Pro Vs. Avg Joe- Skill Gap

[oddjob]

Better putting, especially inside the circle, and not doing stupid ****.

The gap isn't that huge.

[UnitedPuppySlayer]

Originally Posted by Widdershins

Most exceptional athletes could not earn a tour card if they spent a decade trying.

Just look at Barkley's golf game!

[New013]

this really is a silly discussion, anyone comparing disc golf to major sports in this way thinks way to highly of where disc golf currently sits in the spectrum of athletics.

[Allurex]

Originally Posted by BrotherDave

Depends on how good they were when they stopped playing so regularly. After 5 years of fairly serious playing, I could probably play only 2-3 times a summer and not suffer that bad of a drop off.

Well that's not exactly what I meant. I mean that guy at your work that has 3 discs and almost never plays.

I think we could all take an extended break and still play not horribly. But think about your first 3-4 rounds of Disc Golf. How bad you were then, there's a lot of people that rarely ever play and never get much better than that.

[mj20300]

the way you really see the difference between a top pro and an average am1 is over the long run of multiple events. Its bigger than you think! There's guys that are 990ish pros who i will regularly beat by 20 or more strokes an event, but at times they get close or sometimes bezt me when everything goes right for them or i'm just not playing well. Most of it is mental game and really understanding all the shots in the game. Most people are good at a few shots not most of them. While top pros are great at 5 or 6 aspects of the game and still quite good at the rest


my 2 cents

however over just a randomn round somewhere alot of different people can do well

[jenb]

One thing to consider is that the pros are pretty athletic. If you weed out the non-athletic ams, and just consider the athletic ams, I don't think there's as much difference.

[BrotherDave]

Originally Posted by Allurex

Well that's not exactly what I meant. I mean that guy at your work that has 3 discs and almost never plays.

I think we could all take an extended break and still play not horribly. But think about your first 3-4 rounds of Disc Golf. How bad you were then, there's a lot of people that rarely ever play and never get much better than that.

O I C. That's kind of true of all sports.

[throwfromthewoods]

I think one of the big points that need to be made is not necessarily what top pros DO, but it's what they CAN do that makes the gap seem less. Let me try to clarify. I've played alongside former world champions. I've seen first-hand my fair share of top tier talent. In practice, they are well beyond even our local pros. Yes, one might have an exceptional round, or the pro might be off his game. Like MJ said, over the course of an extended series, the gap would grow and grow. However, there's really no physical aspect of these pros that the average guy can't match. I personally have no physical limitations that prevent me from doing what Feldberg does, short of practice and some conditioning. Unlike myself trying to dunk a basketball, or run a 40 in 4.2; throwing a disc 500' and hitting 99 of 100 putts within the circle are mechanics-driven. In that regard, the 'gap' can be considered smaller. In practice though, they are top pros for a reason, and I am not for that same reason.

[Scoot_er]

Originally Posted by throwfromthewoods

I personally have no physical limitations that prevent me from doing... short of practice and some conditioning..

Sorry I got a Michael Jordan image in my head when you said this!

Everything else in your post seems to put us equal with BG....basically saying practice can lead to great success.

[mj20300]

Originally Posted by throwfromthewoods

I think one of the big points that need to be made is not necessarily what top pros DO, but it's what they CAN do that makes the gap seem less. Let me try to clarify. I've played alongside former world champions. I've seen first-hand my fair share of top tier talent. In practice, they are well beyond even our local pros. Yes, one might have an exceptional round, or the pro might be off his game. Like MJ said, over the course of an extended series, the gap would grow and grow. However, there's really no physical aspect of these pros that the average guy can't match. I personally have no physical limitations that prevent me from doing what Feldberg does, short of practice and some conditioning. Unlike myself trying to dunk a basketball, or run a 40 in 4.2; throwing a disc 500' and hitting 99 of 100 putts within the circle are mechanics-driven. In that regard, the 'gap' can be considered smaller. In practice though, they are top pros for a reason, and I am not for that same reason.

you are getting on the right track. Biggest difference is the mental and psyche part of the game. There are highly ranked disc golfers out there now that i dont believe could cut it if we were playing for big money, on tv, and had large crowds following them every round! We havent seen that separation of the top players yet, i know some scratch ball golfers that couldnt hit the broad side of a barn from 40 yards if they knew alot of people are watching and they could look stupid on tv.