Angry golfers who won't practice or take lessons...

[Barking_Mad]

I play once or so a week with my work buddy. Nice guy, great company, but doesn't and won't practice, won't get a lesson (keeps saying he will then conveniently walks past pro shop) is OK off the tee but is terrible at chipping, bunkers and short putts. Regularly results in swearing, club throwing, club swooshing etc. Scores 95 to 105 on a regular basis.

It's amusing now, but I just don't get the anger at something he can't do and won't make any effort to get better at. If I couldn't play a tune on the guitar I wouldn't throw it across the living room.

Golf. What's that about?

 

[Golfnut1957]

You've been playing with my mate.

He's not a club chucker, but he gets very frustrated for someone who hasn't got the foggiest idea about the rudiments of the swing, and despite numerous conversations he has no intension to do so. As a consequence, all of his practise sessions are just practising the same rubbish swing, which is a bit weird as he knows it's rubbish, he knows that he is engraining rubbish, he's desperate to improve but won't do anything technical about it, and still he gets annoyed.

Like I said, weird.

 

[Billysboots]

To be fair, this doesn’t just apply to poor golfers.

My regular playing partner is low single figures, and is capable of shooting well under par. But his game is built around hitting fairways and greens. If he misses a green his short game is woeful. And I mean really, really bad.

He cannot chip to save his life, and if he has to use any loft around a green to carry a bunker then, more often than not, he’ll end up in the sand. As a consequence of these struggles he just gets angrier and angrier, to the point where his behaviour can be downright embarrassing.

He’s had one lesson. Yes, one. It’s quite clear he needs a series of lessons, and if he invested in them he would be scratch or lower, of that there is absolutely no doubt. But because he often gets away with a chipping technique which is the ugliest thing you will ever see on a golf course, he refuses to put his hands in his notoriously deep pockets to pay for any further instruction.

The problems are two fold. A refusal to accept his technique around the greens is shocking. And the fact that, despite having money to burn, he is the tightest man I have ever met. And until he concedes there is a problem in both areas he will continue to behave in a boorish manner when things aren’t going his way.

 

[SteveJay]

To be fair, this doesn’t just apply to poor golfers.

My regular playing partner is low single figures, and is capable of shooting well under par. But his game is built around hitting fairways and greens. If he misses a green his short game is woeful. And I mean really, really bad.

He cannot chip to save his life, and if he has to use any loft around a green to carry a bunker then, more often than not, he’ll end up in the sand. As a consequence of these struggles he just gets angrier and angrier, to the point where his behaviour can be downright embarrassing.

He’s had one lesson. Yes, one. It’s quite clear he needs a series of lessons, and if he invested in them he would be scratch or lower, of that there is absolutely no doubt. But because he often gets away with a chipping technique which is the ugliest thing you will ever see on a golf course, he refuses to put his hands in his notoriously deep pockets to pay for any further instruction.

The problems are two fold. A refusal to accept his technique around the greens is shocking. And the fact that, despite having money to burn, he is the tightest man I have ever met. And until he concedes there is a problem in both areas he will continue to behave in a boorish manner when things aren’t going his way.

Blimey, the rest of his game must be amazing if he can get to low single figures and yet be that bad around the greens!!

 

[Billysboots]

Blimey, the rest of his game must be amazing if he can get to low single figures and yet be that bad around the greens!!

Rarely misses a fairway and will often hit greens. And he putts well. So he can put together some exceptional scores. I played with him once when he knocked it round seven under gross off the back tees.

His bad rounds all come when he’s missing greens.

 

[jim8flog]

My brother and I both started playing golf around the same time early 90s
He is so stubborn that he reckons he does not need anybody to teach him even gets annoyed when I give him advice.
He has never broken 100 on a par 70 (or there abouts) in his life.

Mind you at one time he was a superb putter.

 

[VVega]

My brother and I both started playing golf around the same time early 90s
He is so stubborn that he reckons he does not need anybody to teach him even gets annoyed when I give him advice.
He has never broken 100 on a par 70 (or there abouts) in his life.

Mind you at one time he was a superb putter.

Out of interest, does he still play? What part of the game does he enjoy as it’s difficult to imagine scoring over 100 every time being much fun.

 

[jim8flog]

Out of interest, does he still play? What part of the game does he enjoy as it’s difficult to imagine scoring over 100 every time being much fun.

He rarely plays these part of which comes from us now living a long way apart and others he used to play with disappearing, age and hip problems
He does play with his son from time to time.
He is just happy to hack it around I assume, always happy to say yes to a game.

 

[jim8flog]

My brother and I both started playing golf around the same time, late 70s.
He is so stubborn that he reckons he does not need anybody to teach him even gets annoyed when I give him advice.
He has never broken 100 on a par 70 (or there abouts) in his life.

Mind you at one time he was a superb putter.

 

[bobmac]

Rarely misses a fairway and will often hit greens. And he putts well. So he can put together some exceptional scores. I played with him once when he knocked it round seven under gross off the back tees.

His bad rounds all come when he’s missing greens.

Send him a link to this vid...
Try and hit the ball under the shaft, if you get it right, the ball will go over the shaft

 

[BiMGuy]

Most golfers say they want to lower their handicap and shoot lower scores, in reality they don’t want to lower their handicap’s, they want to shoot 40 points without putting in too much effort.

Even when you see people at the range or round the practice area, they are aimlessly beating balls with no real idea as to what they are doing. They might even have had one lesson, yet they will complain they aren’t getting any better.

