TWO years out of the game because of the yips with his short game and his personal life have given Brett Ogle plenty of time to reflect.
And now, even though only 35, he was talking like a wise old man when he said he found it scary how much pressure is put on young golfers.
Admittedly there are the exceptions like Sergio Garcia, who, at 19, has already won twice on the European tour and finished second in the US PGA behind Tiger Woods.
But Garcia and Woods are just that, Ogle says "exceptions".
"I get frightened for some of the pressure kids are getting put on them by the media," Ogle said as he prepared for his comeback tournament in the $600,000 Ford Open at Kooyonga in Adelaide. He cited Justin Rose as a tragic example of someone who switched to the play-for-pay ranks too early.
Rose led the British Open at Royal Birkdale last year and turned professional the evening of the final round.
"He saw the money, turned pro and now has missed something like 22 cuts in a row," Ogle said.
Although he hardly has the pre-eminence of Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer, Ogle has experienced the peaks and troughs of the game. He has also won twice on the US tour and is a multiple winner on the local circuit.
He believes the right age to turn professional is about 24.
"They are looking to turn pro too early," he said.
Outstanding Australian amateur Aaron Baddeley appears to agree with Ogle.
Still only in his late teens, Baddeley was compared to Nicklaus by Gary Player when they were paired together at the Greg Norman International this year.
Player even went as far as to say that the young Australian was "better than Nicklaus at the same age".
While Baddeley finds the compliment flattering, he still believes he has a lot more to achieve as an amateur.
