Is golf the hardest of all games to master?
- Thread starter JohnnyDee
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Having played Football, Hockey and in particular Rugby to a decent standard, I can safely say golf is the most challenging sport for me personally.
I think golf also has a lot of restrictions which go against personal improvement even more so. For example, in all team sports you have training twice a week, it's free, and you are immediately pulled up on things, improve, etc. Whereas if you want two golf lessons a week, you're looking at £80 a week (£320 a month), plus balls (£25 a month), plus Club Fees (let's say £80 a month) minimum.
All that being said, I do feel that you can get to a good standard personally, by just practicing yourself, with the odd lesson, and concentrating on what you are doing. Oh and stealing tips from this forum 24/7 as well!! But getting to where we all want to be (Cat 1), is a very tall order, in time (that's acceptable if you want to be good at anything), but also money.
I think golf also has a lot of restrictions which go against personal improvement even more so. For example, in all team sports you have training twice a week, it's free, and you are immediately pulled up on things, improve, etc. Whereas if you want two golf lessons a week, you're looking at £80 a week (£320 a month), plus balls (£25 a month), plus Club Fees (let's say £80 a month) minimum.
All that being said, I do feel that you can get to a good standard personally, by just practicing yourself, with the odd lesson, and concentrating on what you are doing. Oh and stealing tips from this forum 24/7 as well!! But getting to where we all want to be (Cat 1), is a very tall order, in time (that's acceptable if you want to be good at anything), but also money.
On the other hand, club golf has a handicapping system to level the playing field for players of all abilities. I used to be a defender in football and I'm pretty sure that Lionel Messi & Co would run rings round me. Neither could I give Andy Murray a good game of tennis. :mmm:
I have played just about every team sport on gods planet at a reasonable club level, basketball, Rugby, football, hockey, cricket etc etc. I have also played a lot of solo sports like tennis, snooker and pool. I even tried my hands going round the BDO dart tournaments playing in them. But I can say without a doubt golf is the hardest game to get to a decent level at.
Any team sport you play, you can get away with a bad day as there are plenty of people out there to cover for you. But the weather can have an effect, and the playing surface can vary and that can effect people in different ways.
Pool and snooker, the playing surface is always the same size, even though the table can run at different speeds and the cushions can be different, you don't have to worry about weather conditions and the surface changing shot by shot.
Darts, the 'oche' length and board size is constant, or should be. The weather doesn't have any real effect and your opponent effect how you are playing.
But golf is a totally different entity. You have a ball that is nearly as big as the object you are hitting it with. The slightest angle can make the ball go somewhere you didn't want it to. No 2 shots are the same and the surface you are playing on changes drastically from shot to shot. One minute your going uphill, the next your going down it, the ball is above your feet and then it is below your feet. Nice shot from a pristine cut fairway, then your are in an area that a scythe would be more appropriate. Then just to top things off some clown has stuck a boating lake between your and your object that just loves to eat golf balls.
So is golf the most difficult game to get good at, hell yeah! It's a total bitch that just keeps kicking you in the balls, but we keep coming back for more. Think about it, if your wife was as much of a bitch to you as golf is, you would have kicked her ass out the door a long time ago. But with golf, we go out and spend another £1000 on it on the off chance we can get better and when we don't, we just spend another £1000...........
Any team sport you play, you can get away with a bad day as there are plenty of people out there to cover for you. But the weather can have an effect, and the playing surface can vary and that can effect people in different ways.
Pool and snooker, the playing surface is always the same size, even though the table can run at different speeds and the cushions can be different, you don't have to worry about weather conditions and the surface changing shot by shot.
Darts, the 'oche' length and board size is constant, or should be. The weather doesn't have any real effect and your opponent effect how you are playing.
But golf is a totally different entity. You have a ball that is nearly as big as the object you are hitting it with. The slightest angle can make the ball go somewhere you didn't want it to. No 2 shots are the same and the surface you are playing on changes drastically from shot to shot. One minute your going uphill, the next your going down it, the ball is above your feet and then it is below your feet. Nice shot from a pristine cut fairway, then your are in an area that a scythe would be more appropriate. Then just to top things off some clown has stuck a boating lake between your and your object that just loves to eat golf balls.
So is golf the most difficult game to get good at, hell yeah! It's a total bitch that just keeps kicking you in the balls, but we keep coming back for more. Think about it, if your wife was as much of a bitch to you as golf is, you would have kicked her ass out the door a long time ago. But with golf, we go out and spend another £1000 on it on the off chance we can get better and when we don't, we just spend another £1000...........
Don't know it is, how many other games could you take up, be rubbish at and still win things
Thread starter
#26
Don't know it is, how many other games could you take up, be rubbish at and still win things
I think when you look at other sports there are things that you can do during the game to change your performance. Football is a game that most of us have played at some sort of level. I played as the main striker in football and would always be pushing up on the last man.
But some days it just doesn't happen and you can't get the better of the player marking you. So what could I do, well I would probably drop a bit deeper and let my strike partner push further up and try to support him, or I would get subbed. But I could play crap and still be a winner. If it goes wrong on the golf you just have to suck it up, suffer and carry on knowing that it isn't going to get better and you have no chance of winning.
But some days it just doesn't happen and you can't get the better of the player marking you. So what could I do, well I would probably drop a bit deeper and let my strike partner push further up and try to support him, or I would get subbed. But I could play crap and still be a winner. If it goes wrong on the golf you just have to suck it up, suffer and carry on knowing that it isn't going to get better and you have no chance of winning.
I always try to remember that the pros are most likely a +5 h'cap. They play on pristine courses with beautifully prepared greens and raked bunkers, free drops appear to be given very often etc.They have their coaches, shrinks, fitness truck, club tweakers etc etc. They shoot a respectable level par 72--- hmmm that is a nett 77 - Now when we have a nett 77
It is the most difficult, frustrating but addictive game I have ever played.