 

[Orikoru]

Lessons aren't the be all and end all you know. Not everyone responds well to them.

The most frustrating thing about golf is the inconsistency of it. If you play tennis once a week, or football once a week, you get to a certain standard and stay there. You don't suddenly forget how to hit it inside the lines one week, or forget how to kick a ball. Golf on the other hand... I personally get frustrated in any sport, when I don't meet the standard that I know I'm capable of. Golf is the hardest one to do that regularly though.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Lessons aren't the be all and end all you know. Not everyone responds well to them.

The most frustrating thing about golf is the inconsistency of it. If you play tennis once a week, or football once a week, you get to a certain standard and stay there. You don't suddenly forget how to hit it inside the lines one week, or forget how to kick a ball. Golf on the other hand... I personally get frustrated in any sport, when I don't meet the standard that I know I'm capable of. Golf is the hardest one to do that regularly though.

You are correct, but if you want to improve, and you don't respond to lessons, then you will have to do something else. You are going to have to work it out for yourself and apply, usually through trial and error, what you have learnt.

The point of this thread is those people who don't apply themselves in any shape or form to doing something positive to improve but then rant, rave and generally go off on one when golf constantly gives them a kick in the proverbial.

 

[Singlefiguregokfer]

Some of us struggle to practice…my back is knackered after 10 minutes hitting balls.

 

[VVega]

The most frustrating thing about golf is the inconsistency of it. If you play tennis once a week, or football once a week, you get to a certain standard and stay there. You don't suddenly forget how to hit it inside the lines one week, or forget how to kick a ball. Golf on the other hand..

So true. I’ve had periods of having lots of lessons/practice/rounds vs periods of less of everything and can’t say how it translates to my score ever.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

You are correct, but if you want to improve, and you don't respond to lessons, then you will have to do something else. You are going to have to work it out for yourself and apply, usually through trial and error, what you have learnt.

The point of this thread is those people who don't apply themselves in any shape or form to doing something positive to improve but then rant, rave and generally go off on one when golf constantly gives them a kick in the proverbial.

More to the point, no one can improve only playing once a week.

 

[Orikoru]

You are correct, but if you want to improve, and you don't respond to lessons, then you will have to do something else. You are going to have to work it out for yourself and apply, usually through trial and error, what you have learnt.

The point of this thread is those people who don't apply themselves in any shape or form to doing something positive to improve but then rant, rave and generally go off on one when golf constantly gives them a kick in the proverbial.

Yeah, it does get me when the fairweather 6-8 rounds a year golfers get angry and wonder why they're not better than last year.

More to the point, no one can improve only playing once a week.

Only once a week? You ask my wife and she'll tell you that's a lot!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've been Mr Angry on a course and beaten myself up over a duffed chip or thinned bunker shot and it has still be stewing three holes later. I have been doing a lot of work using the Karl Morris and others podcasts to really get some clarity into a pre-shot and especially post-shot routine and some acceptance that I am not a good golfer in the great scheme of things and I do it for "fun".

However I am a believer that if someone has a fundamental swing flaw it needs some sort of professional intervention to at least identify the issue and give some fixes. How far the player then takes that is an individual choice and even if they don't work on it at least they have some knowledge on the issues and can try to minimise the problem on each shot

I don't know who said it but there is a great quote along the lines of if you keep doing the things you are doing you'll keep getting the results your getting. In other words change something (lessons or in the case of my long game a brand new swing) and work on it. My short game is my weakest spot by miles and I am making changes to improve it (a long way to go) but I know if I can get this up to even a 4/10 I am saving shots on where I am now

 

[clubchamp98]

To be fair, this doesn’t just apply to poor golfers.

My regular playing partner is low single figures, and is capable of shooting well under par. But his game is built around hitting fairways and greens. If he misses a green his short game is woeful. And I mean really, really bad.

He cannot chip to save his life, and if he has to use any loft around a green to carry a bunker then, more often than not, he’ll end up in the sand. As a consequence of these struggles he just gets angrier and angrier, to the point where his behaviour can be downright embarrassing.

He’s had one lesson. Yes, one. It’s quite clear he needs a series of lessons, and if he invested in them he would be scratch or lower, of that there is absolutely no doubt. But because he often gets away with a chipping technique which is the ugliest thing you will ever see on a golf course, he refuses to put his hands in his notoriously deep pockets to pay for any further instruction.

The problems are two fold. A refusal to accept his technique around the greens is shocking. And the fact that, despite having money to burn, he is the tightest man I have ever met. And until he concedes there is a problem in both areas he will continue to behave in a boorish manner when things aren’t going his way.

My mate off scratch is the worst bunker player I have met.
If he goes in a bunker he’s toast.

I have tried numerous times to teach him to open the face and present the bounce to the sand.
But he rolls his wrists on every shot and he’s brilliant at it but that dosnt work in sand.

You can see the frustration on his face and mine
He’s been like this for over 30 yrs.

But as he says “ I don’t go in a bunker very often”

 

[VVega]

He rarely plays these part of which comes from us now living a long way apart and others he used to play with disappearing, age and hip problems
He does play with his son from time to time.
He is just happy to hack it around I assume, always happy to say yes to a game.

Actually, just had a realisation, when I started I was shooting over 100 every time I played and yet was still happy and excited to play. Was I happy with the score - no, was I enjoying the golf bug - absolutely.

It looks like it’s easy to loose perspective and assume that only better golf can be enjoyed.