. At this point you know like you don't have time to make large adjustments, so stick to that and go out and give it what you got. I think one of the biggest kind of contributors to day one, to day two.

Zach: 19:57

This is an interesting parallel because my first ever pro tournament that I watched was East Lake last year and I was following the group of Colin Moore Cowher and Victor Hovland, and Hovland that day did not have a good day, okay. So once my dad and I stopped following them and their round was over, we stayed and watched all the other groups and when I was leaving the tournament it was interesting cause Hovland went directly to the driving range to work on, like trying to figure something out, and he was still there as we were leaving, and this was hours after his round was done. So it's interesting the parallel to what you just had to experience after shooting in 84, because the next day Hovland went out there and shot a really, really good score. I can't remember it off the top of my head, but he had a really bounce back day, and so what you're doing and I'm just trying to put myself in your shoes, slash, trying to relate it back to the amateur that's listening.

Zach: 20:53

I think amateur is a lot of time and I can speak from experience. For me, if I go out and shoot in the 90s, I usually freak out Like there's something probably wrong with my swing and I, you know I'm trying to figure out what that is For you. You don't have time, right. You're going out and you're playing literally the next day. And it's interesting because you're on such a different level.

Zach: 21:17

I'm trying to like paint the picture for people that don't compete in tournaments. You're on such a different level of preparing your swing and preparing where you need to be for 12 weeks, leading up to this point, that when you're out there on the range after the round's done, you already know that you can't afford to go back and dissect your swing. You're just trying to find that one swing thought, right. And so I think it's interesting because I've talked to Jordan a lot about this, about when you're practicing. You practice, you only focus on your swing, but then when you go out and play, it doesn't matter if you're competing in a tournament, you're just competing on Sunday with the boys. You're competing, right. You're not thinking about swing thoughts the entire time. And it's interesting because it sounds like you found that one swing thought for you that next day and then you were able to progress and shoot a better score for you, right.

Parker: 22:05

Let me relate to everybody that plays golf. The panic still sets. The panic still absolutely sets, like it's not gonna go away. But that feeling of like, oh my, I'm, it's over. And what am I doing? And what could it be Like? In my shoulders, not two squares, my alignment screwed up. Did I play the ball too far? Up in my stance Is my wrist hinging right in the back swing? All of that still floods into your brain the ability to have the discipline to say like, no, thank you, like.

Zach: 22:42

Question Was all of this happening during the round or did it happen to you?

Parker: 22:48

after the round was over and you were trying to find it. I will say I, at this point in my golf journey, I know that tweaking at this point in a round whether it works for one hole is not good for the entire round. It's never, never, ever will anybody benefit from making a tweak, in my opinion and experience, in the middle of a round versus just where you have it, find something to trust and just do it, just finish where you are because you'll have time. I'm not saying you can't reflect right. I'm not saying it's just there's a time and a place and the golf course is never the place.

Parker: 23:32

It's just not like you can tell me on box number one, like hey, I'm working on this today, and then by two you're like, actually I'm going to make a pivot and I'm just going to be like there's no way, there's no like if you would just would have stuck with that for 18 holes, you still are giving yourself a chance to build momentum and like that change you make on hole two might have prevented you from like holding out for eagle on 18 to shoot the number that you were looking for. That's change you made on two removed that from reality and so like I just firm believer in just just finish with what you start with, because it's already complex enough. Like we just we make it so much harder than we need to, and just a game of variables that like there's plenty we don't have control over. So like just limit the ones we can control for 18 holes. It's not I know it's hard, but like it's never in your, in your best interest and yeah.

Zach: 24:32

Jordan, I know you have some thoughts over this, since you competed in tournaments as well, so why don't you go ahead?

Jordan: 24:37

I mean, what he's saying is is true and it's so. I was a panicker on the golf course during tournaments, of like you start out on hole one exactly what he's talking about and it's like, oh, this is my thought for today. And then you get to hole like four or five and you're like, Nope, we need to switch that up. Like the temptation is there. So so, so much. And I think you also reach a point in your golf game where you get to that level. That he gets to is after you shoot an 84, there's no way you're backing it up with an 85 or an 86. Like you're just not, you're going to rebound the next day or something like that.

Jordan: 25:16

And I think, as you continue to get better at golf, after you hit that just abysmal shot that you're like where did that come from? The next shot is probably going to be like rope down the middle of the fairway, Like there's just this internal confidence that is very much earned, that you've hit enough golf balls that I've never seen that shot go that far. That direction. This next shot is going to be really good and it's just an internal confidence that that you build up over time.

