77: How a top amateur organizes golf around life with Skip Berkmeyer

Skip Berkmeyer joins us in this episode to share his experiences as a top amateur and mid-amateur golfer, both locally and nationally.  Having won the Missouri Amateur title multiple times, played in 30 USGA events and won on the national level, Skip offers us some insights in to his philosophies around playing your best golf and how to balance that when you also have a full time career, wife, kids, etc.

As a friend and one of the best players I know personally, it was great to chat with Skip and hear some of his stories from the past, get some advice from him about playing better golf, and learning more about what keeps him driven to play at such a high level when the stakes aren’t millions of dollars.  Simply a love of the game and a desire to keep competing !

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Skip Berkmeyer’s Background

• Has played in 30 USGA events
• Won the Missouri State Amateur title 3 times
• Player of the Year 11 times in Missouri
• 2009 Crump Cup Champion
• Grew up in St. Louis, MO
• Played multiple sports in high school: Baseball, Football, Golf

Highlights from this Episode

• Skip shares some of his accomplishments as an amateur golfer on the local and national level
• Skip didn’t grow up playing only golf, he played just about every sport. We discuss the pros and cons to that back then and now.
• Ultimately, he believes that not focusing solely on golf, but having the freedom to play other sports, is likely why he still has such a love for the game.
• Skip explains why he still does it all.  With a wife, kids, running a business, a radio show, life is busy, but he still has the drive to compete and win.
• We also talk about the trends in the game and the younger golfers coming up in regards to fitness and athleticism.
• Skip’s experience is that the younger players coming up are more athletic: bigger, stronger, and longer than ever.
• Skip emphasizes that if golf is not your full-time job, it takes a lot of organization to practice, play and prepare if you want to compete.
• He stresses the use of small doses of focused practice, rather than going to the range and hitting hundreds of balls. Work on the short game and put yourself in all different position.
• Don’t just hit the same shots over and over.  You need to practice adversity, so you are prepared when you face it on the course.
• Words of wisdom: “[Get good with the driver, the wedge and the putter.]”
• Skip some some of his best memories and a couple of his biggest challenges on the course.

CaddyShack or Happy Gilmore?

CaddyShack

One or 2 of the Most Influential People, Books, or Experiences in Your Life?

His Parents.  Especially being able to see his mom win the women’s state Amateur title (which she won 5 times!)

Who would you like to spend a day on the course with?

His Grandfather: who he lost at age 9.  His grandfather was the one that taught his mom to play golf.

Bobby Jones: Being an amateur like Bobby, would love to get some of his insights.

What are you excited about in your near future?

Just excited to get consistently get better.

Where to Find Skip Berkmeyer:

Company Website: All-startrophy.com

Radio Show: Fairways and Greens

Twitter: @sberkmeyer

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