This blog tells the incredible story of Reinhard - Karl Üblacker, who managed to improve his WHI from the 54 to 7.9 within just four years. During a round of golf, I had the opportunity to talk to Reinhard about how he achieved this, what discipline and perseverance have to do with it, and what it means to have a strong team behind you to make your big vision a reality.
Reinhard, you are 53 years old, you obtained your handicap during the pandemic and today, only 4 years later, you have a World Handicap Index of 7.9, how on earth is that possible?
Through discipline, perseverance and with a professional team in the background. A strategically structured training plan makes it possible to keep playing your way to the next level. Which doesn't mean that it's that easy. It takes a huge amount of training hours. You have to motivate yourself to train in all weathers, go out on the pitch and travel a lot. Thank God I'm strong enough in my head to hold on to my vision and stick with it.
Your vision is to play on the Legends Tour. Can you briefly explain the significance of the Legends Tour and how you came up with this incredible and ambitious idea?
The Legends Tour is the current name of the European Senior Tour and the official tour for players over 50. Everyone who knows me knows that when I decide to do something, I do it 100%. Several coaches confirmed my talent and so it took its course. I want to become a professional without knowing what that actually means for me.
Do you have a master plan for the “Legends Tour” and if so, what does it look like and how much time do you invest in it?
It wouldn't work without a plan. My training schedule is 6 days a week. Every day is roughly divided up from the morning routine to the evening routine. From technical and performance training to mental and athletic training. I invest around 4-6 hours a day which I spend on the golf course.
Where are you on this journey and when do you think you will have reached your goal?
I'm currently playing consistently, which is a good sign that I've consolidated my current level. The next step is to halve my handicap. I want to do that in the next 6 months! To do that, I'm going to Costa Ballena in southern Spain for 4 weeks in November to work intensively on it. The plan with my team would be to play the qualifying school for the Legends Tour in 2026. If that doesn't work out, it would still be a worldwide sensation 1 year later.
On your homepage hole-in-one-reinhard.com you present not only your project, but also your top-class team of trainers and supervisors. How did you manage to attract so much expertise to your team and how much is their contribution to your success?
The team developed from one person to the other. These people all know each other in the golf world. My team is perfect. They are all motivated and are 100% behind my vision. That is important for me so that I can feel comfortable in all directions.
On your Instagram account you regularly report on the entire golf eco-system. Do you see yourself as a golf influencer?
The influencer is becoming more and more self-evident. Through my project, my account and I as a person are becoming more and more interesting, which ultimately means that my community is growing every day. In this way, one thing comes together with the other, which helps me a lot in my project because there are always different requests from supporters.
How important is your golf clothing to you and what requirements must it meet?
Very important! They say: "even if you're not a professional, at least dress like a professional." I think you have to feel comfortable on the course. Clothing is part of building your self-confidence and being able to appear confident. That is very important in golf. And if functionality is combined with a modern style, then golf clothing is perfect. It is also important that clothing does not get in the way when playing, so it is important to me that you can cover different weather conditions with a well-thought-out layering system.
What do you do when you are not playing golf or training for it?
Resting and relaxing in my small, lovely garden. I also enjoy going to the mountains to go hiking, cycling or having fun playing a round of mini golf with friends. Visiting my family who live in Austria.
Now we come to our last question: which golf courses are in your personal ranking the top 3 that every golfer should have played at least once (Germany and internationally)?
The Achental, Riedhof, Wittelsbacher Golf Club
Pinnacle Point (South Africa), Kärntner Golf Club (Austria), Woodhall Spa (United Kingdom)