I hate golf

Bruce1951 · July 15, 2016

Are you really being realistic in how many strokes you "threw away"? Next round with a friend, ask him to help you count the strokes you threw away. Don't compare notes until after the round when you are buying him a cold one in the clubhouse. You may be surprised how the numbers compare.

IIvudooII · July 16, 2016

Yeah I've cursed into the empty winds a few times. Grinding my teeth while bending the favorite wedge in the bag. I mumble words here and there. It is a state of mind akin to the state of mind one attempts to reason with in a methodical card game. Gambling a little at a time. Giving to take more. Taking to lose less. A shrink would say these symptoms are a mere expression of our profound need to cope with failure. No.. I say these are mere battle wounds from the illusion to be better than you really are. Yet, I continue on with this rough game because the line between performing consistently bad and performing consistently good is very thin. I love that feeling.

Celtic86 · July 18, 2016

Yeah I've cursed into the empty winds a few times. Grinding my teeth while bending the favorite wedge in the bag. I mumble words here and there. It is a state of mind akin to the state of mind one attempts to reason with in a methodical card game. Gambling a little at a time. Giving to take more. Taking to lose less. A shrink would say these symptoms are a mere expression of our profound need to cope with failure. No.. I say these are mere battle wounds from the illusion to be better than you really are. Yet, I continue on with this rough game because the line between performing consistently bad and performing consistently good is very thin. I love that feeling.

jacot23 · July 18, 2016

I think you have to be a bit of a masochist to play this game. It is one of the few activities where there is not a direct correlation between hard work and improved results.

Today I shot 47/37.

Who does that?

Me :lol:

I play a ltitle 9 hole course a lot. Shot 45 first nine, put the cart up, and got in the truck. Got half way home and changed my mind, shot 34 on the second 9 :huh:

Celtic86 · July 18, 2016

1) I like the striving more than than the actual results. Not sure I'd be as dedicated to something I'd conquered.

2) Very unfair game at times with arcane rules. Enjoy the successes more. Did you work that cut to a tight pin placement today (however I'll-advised pin-seeking may be)? Did the flop come off like you visualized? Remember the strokes you saved as often or more than the negatives.

3) It seldom hurts to get a different perspective on your swing. Perhaps take a break from your current pro and get 5 lessons over an 8-10 week span from someone else who's well-reviewed. I love the optimism of your guy telling you you have a better swing than some tour pros but your game/score is telling you in no uncertain terms he is incorrect. If he's incorrect about this, he may be incorrect about what it will take to 'fix you'. You can hit all the balls you want but if you have a fundamental swing flaw (like an over the top approach due to incorrect sequencing), you're just grooving a bad habit. In my experience, no one teacher had the complete approach for me. I got different things from each of them and created what works for me. Still a work in progress, and I like that it is. To me it's a journey more than a destination.

4) Plan your work (round) and work your plan. Throwing away strokes can frequently be tied to a very loose mental approach. Do you have a clear idea of where you want your shot to start? If your game is fade-oriented, are you setting yourself up for a slice instead on a dogleg by opening your stance AND opening up your club face 'just to make sure'? On testy shots do you get quick due to nerves (and thereby possibly come over the top and pull it left)? If you don't have a consistent approach to your game, then the results aren't able to be consistent. All shots mean the same thing and if you can internalize that - i.e., one drill (swing) with interchangeable drill bits (clubs) - you should have better results. But remember, it's the process not the outcome you should be focusing on.

5) It's ok to take breaks. Even to quit. Any sane person should limit exposure to negative experiences. Maybe golf isn't your thing. Just be realistic about it. Pros will spend literally 8 hours a day for a couple of days just working on hand position (for example). Who are we to expect to be scratch hitting the range 2x a week, the putting green only before rounds, and playing 27-36 holes a week? It's a much harder game than that.

Good luck.

uitar9 · July 18, 2016

Good point-expectations-mine are too high-Considering my HC why should I expect I'm gonna shoot even 85 every time out

ruascott · July 19, 2016

I've been playing much better once I decided I no longer cared that much about how I played.

Webby58 · July 20, 2016

Is this you?

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6YtYFuKLsM[/media]

kiteman · July 20, 2016

I played today for the 1st time in a couple of weeks, but have been playing quite a bit this year. I started well, but ended up with a horrible round. I thought back and realized that I just frittered away 14 strokes...not because of golf "talent" per se, but just because of silly mistakes or easy shots that I missed (and I didn't make ANYTHING with the putter even though I was hitting my lines and speeds but just burned edges).

