Q&A with UGP Ambassador and Tour Pro TJ Vogel
About TJ
Works out at: UGP Santa Monica
Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL
Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA
College: University of Florida (prev. USC)
Turned Pro: 2013
Q&A
Q: How’d you get introduced to UGP?
A: Through Leo. When I first moved to California, I was looking for a place to play and found Hacienda GC. The pro that helped me get set up there was good friends with Leo. After seeing Leo— how he played, his physique, and learning about what he did at UGP— I wanted him to train me. He looked like a powerful golfer and with the direction golf was going in with fitness, I knew I needed the training.
Q: How has UGP helped you?
A: I came into UGP at 26. At 30 years old, I feel 5 years younger than I did at 26. It feels like they took 10 years off of me. I'm feeling better than I did in college. I feel strong, am performing better, and have a good regimen of golf specific movements that I can do on the road and when I'm home.
Q: Best advice for amateur golfers?
A: Patience and short game. Patience, because a lot of golfers get upset when they don't play well and have unrealistic expectations about their game. It's important to stay patient and have a clearer mind of your game— it's the most important thing in golf. Short game, because it saves you the most strokes. Getting your chips on the green and giving yourself a chance for par, and getting your putts down to two. A lot of guys want to work on their swing, but that's not what saves strokes.
Q: Most memorable moment playing golf?
A: Winning the Public Links in 2012 and playing in the Masters in 2013. My dad was caddying for me at both events, and it all wouldn't have happened without him. Both of us will remember these moments.
Q: Favorite course in Southern California?
A: LACC North. I love the old school layout and bunkering. It favors ball strikers, which I am. It's also always in great shape.
Q: What does your practice routine look like?
A: It depends, but I typically start with the fundamentals— set up, alignment, tempo. On the range, I’ll then move into shot shaping and visualization. Right pin, left pin, and making sure I’m staying on the right side of the pin— especially during the year when I’m playing a lot. Same goes for short game— I start with my fundamentals for about 30 minutes.
I like to focus on one thing at a time during practice. When I’m working on my routine, it’ll just be routine. For set up, just set up. I used to combine it but it didn’t work for me.
For practicing vs playing, it’s about 50/50. I practice my technique while I practice so I don’t have to think about it while I play. This helps me turn the practice switch on and off easily and trust myself when I play.
Q: What does your pre-round routine look like?
A: For afternoon tee times, I’ll work on my yardage book in the morning. Putting pin locations in that we get the night before and I’ll look up the weather and wind. I go through each hole and plan my round shot-by-shot, writing notes on what I want to do. So when I play the round, it’s like second nature.
I get to the course about 2 hours before my tee time to eat. I'‘ll do a 30-minute pre-round warmup with exercises that I’ve built up with UGP throughout the years. About an hour and 10 minutes before my tee time, I head to the putting green and start with fundamentals— mirror work, alignment, tempo. I move on to lag putting, short putts right-to-left and left-to-right starting the ball on the line, and 5-10 footers with a full routine.
I move on to short game, chipping and bunker shots, getting a feel around the green. On the range, I’ll start with fundamentals again. A drill I do is to put a tee down and practice clipping the ball off the tee to help with impact and make sure I’m not too steep. From here, I just move up the bag, using my alignment stick. Once I’m set with alignment, I’ll move into ball flight and visualizing shots, keeping the ball on the correct side of the pin. And with my 3-wood and driver, it’s tempo.
For morning tee times, I just work on my yardage book the night before. I wake up 3 hours before my tee time. So sometimes if my tee time is at 6:30am, I have to wake up at 3:30am. But it’s all part of the job.
Q: What are the biggest differences between playing on the Korn Ferry Tour vs the PGA Tour?
A: Courses are a bit tougher on the PGA Tour and the players are better. You need to be smarter and more patient on the PGA Tour, and par is a good score a lot of the times. On the Korn Ferry Tour courses, you can usually be more in “attack mode” and go for birdies.
The Korn Ferry Tour has gotten so strong in the past few years though. Players are good and they’re young, and it’s not as big of a gap as it may have used to be. Maybe other than the top 10 players in the world, a lot of the Korn Ferry Tour guys are just as good as the PGA Tour guys.
Q: What are the strongest and weakest parts of your game?
A: The strongest is that I’ve always been a good driver and iron player. I’d say chipping and putting is a bit more inconsistent than ball striking. The weakest is my mental game— I can be impatient and a bit of a perfectionist, so I can get frustrated with myself. Learning how to snap out of that and forgive myself faster will help me.
Q: What has been the biggest improvement or change in your game since turning professional?
A: Being professional. I was a kid coming out of school, probably pretty ignorant. Life kicks you in the butt sometimes and I had my fair share of ups and downs. I’ve gotten better every year and I’m learning about myself, how to manage myself, and what my needs are. I also got a new coach so my swing is better and more consistent.
Q: What does your typical off day look like?
A: I always come to UGP and work out with Matt. I don’t like to sit around, so I enjoy paddleboarding, playing basketball, going to the beach, and going to national parks. Definitely outdoorsy.
Q: If you weren’t playing on tour, what career would you have?
A: I never thought I wasn’t going to turn pro or wasn’t going to be one, so I never really thought about it. But since I wanted to major in Geography in college, have always been an outdoorsy person, and was always interested in science— the ocean, tornadoes, hurricanes, and weather— I’d probably be doing something in that realm.