Simple game made complicated

[Mudball]

Having started playing golf in the last 10 years, i made good progress. I thought I was the next tiger and immersed myself into everything golf. I was far too obsessed and nearly signed up to American golf forum too!!! I tried to play every week and even went on a golf trip.

But then, life happened and now i spend my weekend on football or cricket fields watching kids or diy etc. This year I played 5 rounds. Of these 2 were just before Christmas. I played on a different course and with hired (beginner) clubs. I was playing with a friend who is equally obsessed. But both these games had big difference.

I did not care. I swung well, putted well, but I did not care for the result. if i hit OB, i just reloaded. It was good fun and shot a couple of birds too. I birdied his SI 1 hole too!!. Thats when i realised, the game is fairly straight forward. My obsession on swing thoughts, swing planes, Shaft stiffness, launch angle, driving distance, putting lines all went out of the window. In came the joy of the game. I did have the odd frustration when par turned to Bogie or Double. But who cared, I was out in the open, with a good mate and having a laugh. Dont get me wrong, I am still competitive/foolish. Maybe this was what made me fall in love with this beautiful game in the first place. Maybe I made it too complicated in my head

Anyone else feels like this.. Time to detox and rediscover

 

[jim8flog]

These days I hit about 5-10 balls on a range just to warm up go the tee and play.

I am still as obsessed by the game as I was 40 years ago but my obsession the days is more about playing and talking about the game rather than honing my skills.

 

[Mel Smooth]

I went through a spell of putting myself under huge pressure to reduce my handicap. I was off 21 at the time, desperately wanted to get down to 18, but I was self destructing every round with the pressure I was inflicting on myself.
Every stableford and medal became a dissapointment - meanhwhile I was playing well in the rabbits and matchplay comps.

Thankfully I got pulled by the handicap secretary.

No official handicap these days as I'm not a member anywhere but I tend to knock it round in the 80's on a good day, despite playing a lot less than when I was trying to get my handicap reduced.

Probably looking at playing about once every 3 or 4 weeks now, so I'm just going to go out there and have fun.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

When I've played well it has felt simple and straightforward. The problem is when it starts to go wrong and you fiddle for the answer. It's easy to say walk up and hit it, far harder to do.

 

[Canary Kid]

When I've played well it has felt simple and straightforward. The problem is when it starts to go wrong and you fiddle for the answer. It's easy to say walk up and hit it, far harder to do.

Isn’t it just!

 

[pendodave]

Re the o/p , it's all the hard yards that you put in back then that allow you to relax when you play now. It's not much fun as a game if you're really rubbish, so thank your previous self for its investment in your current enjoyment.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I only got good by putting in 4 days a week over the summer, I was at the club every chance I could get.

Its super hard now as I have a family, once a week to a 9 holer plus a range session is the most I will do and very rare indeed.

I only got 5 full rounds of 18 in last year, thankfully broke 90 in all 5 so there is a game in me somewhere.

I credit my time a the practice putting and short game areas. I would favour those over the range 3:1. I would work tirelessly on 70 yards and in while only really work on the long game to point of keeping out of trouble.

I got down to 11 within 18 months of taking up the game proper.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

Having started playing golf in the last 10 years, i made good progress. I thought I was the next tiger and immersed myself into everything golf. I was far too obsessed and nearly signed up to American golf forum too!!! I tried to play every week and even went on a golf trip.

But then, life happened and now i spend my weekend on football or cricket fields watching kids or diy etc. This year I played 5 rounds. Of these 2 were just before Christmas. I played on a different course and with hired (beginner) clubs. I was playing with a friend who is equally obsessed. But both these games had big difference.

I did not care. I swung well, putted well, but I did not care for the result. if i hit OB, i just reloaded. It was good fun and shot a couple of birds too. I birdied his SI 1 hole too!!. Thats when i realised, the game is fairly straight forward. My obsession on swing thoughts, swing planes, Shaft stiffness, launch angle, driving distance, putting lines all went out of the window. In came the joy of the game. I did have the odd frustration when par turned to Bogie or Double. But who cared, I was out in the open, with a good mate and having a laugh. Dont get me wrong, I am still competitive/foolish. Maybe this was what made me fall in love with this beautiful game in the first place. Maybe I made it too complicated in my head

Anyone else feels like this.. Time to detox and rediscover

That period when I became immersed in other family activities put quite the damper on my golf game. I remember it well.
I was quite the Little League baseball coach.
I taught my boys to mix Tootsie Roll candy with their bubble gum so they could spit brown expectorate while they played and look like major leaguers spitting tobacco juice.
The mothers loved me for that.

But here's the thing. It doesn't last long. Kids grow up even more quickly than we want them to.
And when that happens, there's thankfully golf to which we can go back.

