One of the most respected online poker teachers and players in the game today, Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt, announced on his blog yesterday that he will be returning to his first love, golf, and reduce his poker activities in the coming year.
In an extensive blog post on his website, dustyschmidt.net, the Bluefire Poker instructor walked his readers through some of his thoughts as the New Year approached. “I have spent most of this year post black Friday figuring out what I want out of life,” Dusty starts his blog post on Friday. “I was also able to spend a great deal of time reflecting upon poker and what it means to me. The whole process revealed a lot about myself and I was able to learn a lot.”
“I came to the realization that I love golf infinitely more than I love playing poker,” he continued. “With that, I have decided to return to golf and use all of what poker has taught me to try and become the best I can be (whatever that is) at the game of golf.”
As a way of informing readers about his particular passion for the game of golf, Dusty recounts how important it was to him to become a member of the PGA Tour. “I basically lived, breathed and slept golf from ages 8-23,” Schmidt states, going on to detail out how he was unable to fully pursue a professional career due to financial reasons. “Unlike poker, where the barrier to entry is small and literally anyone with an internet connection and a few hundred bucks can receive the very best poker instruction in the world, golf requires a lot of funding to really do it right.”
“At this point in my life, I am 30 years old and the chances of having a career on the PGA tour are fading fast, but it isn’t over yet,” Dusty writes. “My chances are infinitesimally small of making the big time, but I have overcome far longer odds before in my life. I won’t let that intimidate me.”
After playing in two golf tournaments during the 2011 calendar year – and seeing the fruits of his golf training result in a club championship and an excellent run in the Idaho State Open – Dusty has laid out an arduous plan to return to the golf course in the first two months of 2012. “On January 3rd, I am going to hop in the car and drive down from Portland, OR, to Southern California to start my journey. On the 5th, I am entered in my first event back, which is the Golden State tour event at Temecula Creek. I have 14 tournament days in January alone, and 18 in February. I simply could not be more excited.”
Although he will be attacking the golf world with the same (or greater) fervor that he attacked the online poker world, Dusty has stated that he will not totally remove himself from poker altogether. “While I am pursuing golf, I will still be making videos as well as playing 20-25k hands a month of poker so that I am sure not to let my skills diminish,” Dusty states. His golf goals – of potentially making it to the PGA or Nationwide tours – will be taking center stage, however.
If he is able to make it in the highly competitive world of professional golf, “playing poker full time will be just a distant memory,” Dusty states. Although there are some in the poker community that may like to see a part-time “Leatherass” on the virtual felt for their own games, Schmidt should know that there a plenty of people in the poker world that would like to see him achieve his dreams of professional golf glory.