Jordan: 25:46

He the advantage to what he's doing and, like he, I think his dad actually got me a little bit of film while he was out there in the tournament. It's kind of like the biggest advantage he could ever ask for going forward, because now we know what he was doing during the tournament that he got over to me and now he knows, like next tournament, that he goes to. This is what I'm doing when it comes to tournament time. I wasn't doing this pre tournament, but I'm doing it in the middle of the tournament. To have that advantage over every other player in the field is a big, big deal, Cause you know your error and now you kind of know what to cling on to.

Parker: 26:22

It's hard right. Like I had goals, man, like I wanted my goals were, my goal was a top 10. Like, do I feel like even having 12 weeks to prepare was enough to win the golf tournament? I mean, like I love Tiger Woods and like I love the, I don't play a golf tournament unless I think I can win it. But like I'm not I'm not Tiger Woods, I mean, like I work full time and like this is a, this is a, this is a passion and something I give a lot of my extracurricular time, but I'm not a full time golfer. So the goals that I set up for myself I want to be achievable and because I'm looking for to what I think Jordan's point is a constructive experience, regardless the advantage of saying, okay, this is what I'm trying to do and I did miss my target.

Parker: 27:11

For me, at this point, it's all about what did we get from it? As you're trying to get to at this point, zach, like where are we? Where are we moving from here in advancing our game and learning from it? And so you know, like you, if you're going to do this, if anybody is listening to this and is, like you, know what I want to play in golf tournaments excellent, but you need to know that it's going to test you and you need to think of it as the intangible growth is just as precious and rewarding as the tangible growth.

Parker: 27:48

The times you're going to host a trophy need to be just as important as the times that you're learning from loss and if you're not committed to that, good luck. Good luck because it's you're going to get drained. You're going to get like golf is just. If you play golf and you're not humbled to that part of it, I just I don't think you're going to play golf for as long as I have in my life. I just it's going to wear you down and you've got to learn to look at where the trophies exist in the intangible side of your game and your growth and your experiences and how you know like.

Parker: 28:30

Ricky is a perfect example, right, like just a professional example of how much relief did we all see him have making that put in the playoff the other day? Right, like that relief comes from all the work that has been put in to his journey since you know, 18 plus months ago and his you know his fall was sort of happening and everybody was like what's going on with Ricky Fowler? And to get to that point? A guy like that pressures a tough US open loss just as much as the win that he hosted the other day and like good for you, because that's mental toughness. In my opinion, in the sport, mental toughness over a shot is debatable. Mental toughness for the sport, for me, is being able to take the losses and the tough days and and realize like okay, there's still treasure for me to find and dig out of this. You know, deep, dark, horrible day that it feels like you're having, so that's my rent.

Zach: 29:39

I enjoy it. Okay, I'm going to. I could go two separate ways from here and I'm trying to debate where to go, so we're going to kind of tie it back to somebody who's listening. No, let's go the other way. Don't even cut this out, jordan. This is saying the podcast, as I'm trying to think out loud. What are you going to do, parker? Because you're. You just said earlier that you're going to continue competing in tournaments. It's what you need to do. It's necessary. What are you going to change in your preparation? Great question, from this time leading up to the tournaments to the next time.

Parker: 30:13

Yeah, I mean just thank you Like I wanted to. I wanted to say this, like anyway. So you, this is just your skill set on display of being able to read my mind and already know where I'm trying to go. For everybody listening, jordan is my technical golf coach. I think I have multiple coaches in my life for the mental and the golf analysis, and you know, but on the technical side, jordan, I only go to one person and it's Jordan. So I will say that In this season leading up to this event, I thought I could do more by myself than I can, and I mean in managing my own swing, my game, getting it ready for a tournament, knowing that I'm as prepared as I possibly could be going into it.

Parker: 31:16

I thought you know what like I can do this, like I don't need to bother Jordan with film. I can take my own film Because at this point we've been working together for years, right? So I've got all the great Parker swings that have ever existed and I thought you know like I can piece together my game leading up to it. And I just got to say, like what a stupid thing to do.

