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is winning everything?

For all those who said the winning is everything - what the hell do you do on the majority of occaisons when you don't win??

Golf must be one of, if not the, only sport where a good player still gets beat many more times than they win. Even Tiger wins less than 30% of the time he pegs it up!!

Playing to win and winning being everything are two totally different things.
 
Second that.

Golf is also one of the few sports where you can't influence the result your self. You can shoot your best ever score, and still not win.

My Dad was first out in a comp once, shot net 59, but in the last 4 ball a guy also had a net 59, and he lost on count back. Great golf, but no win. Got to be happy with a net 59.
 
If i play well and get beat then i've no issue as i couldn't have done more on the day - just other golfers have played out of their skin to beat me. If i win a game playing poorly thats an added bonus.
Having just a few £'s on a game always helps me keep my focus and i always keep going as you never know in this game!
The 19th is even more prevelent for when i play badly and I lose :D
 
You have to play to do your best with evey shot and the only thing IMO that can drive that is winning whatever it is, your mates £10, Monthly medal or the Open.
 
I don't play to win. But I don't play to loose either.

I play to shoot my lowest score on the day. If I do win, it's just a bi-product of score I've shot.
 
I would like to think that the people in golf can rise above the winning at all cost attitude as seen in Paris last night.

And that is from someone who has been involved with football in a supporter, playing, secretary, director, and trustee roles for over 45 years.
 
But is it fair? Everyone has different handicaps. It would be fair if every one played off scratch, because the best golf would win. That's fair.
 
Using a handicap system that a good majority try and defend regularly creates an opportunity for average guys like me to in theory take on and beat better players. If we are going down the best score wins route there's little point teeing up even in the club stableford.

Handicaps are the most equitable way of making the game accessible to differing abilities and apart from pot hunters artificially protecting their handicap year in year out (out and out cheats in my book) most of the time it works. I play to win against better golfers where I'm getting shots and when I'm giving them away.
 
Interesting comments with one common thread. As a minimum we all seem to play to win against the course and ourselves. I've spent many a Saturday in a right mood because of how that days football, rugby, hockey or cricket match turned out. Golf is much more personalised. In the other sports I could have a stand out individual performance, still lose and be gutted. Probably because the century I hit or hattrick I scored had gone to waste. Golfs different in that if I hit my best score and lose I don't feel my effort has gone to waste and that I will have improved a little as a player. It's a bit like runners who are just happy to record a pb rather than win every race. Not everyone can be Tiger Woods or Paula Radcliffe but we all aspire to be the best we can be.
 
I doesn't matter who your opponent is....at the end of the day you are playing against yourself. Playing like an absolute prat and winning a match is, to me, a hollow victory. As I've said, I would much rather play well and lose than play badly and win.
 
Played yesterday and lost on the 18th (lipped out a 6footer for the half). Played today and won 5&4. Oddly I enjoyed yesterdays round a lot more.
 
Is'nt it all about doing your best, personnally I would not see the point in any sport if you were not going out to do your very best to win. If you have done that and still come up short then you should still be happy. If winning was the main motivation then only Tiger would still be playing this great game
 
Golf is a great game im sure we all agree,however frustrating as well,do you think its all about enjoyment or winning,i dont think theres anything beter than beating your mates and rubbing it in then taking there £2 what do you think?
Click to expand...

OK....I can see where you are coming from.

Not for me though......I prefer to see someone from my group put in a good score and be happy, even if I've "lost" or not done as well in the club comp. Then again, if I play well and still lose, I get pretty depressed....
 
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