close to quitting

[Fabia999]

Hey all.

I was playing my best golf over winter and now I'm struggling to meet my handicap. Think only one round in the past few months has beat it. It's not horrendous golf but i'm not improving. I've said if I don't sort it out by the end of the year I'm tempted to bin off the membership.

How close have you been to quitting and more importantly, what did you do to get your head back in it?

 

[Neilds]

It's only a game, you won't fail to pay the bills or put food on the table if you don't start playing better. Just go out and enjoy the fresh air and company and forget about trying to score well. Things will get better

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Hey all.

I was playing my best golf over winter and now I'm struggling to meet my handicap. Think only one round in the past few months has beat it. It's not horrendous golf but i'm not improving. I've said if I don't sort it out by the end of the year I'm tempted to bin off the membership.

How close have you been to quitting and more importantly, what did you do to get your head back in it?

Quite a few times in last last ten years I have been telling myself that I can't be bothered, it was too bad and life is for living not enduring. But TBH I don't think I ever really meant it as I know that golf is an infuriatingly difficult game, and one that is incredibly difficult to play with any great level of consistency.

On the most recent occurrence of said thinking , 2 yrs ago, and having hit a golfing 'rock bottom' I realised that I could not just keep trying to 'play through' the difficulty - instead I had to swallow the 'vanity' (correct word for me) that had me saying to one and all when things were fine 'I've never had a lesson', and go for a lesson or two.

The pro immediately identified what was fundamentally core to my terrible inconsistencies and asked if I wanted to work at changing it. It's been tough. It's already taken about two years, but there were immediate improvements - now I'm just working on making the changes 'natural'...and that's not so easy after doing the same thing for near 40yrs. But it'll be worth it.

Even yesterday I hit a couple of iron shots better than I have hit since I started on the change. I did a little dance and with a big smile on my face said to one of my playing companions that no matter how messy some things might be rest of round - I'll take these two shots home with me as proof that the changes are working.

If you really enjoy the game don't give up...but maybe invest in a lesson or two and the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched back on.

 

[Slab]

Never been close to jacking it in

About a month ago I shot a new PB (83) but that's been bookended by some truly dreadful golf (e.g the following week was 107 !) and currently I have no idea how to execute a 40yard chip/pitch shot... however if I ever want to experience another round under 85 I'm not gonna get it spending my green fee at the shops or sitting in front of the tv

I need to work through the issue/s on practice area and get out on the course as often as possible (more golf, not less)

Good luck

 

[Imurg]

Good golf comes, good golf goes...
That's the game.
Grin and bear it.
Relax..don't take it too seriously.
You'll be right

 

[IanM]

If it's only your score that motivates, you're missing out on many facets of the game. Improvement is rarely linear in any sport

 

[RichA]

It's recreation and it's great for physical and mental health, as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Stop keeping score. Play scrambles and other fun formats. Hit hero shots. Avoid the driving range.
Ask yourself what you'd do with your spare time if you didn't play golf.

 

[Backache]

I guess everyone is a little different.
For me although I try to score well, my scores don't bother me at all.
What I do find frustrating is an inability to hit the ball solidly(by my own standards, which are probably lower than many here)

Sometimes I just fail to make good contact although I can occasionally score OK it is still less enjoyable.
If it happens to me for two or three rounds I find it frustrating as a one off I accept it as golf.
When it happens over a period I usually go and first of all try on the practice range then seek a lesson.
Fortunately this has worked for me in as much as I still seem to be improving even though I'll never be a great golfer.

 

[Robster59]

I thnk it depends on your view of golf. I enjoy playing the game, and am delighted when I play well, and frustrated when I play badly. But it doesn't dominate me.
For me, there is more to my golf than just playing to handicap. Getting out on the course, enjoying the weather (whatever it is), being out in the open and doing something I love, the company of my friends, not just on the course, but before and after in the clubhouse.
Of course I alway slook to play better, that's important, but it isn't the be all and end all. Enjoy the experience.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I'm not sure that there is such a clear thing as "beating your handicap" or "playing to your handicap" as there used to be.

Maybe we should look at it as "everyone IS playing to their handicap" as handicap is what you have done in your last 20 scores.

Beating 8th best score or matching 20th score that is in best 8 is what I think about, when I feel inclined to think about the impact of my next score.

As for advice on what to do about feeling like quitting, I'm afraid I have no personal experience of that in the last 53 years of playing golf.
Playing and scoring badly for a round or spell of rounds merely amuses me and I laugh it off. Seems to have worked well for me that approach.
Tomorrow is another day.

I must have had such a spell from mid-July to mid-August last year. Those are the next 6 scores to drop off my record and none of them are in my best 8.
The only way is down for the HI in the coming weeks thanks to playing poo for a spell last year.
Always look on the bright side.

 

[BrianM]

Listen to the Bob Rotella books on audible.

 

[jim8flog]

As someone who has gone from a handicap of 5 to my current 14. I have just learnt that my game was not what it once was but that does not stop me from enjoying the game. I just have lowered my expectations.

Like yourself it is been quite a big change in a short time as well which tends to show up more with the current handicap system system than the old one.. Quite a few sub 80s last Autumn have fallen out of my 20 and as each one fell off it was a 0.5 increase. I have only played to my current handicap once in all play and that was yesterday.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Hey all.

I was playing my best golf over winter and now I'm struggling to meet my handicap. Think only one round in the past few months has beat it. It's not horrendous golf but i'm not improving. I've said if I don't sort it out by the end of the year I'm tempted to bin off the membership.