But sex is better - you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it!!
It is the most difficult, frustrating but addictive game I have ever played.
But sex is better - you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it!!
S
No one ever masters golf so that probably makes it the hardest game to be good at in general terms. A huge amount of golfers never even get to a decent standard at all.
That said, from a personal perspective, I have always found tennis tougher to actually get proficient at but I haven't put the hours in to improve either. It is just a game that doesn't come easily to me.
That said, from a personal perspective, I have always found tennis tougher to actually get proficient at but I haven't put the hours in to improve either. It is just a game that doesn't come easily to me.
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Golf has to be one of the most difficult games to become good at.
Amateur golfers are up against it from the start. Firstly you have to make a near perfect swing to get a good result which is very, very hard in itself.
If you do make the perfect swing then any number of factors of club selection/shot selection/aim/weather/lie/course hazards/bad bounce can leave your ball in a terrible position and rack up the strokes, sometimes by no fault of your own.
To me I can perfectly understand why I find golf so difficult, but by no means does that offer any consolation.
I suppose when I do consider myself proficient and down to a decent handicap I can be that much more satisfied knowing how hard it's been to get there.
Amateur golfers are up against it from the start. Firstly you have to make a near perfect swing to get a good result which is very, very hard in itself.
If you do make the perfect swing then any number of factors of club selection/shot selection/aim/weather/lie/course hazards/bad bounce can leave your ball in a terrible position and rack up the strokes, sometimes by no fault of your own.
To me I can perfectly understand why I find golf so difficult, but by no means does that offer any consolation
.I suppose when I do consider myself proficient and down to a decent handicap I can be that much more satisfied knowing how hard it's been to get there.
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I've only played a very small amount of snooker and rubbish. If you get to snooker's equivalent of say 10h/cap, can you still have the equivalent of a 24 h/cap day? Or as a snooker player playing to a reasonably good level are your troughs relatively shallower.
Thread starter
#33
I would say shallower. I can never really remember coming off the table feeling useless and suicidal 😄
It was more irritation at missing an easy pot or perhaps breaking down when I had a reasonable break going (say in the 30s)
What I'm saying really is snooker was key moments and turning points in a frame or match, whereas on the course you can suffer hours of torture on a bad day
It was more irritation at missing an easy pot or perhaps breaking down when I had a reasonable break going (say in the 30s)
What I'm saying really is snooker was key moments and turning points in a frame or match, whereas on the course you can suffer hours of torture on a bad day
Don't know it is, how many other games could you take up, be rubbish at and still win things
I had days when I could pot nearly everything and other days when I couldn't pot anything, so I guess so. Our club had a handicapping system where you got a so many point start. We had a resident professional who plays in ranking tournaments with only a moderate degree of success, but in the club he seemed to make a 100 break in every game. I used to get a 100 start on him and occasionally managed to beat him. Best tactic was to play a safety shot (which I was quite good at) every time you potted a red to stop him scoring. If you went for a colour, missed and left him on a red, it was end of story! :mmm:
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Playing snooker like that is so grim. Me and my pals used to play. Three of us were around the same level. A forth who came the odd time was far better than us. He would regularly give us massive head starts and still win.
After a while we just stopped phoning him for snooker as it was sucking the life out of it. Sorry Andy
After a while we just stopped phoning him for snooker as it was sucking the life out of it. Sorry Andy
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Playing snooker like that is so grim. Me and my pals used to play. Three of us were around the same level. A forth who came the odd time was far better than us. He would regularly give us massive head starts and still win.
After a while we just stopped phoning him for snooker as it was sucking the life out of it. Sorry Andy
After a while we just stopped phoning him for snooker as it was sucking the life out of it. Sorry Andy
Of course me playing him at either was a complete waste of time for both of us - no matter what handicapping we used - it didn't work for us. And we reverted to him practicing against me - trying things out. But again that was a waste of time as I couldn't engage him in rallies he was too good - even when handicapping himself.
Ah the beauty of the golf handicapping system! Does make me wonder why so many whinge about it.
I wasn't born with too much natural ability and have had to train, practice and graft hard to get a degree of success in the sports I've taken part in. Got to an ok standard of football, decent club level wicketkeeper and did ok as a junior golfer. Especially as I get older, and with golf as my only interest, I still have to work hard to gleam any success. It doesn't come easy
Define golf in terms of 'Master'.
.... and at what (equivalent) stage have you 'mastered' snooker... or football?
I don't think it's that hard a game if you practice and have the opportunity to play. Obviously you have to be able to cope physically as even a paper cut on your thumb means you're possibly going to play crap... not exactly the same for football.
If 'Master' means getting on tour then yes it's going to be pretty tough at 46 and playing (maybe) 10 times a year.
.... and at what (equivalent) stage have you 'mastered' snooker... or football?
I don't think it's that hard a game if you practice and have the opportunity to play. Obviously you have to be able to cope physically as even a paper cut on your thumb means you're possibly going to play crap... not exactly the same for football.
If 'Master' means getting on tour then yes it's going to be pretty tough at 46 and playing (maybe) 10 times a year.
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I always try to remember that the pros are most likely a +5 h'cap. They play on pristine courses with beautifully prepared greens and raked bunkers, free drops appear to be given very often etc.They have their coaches, shrinks, fitness truck, club tweakers etc etc. They shoot a respectable level par 72--- hmmm that is a nett 77 - Now when we have a nett 77
It is the most difficult, frustrating but addictive game I have ever played.
But sex is better - you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it!!
It is the most difficult, frustrating but addictive game I have ever played.
But sex is better - you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it!!