It is common for amateurs of a sport to have misconceptions about how the pros approach the game. And the onus is on the pros to build conversations around the same and bring some clarity to the matter at hand. A PGA Tour Pro recently started one such conversation about the presumed confidence levels of PGA Tour Pros.

Recently, the Haskins Award winner of 2013, tweeted about how amateurs tend to assume that the pros play with supreme confidence and conviction. He tried to explain how it’s not so, by taking Tiger Woods as an example. The 30-year-old golfer touched upon the psychological inconveniences that Woods sometimes faces, and the conversation turned into a short debate in the comment section about Woods’ chipping yips. Here is how the discussion went. 

Tiger Woods’ chipping yips — psychological or physical?

The Seoul-born golfer Michael Kim recently tweeted about how anxiety is a part of the game, irrespective of the skill level and experience of a player. He claimed that being a pro does not offer a free pass to escape anxiety. Kim explained how this has something to do with the hunter-gatherer history of humanity. In his own words, “Our brain will always try to look for worst case scenarios because that was the best way for survival back in our hunter gatherer days.” 

He then took the example of Tiger Woods to discuss how his anxiety made him vulnerable to chipping yips.“Tiger could rarely ever hit the first fairway unless it was an iron, and even had the chipping yips for a while.”

A golf fan in the comments stated how the yips – involuntary muscle twitches – occur because of Woods’ f***ed up back. In response to the claim, Kim questioned the commenter why these spasms magically occur only when Woods is trying to chip.

Following his question, he received a screenshot that quoted golf instructor David Leadbetter. The quote said that Tiger Woods experienced chipping yips because of physical issues, and not mental. Kim confidently acknowledged it and added that most psychological issues begin with a physical trigger. He asserted that the mental issues make these triggers worse and result in a condition.  

Read more: “Good Partner”: Days After Justin Thomas’ Ryder Cup Love Letter Rejection, Another PGA Tour Pro Jumps Onto the Performance Bandwagon

The conversation had another discussion that caught our attention. The discussion was about the key difference between amateur golfers and pros. 

The major difference between amateurs and pros

Another comment in the thread claimed that the major difference between amateurs and pros is how they handle the putting. The commenter described a scenario where the player has hit the ball 30 feet to the safe side. In this scenario, the commenter claimed, pros have a higher success rate in putting it skillfully. Kim disagreed.

According to Kim, the amateurs, or ams as he calls them, do not have more trouble with putting. In his opinion, amateurs struggle a lot more to hit it 30 feet to the safe side than to putt it successfully. “The biggest difference is tee to green. Putting isn’t as big of a factor. It’s a common misconception.”

Have you experienced anxiety? What are your thoughts on Kim’s perspective? Let us know in the comments!

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