Parker: 31:38

Like just what is just complete idiotic decision by my part to do it Because, like, as Jordan can say, because it's relevant, we already got my swing to a much better place in like 15 minutes of work just between now and yesterday and today. So I'll just say, like, if you're going to do this, what I would have done differently is just keep my full support staff included on what's going on. Like, keep your coach informed with film and even if I was making all the right choices, right, at least it was audited by somebody else besides me that knows my game. Like you got to do it. If you're not doing it, you're sort of it's risk, you're increasing the risk of not performing by not keeping you know the staff and the professionals that are around you informed. And that's relatable to college players, that's relatable to junior players, that's relatable to anybody that's getting lessons from anyone and trying to go out and shoot and compete at a higher level than just playing with the boys. Like, keep your staff and your support group informed with your game and what you're working on, I would say at a minimum on a bi-weekly basis, and it's what I would have done differently, it's what I'm going to do differently, it's what I like.

Parker: 33:07

No doubt time, investment and hustle is what it comes down to and I think that showed in my day two and three, even though you know, like my swing was nowhere near like Jordan's seen some of the swings Like they're not, they're not good. So, like you can beat golf in the face and still find some results, are they going to be as consistent as you need them to be? Very unlikely. So just you know, when you've got great coaching and you've got, you know, some technical expertise, just continue to tap into it. Leading up to these kind of experiences is my, is my biggest. I would do differently and I will do differently into this.

Zach: 33:51

Yeah, what I'm pulling from this is you had, you had the opportunity to get just like the confirmation that you're on the right track and you just didn't take it Right. So that's kind of the biggest thing is like if you have that opportunity to get that important voice in your head, you might as well just take it right. That's kind of the main thing.

Parker: 34:13

Big time and it's pride. Like I don't have a problem like saying this. I'm sure some people would have a problem admitting it but like we all think we're these golf experts and I've been playing golf people for 15 years of my 31 year life, so like we're over 10,000 hours. We're plenty of rounds deep, you know like still don't have a damn hole in one.

Parker: 34:36

But like we're in there and it's easy for me to assume that like this, you know. And it's for people shooting 90 to say that I see it all the time, Like, ah yeah, I got this new instruction manual in my bag and I got this new, this new little thing that attaches to my grip, and like I'm going to be shooting in the 70s at no time. You know, like you're a fool and and it's you know, like your knowledge of the game and Jordan can attest to this helps the teaching experience. You can still bring value and your own feedback and it's just only a piece of it. And if you want to create a whole golf game that can compete, you can't do it alone. That's my biggest point, no matter who you are.

Parker: 35:27

Tiger Woods didn't do it alone, Jack Nicklaus didn't do it alone. All of the guys we've ever seen host the largest trophies in professional golf didn't do it alone. So like you're no different, whoever you are, including myself, and like, yeah, you're somehow going to coach yourself into shooting the scores you want. It's just foolish and I regret it because and part of it for me too was it was the work ethic right. Like you guys know, I set up a training plan. I ate a certain way. I put a certain amount of time in. It was intentional, over a 12 week period, Like I. I built something I thought was a good enough machine to get where I wanted to go, and I think it was close. Well, like to just not put some whipped cream and a cherry on top of, like somebody else that knows my game, informed what a what a trip Like what just like.

Jordan: 36:28

We'll go into like a small amount of details. I mean, when Parker shot the 84, what did he put in our group chat? He was like I think I'm ready to be done. So I did call him and we had like a talk, just just to be like, are you good over there? So I was like gentle and like I had him on the back if he needed it. But at the same time I was like, if you're ready to call it, like been there too. Of like you can be done, but please be sure that you're ready to be done. But he's like no, I'm good, I just just needed a moment.

Jordan: 36:58

But then, like, as we're texting, yesterday and he sent me the film from the tournament, I was I think I was very much harder on you through text of like I was not nearly as gentle as I was on that phone call of like when I saw the swing, zach, I was like what the hell is this Like? Where, like where did this even come from? He's like yeah, I know it's wrong. Like then you've lost the privilege to to help yourself like this. This should have been. If you're overlooking this fundamental you should never be in charge of your own swing, because this is like unforgivable that you look past this.

Zach: 37:36

It's. It's cool, parker, because I, I'm in, I'm kind of in the same boat as you, right, like I am now required Jordan didn't even tell me this, but I'm required to send my swing every single time I leave the range to Jordan, right, cause it's like it's like you always have those small little thoughts and everything. No man, what what I really want to get at is like the way that you're going about this and the way that you're approaching the next time that you have to face this type of adversity, like you're going to overcome it. And the reason why I say that is because I finished listening to this David Goggins book called Can't Hurt Me. Oh I read it.

