Are you playing to win / compete or making up the numbers? Pessimistic?

I play for enjoyment first and foremost - that doesnt mean its not nice to win - every time i play i just try and play to my best that day, if its good enough then great - if not then there is another day. Its not my job - i dont rely on winning to support me and my family - its a great social game and it just try to relax and enjoy it.
 
Agreed on the enjoyment factor, just thought it was funny to give up before your first shot of the day. Then again I'm seeing so many pessimistic people since I started headspace 👍 its not all doom and gloom.
 
every time i play im thinking of nothing but winning ,it dosent always work out ,but im trying to win every time i play, it dosent become less enjoyable or that im grumpy if it all go`s pete tong .i play to win ,be it a friendly knock with mates or the club champs.i look at it that every shot is a challenge and i try to win that challenge .
yeh im competitive and always have been no matter what sport i played ,if im not giving 100% then i just as well not be playing as i cant just knock it around the course and not try my best on every shot.
 
ParParTripleBogey said:
In order of importance:

- Strike the ball well
- Show consistency
- Buffer
- Get cut
- To win

In short, Im not really in it to win. Im in it to get better, enjoy my golf and if I win anything, it's a bonus. I obviously want a cut too but when I start out, my first objective is to try and buffer. And in buffering, it's likely to be because I was striking the ball well (relatively speaking). Im far more accepting of a poor score than I am of poor ball striking. The latter should sort the former over the longer term.

Wild inconsistency is when my golf is least enjoyable so Im focusing or trying to be consistent (even if the scoring is very average) and enjoy it. The other benefits will hopefully follow.
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This is me as well, pretty much word for word 😁
 
I play to enjoy it every time and despite how it may come across on here, it's something I'm achieving in 2017. If it's a match play I'll want to win, but if I play well and get beaten by a better player then shake hands and move on. Similarly (as happened yesterday) if you play well in a strokeplay event and someone comes in with a better score to pip you, then nothing you can do. Enjoy the fact you had a good day and a cut and try again next week
 
Handicap comps are just a lottery so I never worry about winning, nice if I do but all I ever want is a handicap cut.

Scratch, yeah, I'm always trying to win. It's hard though!
 
I've always been competitive. So no matter what sport or game it is, my intention is to win.

The beauty of golf though is that "winning" for me is beating my handicap. I love the fact that no matter what anyone else does I still have something I can try to beat.

So when I lose to someone else (with a higher or lower handicap than mine), I really don't care as long as I feel I've played well.
 
I am not a very competitive person. I really don't care that much about winning (even though of course I like it if it happens, but I dont "play to win"). Actually, one of the things that makes golf more attractive to me than other sports is the fact that it feels less "competetive" in the sense that players are usually pretty supportive of each other and genuinely want the others to hit good shots as well.

I try to beat my handicap, but even if I fail to do that, I try to take all the positives from the round that I can.
 
Why go out without wanting to win?? That's just nuts. If you dont think about winning you rarely will. Be positive people, it'll do wonders for your game.
 
I try to play the best golf I can to get a cut. Winning a pro shop voucher at my club isn't something that interests me.
In individual open though where the prizes are more. I'm all in for the win.
 
My main objective in each comp is to play reasonably well enough to get a cut or at least make buffer. I never expect to win but always believe that I can.
 
Green Bay Hacker said:
My main objective in each comp is to play reasonably well enough to get a cut or at least make buffer. I never expect to win but always believe that I can.
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Sums it up well. Always looking for the lowest score I can get to lower the handicap or at least not increase it. If I do that and some beats my score then so be it. I was taught to always play to win, but accept being beaten with good grace and if you do manage to win, do so with humility
 
HomerJSimpson said:
Sums it up well. Always looking for the lowest score I can get to lower the handicap or at least not increase it. If I do that and some beats my score then so be it. I was taught to always play to win, but accept being beaten with good grace and if you do manage to win, do so with humility
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One day you and I need to go head to head in scratch marchplay, could be quite a duel?
 
HomerJSimpson said:
Not sure it'll be the Duel in The Sun or Stenson v Mickleson but could be fun.
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If I get a membership going for next year (off to enquire on Saturday) I think it might be good. We have always had a similar path, play around the same level and both have felt on the cusp of single figures for most of our golfing life.
 
ScienceBoy said:
If I get a membership going for next year (off to enquire on Saturday) I think it might be good. We have always had a similar path, play around the same level and both have felt on the cusp of single figures for most of our golfing life.
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Go for it. Get the membership sorted, I'll get my job sorted, we'll get winter out of the way and sort something for early in 2018 somewhere
 
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