Great shot

[sunshine]

As long as they / you / anyone doesn’t pipe up with the ultra annoying refrain, “Golf shot”, I don’t care what anyone says when they’re trying to be polite

Edit: I think this comes from YouTube and the ultra annoying Rick and Guy

More annoying than that, I'll raise the stakes with "that's money".

Only ever uttered by influencers, who are generally annoying attention seekers to begin with,

 

[Tashyboy]

On the polar opposite, a good few years back a Pp hit a fantastic drive on a hole called “ Zig zag”. He put himself in a position to hit a three wood over the trees and pond onto the green. It had a 99% failure shot written all over it. I can still see it now.It was a thing of beauty and finished 3ft from the pin. A glorious two shots on a par five. Me and another PP were buzzing for him and we told him so. Another PP never said a single word. The guy who hit the two shots was bloody livid. He said to me “he will never play with the miserable sod ever again, if he cannot be happy when his PPs hit good shots then he can sod off”. OTT praise is better than non.

 

[clubchamp98]

Lad I play with now and again is 84 yrs old cracking lad off 32 cap.
He hits the ball about 100 yds off driver straight as a die .
So I am saying “ good shot John” about four times every hole.

A wiz kid at work in electronics made me a little box that said “Good shot John “ when I press the button.
He loves it and like footy players puts his hand to his ear until I push the button.
We have a great laugh he’s a pleasure to play with and speedy for his age.

I don’t use it on any other John !

 

[Voyager EMH]

Yes! Every amateur game is meant to be for fun.
I have fun every single time I play. It doesn't matter whether I win or lose, play well or badly, the only thing that matters is enjoyment. If I was playing to put bread on the table it would be a different matter, but I'm not.
I could be doing countless other things but I choose to spend my money and my time on golf. I can't comprehend voluntarily giving up my money and my time on something that I don't consider fun.

As I said, I also have fun playing golf at times.

But attempting to make the best score that I can on every hole that I play (player's responsibilities) requires some serious approach to it.
Achieving one of the most memorable and best scores of your life can even be stressful over the closing holes.
Very satisfying if it turns out well when the final putt goes in.
The fun could start once the sense of relief passes.

I actually thrive on that kind of experience. It is what I'm seeking when playing competitive golf. The sense of achievement is very satisfying rather than fun.
But I retain the approach of enjoying-the-game and don't get very grumpy when things don't go so well.

 

[LincolnShep]

As I said, I also have fun playing golf at times.

But attempting to make the best score that I can on every hole that I play (player's responsibilities) requires some serious approach to it.
Achieving one of the most memorable and best scores of your life can even be stressful over the closing holes.
Very satisfying if it turns out well when the final putt goes in.
The fun could start once the sense of relief passes.

I actually thrive on that kind of experience. It is what I'm seeking when playing competitive golf. The sense of achievement is very satisfying rather than fun.
But I retain the approach of enjoying-the-game and don't get very grumpy when things don't go so well.

Why would/should this be stressful? What difference will it make to your life, or anyone's life? You try your best and the putt goes in, or it doesn't go in - either way it's just a number on a piece of paper.

 

[Backache]

Why would/should this be stressful? What difference will it make to your life, or anyone's life? You try your best and the putt goes in, or it doesn't go in - either way it's just a number on a piece of paper.

I think if you put in effort to improve, you generally set a degree of importance to it. The best golfers in the world don't generally need more money they have far more than I will ever have but they get nervous. Although in the overall scheme of things no golf score is important including JJ Spauns , if you enjoy and try hard at golf and are on a very good score without a few of the butterflies flying I think you are a bit unusual.

 

[Orikoru]

Why would/should this be stressful? What difference will it make to your life, or anyone's life? You try your best and the putt goes in, or it doesn't go in - either way it's just a number on a piece of paper.

It's different mindsets. I grew up playing sports - mainly tennis when I was younger, then football. But no matter what it was, if I didn't play to what I feel I was capable of, I would be annoyed. I'm not deliberately feeling that way, it's just how I've always been. And that hasn't changed now I'm older, except golf is the only sport I have left now. So if I have a shocking round it is very hard for me to brush it off and say it doesn't matter. I am trying hard to be more like that though, because overall I think it would benefit me to have that attitude. It's just hard to change a mindset you've had since you were 10.

 

[LincolnShep]

I think if you put in effort to improve, you generally set a degree of importance to it. The best golfers in the world don't generally need more money they have far more than I will ever have but they get nervous. Although in the overall scheme of things no golf score is important including JJ Spauns , if you enjoy and try hard at golf and are on a very good score without a few of the butterflies flying I think you are a bit unusual.

You're talking about butterflies, VEMH was talking about stress. I see a world of difference between these two things. Stress is a serious burden on your mental health, butterflies are not.
However, maybe you're both talking about the same thing but choosing different words to describe it.

 

[Backache]

You're talking about butterflies, VEMH was talking about stress. I see a world of difference between these two things. Stress is a serious test of your mental health, butterflies are not.
However, maybe you're both talking about the same thing but choosing different words to describe it.

There are very different levels of stress and different stressors . Stress is a normal part of day to day existence and is not usually a threat to mental health unless it is continuous.
The butterflies in your stomach is the same physiological mechanism of heightened arousal and sympathetic nervous system activity as other forms of stress.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Why would/should this be stressful? What difference will it make to your life, or anyone's life? You try your best and the putt goes in, or it doesn't go in - either way it's just a number on a piece of paper.

