Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy has urged budding stars to hit the tournament scene to improve their play.
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The Geoff Ogilvy Foundation is investing in the next generation and some rising amateurs will feature at Wodonga Golf Club on Wednesday, playing alongside a host of professionals.
"Just in general, sports science has taken over all sports, you see AFL players wearing GPS systems," he explained.
"Golf is a very analytical, technical sport and the powers at be all around the world have got so good at that side of it, our kids have got great swings, they're well put together, many are perfect athletes in every sense, except they don't play enough (tournament) golf.
Golf is a very analytical, technical sport and ... our kids have got great swings, they're well put together, many are perfect athletes in every sense, except they don't play enough.
- Geoff Ogilvy
"That's really where you learn, at the minute we're teaching people how to be golfers, but they're not learning how to be golfers, if that makes sense."
Ogilvy's point is a good one in that many promising youngsters play a lot of golf, but much of it could be at the local club.
Now, while there's nothing wrong with that at all, and many members love to have the rising star play alongside them to track their development, it's much more difficult to land a two-metre putt for a leading amateur title with the pressure on than it is to do likewise playing with your mates.
Of course, Ogilvy is acutely aware costs and commitments of a family can restrict a youngster's ability to play as many top tournaments as possible, while COVID-19 also decimated last year's schedule.
"I think anything you do in the world, bumping up against people who are better than you is the best way to improve, if you want to be a good cook, you go and cook with a good chef," he offered.
Ogilvy reached a career high of No.3, an incredible achievement given he grew up in an era of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Co.
He spent 20 years overseas, including 18 on the world's biggest tour, the USPGA, and will have a number of interesting stories when he speaks with Wodonga's European Tour professional Zach Murray on Tuesday night.
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"Absolutely, clearly when you are in a big public setting, we talk the party line, but we get in situations where we can tell stories from there and answer questions that everyone wants to know," he said.
Ogilvy will also have a shootout with Murray.