How close have you been to quitting and more importantly, what did you do to get your head back in it?

I have similar thoughts on and off over the last 3 years most recently about 2 weeks just before I decided to renew and pay the first half of my membership. The reason being I work alone, and self employed. I have always worked independently of other colleagues when employed and whilst now I still do the same job, now ai don’t really get to speak to anyone very often and thus the golf is my social aspect wellbeing.
I would say don’t worry about the numbe4 your hcp is, just try and enjoy playing.

 

[HeftyHacker]

Currently in a real rut myself and it is impacting my enjoyment of the game as I'm not scoring as well. I reckon I'll be at about 14 HI soon having been at 10 just a year ago.

Frustrating for me as I think I'm really close to playing well if I can just get my tee shots under control.

Out of interest I had a look at my best scores on My EG and most of them were just consistent but not brilliant golf ie. No birdies but just lots of pars and the occasional bogeys.

Now I'm getting 2 or 3 birdies a round but offsetting them with a lot of doubles due to lost balls off the tee.

Hopefully with a lesson or two, and just going out and focussing on enjoying the walk and company it'll all start to click again.

The social side for me can't be ignored with my mental health being as it has the past few months.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Out of interest I had a look at my best scores on My EG and most of them were just consistent but not brilliant golf ie. No birdies but just lots of pars and the occasional bogeys.

Now I'm getting 2 or 3 birdies a round but offsetting them with a lot of doubles due to lost balls off the tee.

I'm sure I saw something a few months ago regarding birdies, pars, bogeys etc. The stats show that lower handicappers don't hit that many more birdies than mid handicappers, they just hit more pars and fewer bogeys. We watch the pro's and get obsessed with birdies but actually, just keep hitting pars is excellent golf for amateurs.

 

[HeftyHacker]

I'm sure I saw something a few months ago regarding birdies, pars, bogeys etc. The stats show that lower handicappers don't hit that many more birdies than mid handicappers, they just hit more pars and fewer bogeys. We watch the pro's and get obsessed with birdies but actually, just keep hitting pars is excellent golf for amateurs.

Yeah it was a Lou Stagner stat wasn't it? I was meaning it more as in I feel the rest of my game has improved in terms of approach/putting/short game etc and that shows in the increase in birdies when I get a good drive away. But it's not much use getting pars if it's with your second ball every time .

 

[Jigger]

Hey all.

I was playing my best golf over winter and now I'm struggling to meet my handicap. Think only one round in the past few months has beat it. It's not horrendous golf but i'm not improving. I've said if I don't sort it out by the end of the year I'm tempted to bin off the membership.

How close have you been to quitting and more importantly, what did you do to get your head back in it?

When I was first an 18 handicapper I got to the point where I couldn’t play on my course but was a couple under everywhere else. Then in a comp I was 40 over through 14 holes. I picked up my ball and walked around marking the other players call. I then cancelled all golf for 4 weeks, took two weeks off and then had some lessons.

It was all after having single figure round and believing with a bit more practice I could get there. How wrong I was! Since then I’ve just seen it as a game to be played with other like minded folk and enjoy it no matter my score. It actually helped me get to 13. My philosophy now is that I will practice to become better but my focus is on enjoyment and if I play well in a comp and my handicap comes down then great. I’m certainly not chasing it though.

 

[bobmac]

The good news is you haven't suddenly lost the ability to play golf.
I'd wager something relatively small has changed and in your search for improvement you've 'fixed' something else that wasn't broken.
What you have to do is break down golf into its simplest form...
How you hit it.
Where you hit it.

If you are having problems with how you hit it, the chances are you may be swaying.
Keep your head still.

If you are having problems with where you hit it, that's down to the direction of the swingpath and clubface and maybe a little bit of aim.
The swingpath doesn't tend to change much so check your grip and aim.

 

[AussieKB]

As someone who has gone from a handicap of 5 to my current 14. I have just learnt that my game was not what it once was but that does not stop me from enjoying the game. I just have lowered my expectations.

Like yourself it is been quite a big change in a short time as well which tends to show up more with the current handicap system system than the old one.. Quite a few sub 80s last Autumn have fallen out of my 20 and as each one fell off it was a 0.5 increase. I have only played to my current handicap once in all play and that was yesterday.

Tell me how to go up 9 shots PLEASE.....
trouble is that my friends would kill me.

 

[Springveldt]

Hey all.

I was playing my best golf over winter and now I'm struggling to meet my handicap. Think only one round in the past few months has beat it. It's not horrendous golf but i'm not improving. I've said if I don't sort it out by the end of the year I'm tempted to bin off the membership.

How close have you been to quitting and more importantly, what did you do to get your head back in it?

Maybe it's course conditions as well? I normally play well during the winter when the greens are soft so even poorer strikes stop instantly but during the summer it takes me a few weeks to get used to not only the run out on the greens but also having the confidence to hit way less club than you feel you need to.

Improving isn't linear in golf, I can go for weeks on end where I'm barely playing to anything resembling my current handicap then I'll have a run of 4 or 5 weeks were something just clicks and I'll post great scores. I'm currently going through a bad patch just now, so much so that I said to my brother the other week that I honestly believed I was the worst 4 index golfer in the whole of the UK. Chunks, thins, flubbed chips, slices, the kind of shots in my mind that a 4 handicap shouldn't be hitting regularly. Going a full round without once hitting the middle of the face on any club etc. Just got to play through it (or maybe get a lesson) until the decent stuff returns.