 

[Jigger]

Some very good comments on here. First of all, golf isn’t simple. Courses are set up to be challenging. What I do agree with is that we make it overly complex. We see people like Bryson dechambeau analysing everything and then every you tube pro and magazine jumps all over it to give us all advice and we try and adopt it all and end up in a mess.

My example is putting. I’ve tried loads of different techniques when the reality is that I just needed to visualise the putt and practice.

 

[inc0gnito]

Trouble is that’s all fine and dandy but it’s golf. you’ll go back next time or time after feeling care free and then golf will happen and you’ll get frustrated and nothing will work and it’ll frustrate you even more that you can’t find that care free feeling you once had.

 

[IanM]

I know some great players who don’t enjoy playing.

Daft

 

[Neeko1988]

This time last year I was playing off 18, I said to myself I was going to get to single figures and my end of the summer I am now off 8.4. Thing is I was playing 2/3 times a week having a lesson every two weeks and range most nights.

Now I think the challenge I set was what kept me going. Now when I play I can be playing well but playing to 8 is difficult and most my rounds now are far less enjoyable than when I was trying to get to my target!!

 

[clubchamp98]

That period when I became immersed in other family activities put quite the damper on my golf game. I remember it well.
I was quite the Little League baseball coach.
I taught my boys to mix Tootsie Roll candy with their bubble gum so they could spit brown expectorate while they played and look like major leaguers spitting tobacco juice.
The mothers loved me for that.

But here's the thing. It doesn't last long. Kids grow up even more quickly than we want them to.
And when that happens, there's thankfully golf to which we can go back.

The Mothers loved you for teaching their kids to spit?? Jeez.

 

[Mudball]

The Mothers loved you for teaching their kids to spit?? Jeez.

Well the top ball players spit.. and it is only natural that the kids want to follow suit. I can see the logic

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

The Mothers loved you for teaching their kids to spit?? Jeez.

That was sarcasm, I'm afraid. One complained to the league president!

 

[Imurg]

What did Arnie say..?
Hit it hard, go find it, hit it hard again.....

 

[Curls]

What the Op describes is what I enjoy at a new course or when I play in the states, I don’t keep score, enjoy the banter and play care free (often very good) golf. Of course now and then I’ll hit a loose one but it doesn’t matter, just pick up, reload, drop one close to where you lost it it doesn’t matter. Just fun.

Do that with a card in your hand and you’re toast. Do it against good Matchplay opposition and they’ll mash you.

Different expectations and consequences, different game. My advice? Enjoy them both. ??

 

[clubchamp98]

That was sarcasm, I'm afraid. One complained to the league president!

You really need to use the emojis if your going to stoop to sarcasm..
I don’t blame her!!
Next her son will be chasing barmaids and crashing into fire hydrants while under the influence.

 

[Diamond]

Having started playing golf in the last 10 years, i made good progress. I thought I was the next tiger and immersed myself into everything golf. I was far too obsessed and nearly signed up to American golf forum too!!! I tried to play every week and even went on a golf trip.

But then, life happened and now i spend my weekend on football or cricket fields watching kids or diy etc. This year I played 5 rounds. Of these 2 were just before Christmas. I played on a different course and with hired (beginner) clubs. I was playing with a friend who is equally obsessed. But both these games had big difference.

I did not care. I swung well, putted well, but I did not care for the result. if i hit OB, i just reloaded. It was good fun and shot a couple of birds too. I birdied his SI 1 hole too!!. Thats when i realised, the game is fairly straight forward. My obsession on swing thoughts, swing planes, Shaft stiffness, launch angle, driving distance, putting lines all went out of the window. In came the joy of the game. I did have the odd frustration when par turned to Bogie or Double. But who cared, I was out in the open, with a good mate and having a laugh. Dont get me wrong, I am still competitive/foolish. Maybe this was what made me fall in love with this beautiful game in the first place. Maybe I made it too complicated in my head

Anyone else feels like this.. Time to detox and rediscover

It just sounds like social golf to me, which is the most enjoyable but in terms of Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs it wont get you to the Self Actualisation level.
So like many things the answer is it depends. It depends what you want to get out of it. The love of the game or the next level up.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I enjoy a lot of Neil Tappin's Golf Monthly vids on Youtube - but was actually rather depressed today by his '8 mistakes when buying equipment' one. Just sooo complicated and technical - and way over the top for me.

And he almost seemed to be suggesting that it was worthwhile considering spending nearly £500 on a new driver - on the grounds that you might not get the same breadth of components to build your perfect club if you went for 'last years model'.

And the thinking around choosing your putter according to whether you are a 'straight back and through' or 'arc' putter - sorry - Neil - it's a putter - you practice and adjust your putting stroke until it works for you. I know there are many golf equipment geeks (on here) - but if I was a newbie or considering taking the game up - if anything was going to turn me off it would be the cost and complexity of buying your gear being suggested in the video.

Golf is indeed a relatively simple game - but goodness - equipment and golf technology discussions make it seem very complicated and confusing.