Anyway, I thought about my journey in golf, and I honestly can't think of any activity I've spent any time with in my lifetime that I've invested so much time, energy and money into yet got so little back in return. I spend a fortune on golf (clubs, clothes, memberships, greens fees, etc.), and I also spend a lot of time away from my family and job for golf (which probably also costs me). I have improved a lot over the last 5 years, but I seem to be backtracking right now.

I've got a good swing. And at different times, I can be a really good putter and can be really sharp with short game and can drive it well and can hit irons where I want...but I can never put it all together, and I can practice/ practice/ practice something and it will get better sometimes but will also blow up whenever it is really inconvenient.

I've "quit" golf twice before, and I'm very close to doing it again. It is just insane how much I put into it to get so little out of it.

Oh boy have I been there! I have a few tips from my own experiences:

1. stop taking score. I did a long time ago. I now get a lot more enjoyment out of reaching a 590yd par 5 in 2 shots even if I 4-putt, or hooking the ball around a tree onto the green even if it's my 8th shot after 3 balls went in the water before it, or sinking the 40ft double breaker putt for a quadruple bogey. You'll be surprised how much more fun golf is when you stop focusing on the score

2. start playing with a buddy and play scramble only. My buddy and i only play scrambles (we don't get to play together very often), and no matter how badly we both may be playing, we can always muster something around 75.

3. start playing a non-18 hole round. Play like 15 holes and stop. I know this is kind of ridiculous sounding to some people, but if you stop at 15 holes then you won't be able to get mad at not breaking 90. Instead, you'll just be mad you didn't finish those last 3 holes, which will in turn make you want to go play again :P

I realize some of these things are silly, but remember golf is just a hobby, and like all hobbies it should be 95% fun and 5% frustration. Any other ratio and you're doing it wrong.

q-school · July 22, 2016

There is no way you spend more money than me. Unless you are bob parsons. There is no human being with a real job that spends more time fruitlessly practice than me. The game hates me. The most frustrating thing is when someone kindly suggests lessons. What an original idea!!! I've been getting lessons longer than half the board has been alive.

I've never been as low as 13 handicap.

But I've never thought of quitting. I'm a glutton for punishment! Ask my wife! :)

Have fun out there. :)

ctmason_98 · July 26, 2016

It often isn't more complicated than, "if you don't enjoy it, don't do it."

Yes, I have cussed and gotten angry or disappointed in the course. The solution was always to take a step back and get perspective.

You're going through this life once. If you're playing golf for some sort of arbitrary challenge or goal what does that amount to?

It took me a long time to even understand what "having fun" was when it came to hobbies. As a kid I played sports because my friends were, I thought it's what kids do, I wanted to "be the best" or "be dedicated to winning."

I didn't enjoy 90% of it. For me, that was 90% wasted time I'm not getting back.

I have more fun practicing, learning through lessons from different perspectives, and being around the game generally, than I typically do playing 9-18 holes. So I play few rounds relative to others here and don't care about competitions.

The game is yours to make what you will of it. Either enjoy it or do something else.

Agent Jim · July 29, 2016

I go out and play, sometimes there are ups and downs. I call my dad after every round and we talk about our good and bad shots of the week. 1300 miles separate us. He taught me golf about 25 years ago, I'm 35 and he's 66 now. I look forward to talking to my dad after the round. Any time I get a compliment about my swing I tell my dad, the guy that spent all those hours teaching me. I know it's rewarding for both of us.

Ive never wanted anything in return from golf, or expected it. But I have received something and it's better than the feeling I felt from any of my on course accomplishments. It's every time I call my dad on Monday afternoon and he says "so how did it go."

The lesson is golf doesn't owe us a thing, but it can give us a lot.

thug the bunny · July 30, 2016

my score just wasn't indicative of my skill level..I could have easily cut 14 strokes off my score today by making a few putts..not running chips out an extra 4 feet, not blocking a damn tee shot with my hybrid, etc. I know many of you will say that your score is always indicative of your game, and conceptually I get that, but it's just frustrating when you know you are capable of better (and you've proven it often before).

"Making a few putts, not running chips out an extra 4 feet, not blocking a hybrid. A low cap does those things. Just because you are 'capable' of making good shots does not mean you are a good golfer. A really good golfer hits good shots over and over and does not miss easy putts or run chips by or block hybrids. As an 8, (I haven't updated my cap in my sig), if I hit a bunch of good and mediocre shots in a round, I know I did not deserve to score well. I needed to hit almost ALL good shots, and only a few mediocre shots. It doesn't matter how pretty me swing is. It is FIRs, GIRs, scrambling, and putting. There is no such thing as "If I didn't blade that wedge to the other side of the green, I would have parred". The fact is, I did blade that wedge, and therefore I played that hole like sh!t, and I will now move on to the next hole and try to not do that again. Hitting some good shots is not remotely the same as hitting good shots over and over again.