The answer to the "why" is - I don't really know. Golf has been a huge part of my life for the 55 years since I started and this is just what happens to me when I play.

But I think the time might have come for me to adopt the attitude you suggest. I ought to consider that I don't have any need to prove anything to myself any longer.

I will miss that nervous tension and excitement over those closing holes though.

It might be just a number on the card - but it could be immortalised in gold leaf on the clubhouse wall. But again - I've got plenty of them so why strive for more?
Take-it-easy-time for me from now on.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Voyager EMH]

There is a big difference between temporary stress that disappears as you walk off the 18th green (and you know it will) and the type of stress endured by a sub-postmaster who goes through a trial and several months of prison for the crimes of other people. That is a living hell and it is felt with every breath taken eating away at the mind.

 

[sunshine]

Why would/should this be stressful? What difference will it make to your life, or anyone's life? You try your best and the putt goes in, or it doesn't go in - either way it's just a number on a piece of paper.

This is actually a really good question and made me reflect. I think people get stressed if they perceive a risk of things going wrong.

Everyone has a different perception of the chances of things going wrong. I was extremely relaxed on my wedding day. My wife said she felt quite stressed getting ready and preparing to walk down the aisle, but after the ceremony she was fine. She had a different perception of what could go wrong.

When I’m standing on the first tee in a medal, I think about a lot of things that could go wrong, I could hook it OOB, slice it into the trees, shank it on to the practice putting green with a dozen people milling around. All of those outcomes will ruin my chance of scoring well, I know it doesn’t really matter but my brain perceives a risk of things going wrong and this causes me stress.

 

[Orikoru]

This is actually a really good question and made me reflect. I think people get stressed if they perceive a risk of things going wrong.

Everyone has a different perception of the chances of things going wrong. I was extremely relaxed on my wedding day. My wife said she felt quite stressed getting ready and preparing to walk down the aisle, but after the ceremony she was fine. She had a different perception of what could go wrong.

When I’m standing on the first tee in a medal, I think about a lot of things that could go wrong, I could hook it OOB, slice it into the trees, shank it on to the practice putting green with a dozen people milling around. All of those outcomes will ruin my chance of scoring well, I know it doesn’t really matter but my brain perceives a risk of things going wrong and this causes me stress.

Golf is the most paradoxical sport going. You hit down to make the ball go up, if you swing across it to the left it goes right, and the only way to play well is to genuinely not care if you play well or not.

 

[Mandofred]

The "good shot" comment used to bother me......only a tiny bit now. It's just another "habit" that is ingrained in a lot of golfers. Some people just HAVE to say something when another person is teeing off.....no, you don't have to. I try to not get caught up into these kind of things, I'll say "good shot" when it is a good shot for you. Not just a shot that didn't kill somebody....but an actual good shot. I often hear this on the greens as well....guy hits a 20 foot putt and somebody says "good effort"....or "unlucky"....and ball is nowhere near the hole.

I don't mind shaking hands at the end of a match....even though we've all had a pee in the trees at some point. But there was one time at my first club where we were playing in a rollup with an extra £1 on the front, back, and end results. Someone decided we needed to shake hands maybe around the 14th hole because the match had been decided. We shook hands a hole or two later when the back 9 was decided. We shook hands at the end as well. What the heck! I wonder why they didn't force a hand shake after the front 9 as well.

 

[Swango1980]

I have a friend off single figures who doesn't drive the ball very far but hits almost every fairway. I say 'nice shot' after virtually every one of his drives, just because hitting the fairway is a big deal for me! I'm now worried that I'm annoying him - thanks for that.

Is this you mate you has a reputation for being "aggressive"?

 

[Hobbit]

Different people apply different metrics to their enjoyment and what motivates them. Equally, some people can be very down on themselves if it doesn’t go right.

My ambitions when stepping on the first tee was to enjoy myself and enjoy the company. Broken down, that’s beat my handicap, then if it was slipping, stay no worse than the buffer zone. After that, ah well there’s always next week. All through that, enjoy the craic.

Once the clubs were in the boot of the car, go have some craic with the rest of the roll up.

Paying the bills wasn’t golf dependent, so why get all hot under the collar? Stress? Ok there might be a flutter if there was a potential good score with only a couple of holes left but in that instance I’m exactly where I want to be - revel in it…

 

[sunshine]

There is such a thing as a healthy amount of stress. It’s good to push yourself

 

[LincolnShep]

Is this you mate you has a reputation for being "aggressive"?

Sadly, yes. That is his biggest flaw.

 

[Swango1980]

Sadly, yes. That is his biggest flaw.

At least you can rest your voice from having to say "nice shot" when he is in a bunker

 

[LincolnShep]

The answer to the "why" is - I don't really know. Golf has been a huge part of my life for the 55 years since I started and this is just what happens to me when I play.

But I think the time might have come for me to adopt the attitude you suggest. I ought to consider that I don't have any need to prove anything to myself any longer.

I will miss that nervous tension and excitement over those closing holes though.

It might be just a number on the card - but it could be immortalised in gold leaf on the clubhouse wall. But again - I've got plenty of them so why strive for more?
Take-it-easy-time for me from now on.

Thanks for the advice.

Please don't take my advice. If you try to think like me you might end up playing golf like me, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.