Are Open players more dedicated? Do they practice more? Do they attend more tournaments? Do they have sponsors(remember I said average Open player)?

Do ams play for love of the game? Do they have less time to practice?

Someone please tell me what the difference is.

To start, Pro players generally have more experience...

5 to 10 strokes usually. :eek:

Are Open players more dedicated?



I'd say the average pro is less dedicated than the average am. Average ams have the desire to get better while most average pros realize they have come close to being as good as they will get.


Do they practice more?



Once again, I feel not, for the same reasons.


Do they attend more tournaments?



The average am probably attends more, on average. It is much cheaper for them to play the tournament and they have a better chance of cashing in thier division.


Do they have sponsors(remember I said average Open player)?



I honestly think more average ams have more sponsorship. Being a middle of the road pro doesn't attract many sponsors.


Do ams play for love of the game?



I think we would hope so, but in some cases, I know the answer is no.

[QUOTE]
Do they have less time to practice? [QUOTE]


I don't think a person's skill / level of talent / classification has anything to do with how much time they have to practice - that has to do with thier personal life. It is safe to asume that the better a player is the more they practice, but I can garuntee I practice a lot less than many players I am better than.

I suspect there are a myriad of individual answers...."average" is just a guess...but my guess is that, on average, disc golf pros are either (1) more athletically gifted, for (2) have played longer than the rapidly rising athletically gifted ams who have only played a few years.

There are, of course, plenty of exceptions in both groups.

Shouldnt the question be...
Whats the difference between the average Pro & the Top Ams??

Answer: One pays cash to NOT cash....the other pays cash to make money off the Merch. that they earn.. :D

That's a different question.

It's not skill, because shot for shot most average advanced players can match most average pros. It's in consistency and playing under pressure that the differences are really found.

The difference between a 940 golfer and a 980 golfer is quite often the 4-5 bad decisions or execution errors made by the 940 golfer during the round.

I've seen ams that will park a hole 9 times out of 10 in casual play be in the next zip code under tournament conditions.

That's a different question.

It's not skill, because shot for shot most average advanced players can match most average pros. It's in consistency and playing under pressure that the differences are really found.

The difference between a 940 golfer and a 980 golfer is quite often the 4-5 bad decisions or execution errors made by the 940 golfer during the round.

I've seen ams that will park a hole 9 times out of 10 in casual play be in the next zip code under tournament conditions.


Bingo!!!

Consistency and putting!!! When my putting is decent and by decent I mean only missing 2 inside 30 per round I shoot rounds that are rated in the 1000s.......But when my putting from 30 and in is off and by off I mean missing about 5 a round then I shoot right at my rating!!!

But consistency is the main thing............I know a ton of pros and there arent very many who have more shots in the bag than I do..........They are just much more consistent with the execution of those shots.

And they way to get consistency is to THROW IN A FIELD!!!

FIELD WORK IS KEY!!!

I am a middle of the road AM and would say that consistency is most definitely the difference. When I am playing well, I can keep up with just about anyone out there. But my chances of keeping it held together for 2+ rounds is slim at best. I have most if not all of the shots in my bag as any middle of the road pro but they just execute them more consistenty than I can.

The difference is I have a backhand thumber.

OK, I tend to not practice, not go to tournaments except big ones. You'd think that would be a recipe for disaster.

I would say that when I am in the right tournament mindset, I feel unstoppable. In the past that's been the first round, and then I fizzle out. Lately, I have been able to get into that mode more and more during a tournament.

I moved up early, when I was 950 or so. There wasn't much point to am life once the rules changed in favor of level payouts for ams, plastic never drove me (it was a nice bonus though).

I would say decision making OFF THE TEE is one place where pros have an advantage. Anyone can make a decision once they throw a bad shot, but making the right decision off the tee is something I see pros are better at and ams are usually just guessing at. Par 4 and 5 holes usually separate the pros and ams in my book. Ams go for distance, pros go for placement (sometimes distance too).

Most ams putt better than I do. But I can get into a groove in a tournament round.

I moved up early, when I was 950 or so. There wasn't much point to am life once the rules changed in favor of level payouts for ams, plastic never drove me (it was a nice bonus though).

same here. now when i am tempted to play Adv instead of MPM i think of the 45 minute line to collect the 5 discs i'd win... not worth it.

The real difference between Pros and Ams is the secret handshake.

Consistency, but funny how people view it. I've watched the USDGCs and noticed the top pros making some of the same mistakes and misthrows as I do. However, they do it once or twice a round.....I do it once per hole!

I see no distinction between average 'pros' and average 'ams.' In my experience 'pros' don't practice more, play more, or attend more tournaments than 'ams.' Ironically, the opposite usually practice, play and attend more.

Pros play for each other's entry fees and are heavily rewarded due to performance. When ams are heavily rewarded with 2 or more times their entry fee in retail value due to performance, then they are no different in this aspect either.

I believe that the pro/am nomenclature is bogus and misleading to someone new to the sport.

I agree. There are only a handful of pros and the rest are Ams who play for cash or merch.

Two agreements in one week! I can tell we're going to be buddies soon! You didn't even mention ratings in two consecutive sentences on a thread I started. Imaginary hugs! I'm starting on a friendship bracelet for you right now:D:D:D

"I" a "g" ree. The "r" e are o "n" ly "a" handful of pros and the res "t" are Am "s" who play for cash or merch.



"I" "g" "r" "n" "a" "t" "s" = ratings

:D:D:D

I would say decision making OFF THE TEE is one place where pros have an advantage. Anyone can make a decision once they throw a bad shot, but making the right decision off the tee is something I see pros are better at and ams are usually just guessing at. Par 4 and 5 holes usually separate the pros and ams in my book. Ams go for distance, pros go for placement (sometimes distance too).




good points... i really think that once you've been playing the sport for more than 6 months this is what it comes down to. There is such a short learning curve that most get to the point where they can throw several types of throws with some consistency/distance but its knowing when to use it.

I know if I had a Pro (who knew my game) with me during a whole tournament telling me what to throw & when then I would easily average over 50 points (rating wise) over my normal scores.

confidence

I agree with Craiger.

I will also say that top pros can forget the mistakes they just made and execute a confident shot.

The ability to play 18 holes with the same mental drive. It always seems ams lose there dedication after one bad throw. They give up...Like no putt said, forget the mistake...
My brother looks at in a nice way. DG is a life long round...1 hole of millions wont hurt your score...Just try to keep under par or around it, or anywhere you feel positive about.