Dan2501
Tour Winner
Using Greg Norman as an inspiration that you can get to scratch in a year probably isn't the best idea. Norman was one of those guys who was a natural athlete and had a crazy work ethic. He was a very promising surfer and played cricket and rugby to a good level, he could have turned professional in other sports. His mother, a single figure golfer herself introduced him to the game "late" in life compared to most top pros, but at 16 he still had the time to spend literally all day at the golf course. He said on his Chronicles of a Champion Golfer episode that was at the golf course from sunrise to sunset hitting balls and practicing all day, so this was a stud athlete with all the time in the world fully dedicating himself to a sport, he was bound to get good.
Most of these beginner/mid-handicap to scratch challenges are all blighted by the same thing - the need to share with the world. There are so many people who claim they want to achieve this very, very difficult feat but then waste an extraordinary amount of time writing blogs, recording vlogs, promoting their blogs and vlogs on social media and posting on every golf forum under the sun. If you actually want to achieve your dream, then go out and do it. Spend those hours that all the others that failed wasted by writing inane blog posts on the golf course, or putting at home, or chipping in the garden.
I think the truth of it though is that most people who take on these challenges don't really want to put in that hard work, they're imagining this glory at the end of the 12 months when they've done it which just isn't going to be there, but tbh I don't think most actually want to do it for the personal achievement. A lot that I've seen want some sort of minor celebrity YouTube status than they actually want to achieve their so-called goal, because at the end of the day, the work that goes into getting from hacker to scratch is, I imagine, incredibly tedious. If you've got any sort of life outside of golf you very quickly realise what you're giving up, whether that's time with a wife or girlfriend, or with children, or it's just daydreaming sat at the desk of a job you hate.
I had these crazy goals a couple of years after taking up the game, considering getting into the golf industry, but very quickly realised that for me golf is a hobby, it's something I do for fun. I like playing golf and I don't mind practicing, but there are other things I like doing and other things more important than my golf game, and so for me, I'm going to try and get better at this crazy game, but at the end of the day I play for fun. I think if I was to seriously take on one of these challenges it would completely suck all of the fun out of the game I love, it would mean I would be forced to spend less time with my family and friends and ultimately I'd end up resenting the game when it doesn't come as easily as I would expect it to in my wild daydreams sat at my desk. To me, it's just not worth it. If you want to do it, and you've got the time, money and desire then fair play to you, I'm sure you'll get pretty good, if you don't, then stop putting unnecessary pressure on yourself and enjoy the game for what it is, a hobby.
Most of these beginner/mid-handicap to scratch challenges are all blighted by the same thing - the need to share with the world. There are so many people who claim they want to achieve this very, very difficult feat but then waste an extraordinary amount of time writing blogs, recording vlogs, promoting their blogs and vlogs on social media and posting on every golf forum under the sun. If you actually want to achieve your dream, then go out and do it. Spend those hours that all the others that failed wasted by writing inane blog posts on the golf course, or putting at home, or chipping in the garden.
I think the truth of it though is that most people who take on these challenges don't really want to put in that hard work, they're imagining this glory at the end of the 12 months when they've done it which just isn't going to be there, but tbh I don't think most actually want to do it for the personal achievement. A lot that I've seen want some sort of minor celebrity YouTube status than they actually want to achieve their so-called goal, because at the end of the day, the work that goes into getting from hacker to scratch is, I imagine, incredibly tedious. If you've got any sort of life outside of golf you very quickly realise what you're giving up, whether that's time with a wife or girlfriend, or with children, or it's just daydreaming sat at the desk of a job you hate.
I had these crazy goals a couple of years after taking up the game, considering getting into the golf industry, but very quickly realised that for me golf is a hobby, it's something I do for fun. I like playing golf and I don't mind practicing, but there are other things I like doing and other things more important than my golf game, and so for me, I'm going to try and get better at this crazy game, but at the end of the day I play for fun. I think if I was to seriously take on one of these challenges it would completely suck all of the fun out of the game I love, it would mean I would be forced to spend less time with my family and friends and ultimately I'd end up resenting the game when it doesn't come as easily as I would expect it to in my wild daydreams sat at my desk. To me, it's just not worth it. If you want to do it, and you've got the time, money and desire then fair play to you, I'm sure you'll get pretty good, if you don't, then stop putting unnecessary pressure on yourself and enjoy the game for what it is, a hobby.
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