What you put into it is what you get out
Friday, September 18, 2009 - Billy Kopp
Since my last blog, I have been playing more cash games and less multi table tournaments on Ultimate Bet. I really want to play cash games more often, especially live when I get to Vegas. The intense volume I am able to put in online is great practice and I am still turning a nice profit. The rest of the time that I haven’t been playing or blogging, I have been spending playing golf.
I’m trying to get back into the game of golf after not playing for about three years. I played golf in high school at a very small private school and was fairly decent. I remember buying my first set of irons for about $250. I wasn’t completely satisfied with them but they were new and what I could afford at the time. Throughout the four years I played in high school I felt that I was an inferior player partially because of the equipment I was using. The whole set of clubs that I bought in 2000 were still in my garage at the beginning of this year. Deciding to get back into the game, I told myself that I needed new equipment because mine was outdated and hindering my performance on the course. Clearly the reason why I was subpar in high school was because I had mediocre clubs and the small mark in my driver was definitely affecting how straight my drives were and was causing me to hit it in the rough more often (or so I thought).
One of my high school golf teammates now owns golf shop. I contacted him and got fitted for my new equipment that was going to make me a scratch golfer for sure. I got a whole new setup: custom bag, irons, woods, wedges, tees, balls, shoes, gloves, you name it. Man I looked good on the course the first day I got back out. I laced up my comfortable Adidas shoes, and strapped on my new leather glove. I’m on the first tee with my ProV1 golf ball (the best ball on the tour so they say, also to note the most expensive) teed up on a high 4 inch tee about to be sent a million miles down the fairway from the strike of this amazing new Taylor Made R9 driver that had just come out at the time. I address the ball and line up my shot. I take a proud swing and looked for the ball that should be straight down the middle of the fairway; however it is nowhere near there. I see the ball bouncing about 45 yards to left. Apparently I got too excited and pulled my head up and topped the ball. No problem, I haven’t played in three years I’ll just take a mulligan. I re-tee another one and address the ball. I crushed it! I crushed it 260yards to the left AGAIN but ending up in the rough an entire hole over. I continued to play and hacked up the course pretty badly. How could this be?? I have the best/ most expensive equipment and I played worse than when I was in high school with mediocre equipment.
All jokes aside, the equipment I now have is amazing and of better quality than the equipment of my past. It has already helped me in small ways the little that I have played. The main point is that regardless of how great or how poor your equipment is, the over bearing factor is more importantly the person or the user. Looking back, I loved golf but I didn’t really put in the time and effort to become a great golfer. I recall skipping the chipping and putting practices to rush to the driving range to crush drives. I didn’t practice correctly to improve myself throughout the years, but I was satisfied with being a “decent” player. I started back into the game recently with the wrong approach once again but didn’t realize it until now. I expected to go out and be just as decent or better than I was 6-10 years ago and then improve very quickly. Equipment aside, I am not in as good of shape and I also hit my clubs different distances now. I had not gone to the range multiple times before I got back on the course to get distances down on the clubs or to practice putting and chipping. Coming into the game blind after three years of no practice or coaching and expecting to do well was highly unrealistic.
In high school I played better than I do now due to some coaching and the help of my peers. I also put in more time walking on the course and reading greens in practice rounds than now and I was only merely decent then. Although I ride in a cart now because I’m too lazy to walk the course, I’m still capable of studying the course, greens, etc. and need to, to become remotely decent at the game of golf. I played years and years of online poker tournaments to put in intense volume to gain experience. I met other successful players (peers) to talk to about hands and gain advice and more experience. I sacrificed sleep, school, outings with friends, joining a fraternity, and even my health at times to get to where I am today but it has paid off!
I put 100% of my competitive spirit into poker and made it a large part of my life. To become the golfer I want to be, I would have to put in the same hours and practice and make the same sacrifices as I did for poker to be classified as a professional in another field by my peers. Realistically, I can’t devote that amount of time to golf as I have and do to poker to become great at golf at this time in my life. I am satisfied being am amateur golfer but no longer just a decent golfer. I want to be a good golfer and I am going to need to spend lots more time preparing myself to play on the course. Currently I am only finding time to get in a quick 9 or 18 holes and it has been a major waste of time. The relaxation part of golf has become stressful and counterproductive due to playing poorly. I am going to the range tomorrow to start the process of preparing myself to become a good golfer. I need to get a few golf lessons in, so let me know if someone out there reading this wants to trade a few golf secrets for a few poker secrets!
Until next time, hit ‘em straight and hope to see you joining me in the cash games on UB.
Billy Kopp
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