How long have you been playing for?

[Bazep]

So this is a question about a question. I've been playing off and on since I was 9 (now 37). From the age of 13-16 I averaged 50-60 full rounds a year. From 16-20 - ave 10 rounds a year. 20-30 - ave 3 rounds a year 30-36 2 a year. If I say to someone if been playing since I was 9 they think bandit when I say 18 hc. Should I just say just starting out, or what? What do those that have taken a break say?

 

[M1ke]

I've been plying over 30 years which includes a break for about 9 years. I never count the 9 year break. I now play 5 times a week (alone mainly).

 

[Slab]

Do you just think they think this or do they actually say something?

Despite the myth, not everyone can/will ever reach low teens or better

 

[GreiginFife]

Been playing since I was 7, now 36. Played loads until I was 14 and then football took over with the occasional round thrown in, maybe 8 or 9 per year. Was playing off 8 at that point. Serious knee injury at 23 nearly curtailed all sports for me. Post recovery took the game back up almost exclusively but not as a club member (age 25 at this point). Then stopped all other sports at 30 and concentrated on golf. Rejoined a club and was given 11 HC. My son was born the following year so another set back for a couple of years but played enough to kerp HC active.
Really started to play again two years ago and finally broke single figures again this year.
The long break didnt really harm me that much to go from 8 to 11, not any more than that I have never had a lesson and dont really practice as much as I should.

 

[FairwayDodger]

So this is a question about a question. I've been playing off and on since I was 9 (now 37). From the age of 13-16 I averaged 50-60 full rounds a year. From 16-20 - ave 10 rounds a year. 20-30 - ave 3 rounds a year 30-36 2 a year. If I say to someone if been playing since I was 9 they think bandit when I say 18 hc. Should I just say just starting out, or what? What do those that have taken a break say?

Sounds similar to me, although I didn't play as much as you as a teenager. Finally joined a club in 2011 after not swinging a club for about six years beforehand. Started on 16 handicap, got a bit hooked and have been steadily improving ever since (and playing LOTS).

 

[garyinderry]

Played when the sun was shining when I was a kid. Just hit the ball found it, hit it again. No thought of what I should be doing. Didn't play comps, didn't even know stableford existed. Played purely for fun.

Joined a work society in 2008. got hooked and joined a club 2009 and actually tried to improve.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

42yrs - at varying levels of regularity through the years - with an 8yr break from regular golf 1996-2003. To be honest I don't think that many folk consider there to be any correlation between how long you have played and your handicap/ability. Implication otherwise is that my having played for 42yrs I will be better than my 10 handicap? Well I was 20yrs ago.

 

[garyinderry]

My brothers mate absolutely hates the question, "have you been playing long?''

23 years which is the same as his handicap.

 

[duncan mackie]

in my opinion the length of time you have been playing is unrelated to handicap once you have been playing for about 3 years. Without external intervention you will pretty much stay at that level until you slide with old age...

external intervention can include as small an aspect as changing the people you play with, or at the opposite end of the scale you take a summer off everything else and throw yourself and your money into the sport with a good coach, practice and playing facilities.

in practice most of us will ebb and flow with life's balances until retirement; at which point a new level is quickly established and it's then a slow slide downhill for most from there!

oh - and 40 years (late starter)

 

[Mastercracker]

Had a few lessons aged 11 and joined a club along with my Dad. Absolutely smashed it during the summer hols but golf tended to take a backseat once the football season started again. Got down to about 14. Should have been less than this but I tended to just smash everything and go for glory all the time.

Gave up when I was 15 due to a combination of a football career ending knee injury and the other kind of interests that kick in around that age! Really regret this.

15-21 - Didn't swing a club.

22-28 - Probably played between 3 to 10 times a year.

29 - After a few years where I wanted to properly get back into it I was finally in a position where I could afford to join a club without it impacting on anything else. Joined my current club last year and ended up with a handicap lower than where I left it 14 years previous.

So you could say I've been playing golf for 19 years but in reality only about 6 of em have been serious. Really wish I'd stuck with it though as a teenager, most of the lads I played with as a kid at my previous club are now off 4 or less and one of them even smashed the course record last year.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I played for 60 years, until I gave up a couple of years ago and took up bowls.
My first handicap at the age of 35 was 2.

 

[Tongo]

I started in 1999 when I was 19. These days I play about 20 rounds a year but there was a period of 3 years or so when it was, on average, once a week.

 

[turkish]

Joined club pretty much to the day last year- try and get in 2 rounds a week. sometimes only get 1 but trying to get as much in as possible as got a lot of catching up to my mates who all played as youths.

before that had knock about maybe once a year- often just picking up my ball when all over the shop

 

[Paul77]

So this is a question about a question. I've been playing off and on since I was 9 (now 37). From the age of 13-16 I averaged 50-60 full rounds a year. From 16-20 - ave 10 rounds a year. 20-30 - ave 3 rounds a year 30-36 2 a year. If I say to someone if been playing since I was 9 they think bandit when I say 18 hc. Should I just say just starting out, or what? What do those that have taken a break say?

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm 38 and only got back into it 4 months ago. I played every week from when I was 12 to 28 years old. I feel I'm a lot better now than I ever was right enough.

 

[Hobbit]

First played in July '68, but had a couple of years break when I found beer and women.

 

[Craggles89]

Officially picked up a club for the first time around 3 1/2 years ago, but due to parenthood and work, I would say I’ve been to the range to practice no more than 20 times and played around 15 courses no more than a total of 50 rounds. So I feel I am still in first gear of my golfing life and still have the problems of a beginner, but feel the ‘Im a newbie’ line is wearing a bit thin for me now. Maybe I should just say ‘Im just not very good’ from now on?

 

[the smiling assassin]

I played for 60 years, until I gave up a couple of years ago and took up bowls.
My first handicap at the age of 35 was 2.

you did pretty well to keep playing until your mid-90s, come to think about it you don't see too many 97 y/o's playing bowls either

 

[Bazep]

As I thought, most of us have had ebbs and flows to and for with golf. Quite interesting that 30s seems to be the age to really go at it again. I guess that's also the age that you start to wind down on more physical sports (there's a list of which I've decide I'm past).

Im hoping my unofficial hc comes down to the age that I started (rather than goes up to time I've been playing)!


Haven't had an offishul hc yet though.

 

[farfaeforfar]

Started when I was 11, got my first handicap of 24 at 12 by 16 I was off 4. Then work got in the way and I put the clubs away for 16 years. As in I gave most away to friends so I didn't have any to hit.

Started again when i just turned 32, spent a year playing work invites and hitting balls at the range. Now one year on, age 33 I've joined a club, played some comps and playing around a 14 handicap.

 

[Kaizer_Soze]

Got pictures of me swinging plastic clubs at 2 or 3 years old, used to hit a few balls as a kid but really started playing at about 14, by the time I was 16 was playing off 5, had a few breaks including one of about 15 years but been back playing for about a year now. Hopefully I'll keep going now that my personal life is a lot more settled.