Zach: 38:13

I know you have, I know, and so the way that he approaches it is exactly the way that you're handling this, right, and the way that you're analyzing even your biggest failures in this whole situation is what's going to make you stronger at the end. And so, if anybody is listening to this and you're an amateur golfer, right, and you have heard Parker's story and you're really inspired and you're thinking how can I, as an amateur, take the necessary steps to compete in a tournament, parker, if you could give a step by step process of what they would need to do, what would it?

Parker: 38:46

be yeah, let's pre you the plan I mean you got to be intentional Like you can't can't is a hard and a strong word, but like you can't reach the goals and a plan up, you know like, don't think you can just go from golf with the boys to a new environment that's going to eat you alive. That's like sharks in the water and like you're leaking from a cut kind of scenario. Like it's cold out there, man, like nobody's out there to be your friend, like no, it's not. Like, hey, bro, like you'll be next time. Like it's not the boys, like everybody is out there for a very specific reason and they could care less if you top it on the first tee box into the water. Like that's just. Like yeah, there's one less person I need to worry about. Let's keep going. And so you know like you need to be hard on yourself first, because you're moving into a what I would call a soft golf environment to a hard golf environment, and what do you?

Zach: 39:59

what do you mean by that exactly? Are you talking about analyzing, like your game now, or are you talking about the training leading up to getting into tournaments?

Parker: 40:10

Yeah, I'm getting there. Yeah, so soft environment is I can casually go to the driving range, I can work on my putting and my on my mat in my room. Every once in a while I can get out and you know, work some up and down chipping drills and I can go play with the boys and you know, who knows, maybe I break 80. If that's what you're going to take into the hard, competitive golf environment, you're going to shoot in the 90s, I guarantee it. Like your results are going to be so off and you're going to make numbers that you didn't even think were possible. A guy made a 17 in this event, just so we're clear. He was so mentally gone he forgot he could even take an unplayable out of the bush. He just kept smacking it. So like it's different. Like, if I haven't, if I haven't communicated that already, it's different. So your preparation for a tournament take a date, know what the date of this event is, know where you're starting and come up with a weekly intentional plan on how and what you're going to work on. That's true. Like I'd say, an hour and a half to two hours a day is what the average should be close to if you want to play prepared golf in a tournament and think about, you know, like you guys both know. But for a long time I've been thinking about this plan or this training plan for getting ready for a golf tournament and I was inspired by MMA fighters how they get ready for an event.

Parker: 41:47

Well, like golf is kind of similar. Your opponent is just the golf course, so you think about the course. If you don't have time to get to the range but you're sitting in your house, you've got time to look up the layout of the golf course. You've got time to look at the yardages that you're probably going to play. There's so much golf information out there you can start looking at that. When you do get to the range, you can start hitting the clubs that you're actually going to be hitting on the goals on this event.

Parker: 42:14

You know, like yardage out all the par threes. You're probably going to be in a zone on most of them. Maybe it's pitching wedge to eight iron on the first one, maybe it's seven iron to five iron from the second one. Maybe there's a couple you need to hit a hybrid into them or more and like get intentional with picking a target out on the driving range and hitting these shots so that when you get out to that hole and you've got some pressure and there's people watching and, like you're trying to post a number, you've already done it in numerous amount of times and you can take it a step further.

Parker: 42:43

You know, like I got a specific training plan, like diet and exercise plan that's completely tailored to golf and making sure that I'm ready to play three straight days without getting fatigued and I'm you know, like I'm making a certain amount of swings and test your game and put it under the conditions that are fully going to set you up for success in the environment you're about to put yourself in and if you just spend some time considering it like if you've been a part of any competitive sports in your life, you're going to already have some, some building blocks, I'm sure.

Parker: 43:16

But just, you know, keep, keep it in on the pure golf podcast, because we're trying to make sure that we keep you informed on what we're doing and how we're trying to get there and what our goals are and maybe we can share some of the success that we're having and you can use some of that. But you can also just take some time to consider look, you're putting yourself in a different environment, and your practice and your intentional plan, goals and mission at this need to be different, need to be further and greater than just your casual golf with the boys.

Zach: 43:52

Yeah, no, that's, that's massive. And I think there are people and I know that because I've talked to people that are interested in getting into tournament golf but they just don't even know where to start. And I feel like if your preparation just isn't there, or there's not an uptick in between you playing with the boys compared to you competing at that high of a level, then you're not going to be successful. Jordan, I got nothing else, man, do you have any other thoughts?

Jordan: 44:16

Yeah, so real quick any golf if you, if you love golf for anyone, go play a tournament. No matter how good or bad you are, they have tournaments for 20 plus handicaps. So there's literally no excuse for you to not go play a golf tournament. Go play a golf tournament and see if you like it or not. It's not to say are you good at it, but see if you like it, Because that I'm with Parker here. That is like the pinnacle of sports to me. It is completely in your hands, from actually well before you tee off to when you tee off to when you shake the opponent's hand on on hole 18, you will do some of the stupidest things, Just as Parker referenced earlier in the podcast. He didn't move his ballmark back under stress and and the rest that you never thought you were going to do and you learn a lot about yourself.

Jordan: 45:15

But if you love golf, get involved in tournaments. I would say as quickly as you can to just go out and go out and suck, go out and know you're going to finish in dead last and then kind of go from there of see how much you really love golf, because competing against the guy right next to you and maybe it's only five guys in the tournament man it is. It is an awesome, awesome feeling of knowing, if you finish dead last or if you finish first, that you you still want to get out there and beat those guys the next time because you had a bad day or a great day this time. Parker and I have talked, and a lot of the guys he he plays within this tournament he's known for for years. So just getting out and like wanting to beat your bros in a tournament is different from just beating your bros on, like, a Saturday morning round of golf of like hey, we paid an entry fee, hey, we've done a lot of work for this and it is. It's just a top notch scenario.

Jordan: 46:14

So there, I think there's multiple ways to get involved in tournaments. I know the Grint is an app that has multiple tournaments. Every state has their own type of golf league and everything. If you have any questions, reach out to us and we'll get you in touch with some people that that do tournaments. So I couldn't recommend it more. And, Zach, we are looking forward to you one day doing a tournament, because it's going to be awesome, dude, we're yeah, we're going to compete in the Woodland Hills municipal tournament this this fall.

Zach: 46:45

I think it's in it's in October, november. So, we're we're going to go for it, but sure To wear a colored shirt.

Zach: 46:53

Huh Be sure to wear a colored shirt. Yeah, I'm going to roll up the sleeves and everything just to piss them off even more so which, by the way, that's an inside joke because they got mad at me because I've been going to the driving range without a colored shirt, because it's Woodland Hills in Cartersville, so it's not the most you know high prestigious place and I've seen people play with like shirtless T shirts, right, or like sleeveless T shirts, excuse me. And and I've been grinding like for the last two weeks and then a few days ago, the assistant pro there was like hey, zach, I'm going to need you to tidy it up for me. Like, excuse me, I was like there's a guy on hole 10 right there without any sleeves on his shirt. Like what are we doing right now? Anyway, that's besides the point. I'm going to go out there and win the whole thing, so we'll have some fun with that, but do it.

Parker: 47:39

I got one save round. I got one save round just to what Jordan just said, because it reminded me of, you know, like his point to those rounds out with the boys. And then there's tournament rounds where the boys are also playing. Just to the point also that we've said, and you can't do this alone peer competition and encouragement and doing something together. We do play an individual sport, there's no question about it.

Parker: 48:08

But, like, in terms of the accountability loop, if you don't have somebody who is picking an event to play with you in or that's going to also play in the event that you, you know you want to play in, make some friends when you do go play in tournaments. Because I've got a buddy who, like every time, every single time we go out and practice, we send a text. So like, if you're thinking like I don't know I'm working late and I don't know if I want to make it out there today, and then I get a text, I'm like I'm making it out there, you know what I mean. Like you, just you got to keep the peer. You know steel, sharpened steel, and and just don't do it alone.

Parker: 48:49

Where you don't have to do it alone is probably the biggest lesson for me in golf in 2023, because there's so many people that have passions for parts of the game that can help you get better and, like you know, jordan is my guardian angel of golf and he's not wanting to compete anymore, but he loves, you know, working and helping people get better as well, and this whole podcast is is a reflection of that and what we do. So if pure golf isn't your peer group already, it should be. And if you know you have buddies, encourage them to get into golf tournaments with you as well, so that you can keep sharpening each other and and just get better for the sport. That's all I got.

Zach: 49:30

The good sign off right there. I got nothing else either.

Jordan: 49:33

Awesome. Well, thanks for joining boys.