To take a sabbatical or not?

[Tashyboy]

Has anyone here given up for a while and come back? Is it worthwhile stopping if you’re not enjoying it as much as you should be?

Yup I gave up for twenty years without so much as looking at a tee and it was the biggest clanger I dropped. I should of just had the odd game every couple of weeks or so. With lower expectations. It's not just the 18 holes, it's the "me time", it's the recharging yer battery's. Yeah take a rack off but don't stop the CMT.

 

[Sweep]

I gave up due to work and family for around 7 years when I was 35 - 42. I loved golf then but it just wasn't practical. Just had a few games a year. It was great to be able to get back to it on a regular basis. Now I am like the OP, could be a decent player but too inconsistent, which as I am sure we all know is very frustrating. Part of me believes that in golfing terms those 7 years were wasted and I would be a better player now if I had been able to continue. Part of me thinks it would have been easier to get to the next level when I was younger.
I also know that golf takes up way too much of my time and that there are many much more important things in life, so I guess it's about finding and maintaining a balance that's right for your situation right now.
Only the OP can decide what's best for him right now, but if he enjoys golf I would advise not to sell his clubs but just get out for a game a couple of times over the summer when time allows and be ready to get back to it as soon as he can. There are more important things in life than golf, but that doesn't mean giving up golf completely. He may even find he plays better golf when it's not so important to him.

 

[garyinderry]

Leave the game now and you will be posting about how you used to play off 18 but can't get it round with 26 shots now. Where have I gone wrong?

Play short courses, play 9 holes, pitch and putts whatever. Stay within the game. It doesn't need to take over your life.

Golf is a vital me time as someone else mentioned. Even if my time was seriously restricted I would still squeeze a solo 9 holes in somewhere before I lost my marbles. Best meditation there is. Remember that when you are stressed out with the young one.

 

[Paul77]

Golf is a vital me time as someone else mentioned. Even if my time was seriously restricted I would still squeeze a solo 9 holes in somewhere before I lost my marbles. Best meditation there is. Remember that when you are stressed out with the young one.

If I don't play 9 holes at least once a week I start to get ratty. It's just about keeping the kettle boiling.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

So I’ve been playing Golf for around 3 years now.

I hit a nice ball, I putt reasonably well and I’m not too bad at chipping. BUT I’m terribly inconsistent. I can play 9 holes 2 over par and then play the next 9 14 over. I can birdie a hole and then triple the next three and I do so on a regular basis. What I can’t do is string together 18 holes. My current handicap is 19.2 with my lowest being 18.3.

I understand the technicalities of the swing and I know what I’ve done wrong generally. I just don’t have enough time to practice with an FT job and a young family.

I’m really thinking of knocking it on the head for a few years and coming back when the kids are a little older.

We’re talking what 5-10 years when I can take the little ones up for a game? I’m not getting out what I’m putting in at the moment and it’s purely because I can’t practice enough.

Has anyone here given up for a while and come back? Is it worthwhile stopping if you’re not enjoying it as much as you should be?

I’m at a real crossroads here and with subs due in the next month I feel I may benefit from some time away from the game.

I pretty much stopped for 8 yrs when my children were 1 and 3 and we moved to a different part of country. I played occasional golf over these years but didn't really miss it after the habit was broken as I was full time enjoying young family and getting house sorted out. Joined a club with my lad when he was 11 as my wife thought it would be a good thing for him to learn and get into. Been a member ever since and I don't have any regrets over my years 'lost' to regular golf.

 

[Ethan]

If it all become stale, mix it up a bit. Play casual rounds where you hit driver off every possible tee, then a round where you don't hit any drivers at all. Play one where you try to draw every shot then one you try to fade. High/low, 3/4 punch shots etc etc. Make it fun again.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If it all become stale, mix it up a bit. Play casual rounds where you hit driver off every possible tee, then a round where you don't hit any drivers at all. Play one where you try to draw every shot then one you try to fade. High/low, 3/4 punch shots etc etc. Make it fun again.

Good idea this. I quite often will be out myself and play 'irons-only'. Good fun and it's as if I'm playing different holes. Good iron practice also. Must try more variations of sort you suggest.

 

[Slicer30]

Know how this feels, I have been in a slump since joining a new club. The move was hopefully going to relight the fire. I have enjoyed playing a new course with new challenges but the form never really picked up.

In the end I had to take a long look at what I was doing to make the golf better. In short - nothing. I was turning up every week expecting to shoot close to handicap whilst doing nothing before hand. Now the long evenings are in I have been able to get onto the course a few evenings a week, usually rocking up to the club at 8pm after I have put them both to bed. Have got a few 9 holes in as its very quiet and rarely meet anyone else. I read a few of the usual psychology books as well, which helped get the head right.

Practise what you can at home, chipping in the garden and putting on the carpet. I even videoed a few swings in the garden to see how bad things really were, not to bad in fact.

I need the golf - the thought of playing on the weekend gets me through the week when work gets stressful. Luckily for me, my wife also sees the benefits of me playing.

If getting better is the main reason, then you need to also look at other ways to squeeze in some practice. Good luck

 

[Deleted member 3432]

I play infrequently at the moment with a toddler at home and shift work meaning a lack of weekend comp golf but I enjoy practising and it helps my home club is a couple of minutes from my house.

I played this weekend after a month without playing on the course and managed to buffer in both rounds of an away course 36 hole comp. My handicap has remained static despite limited on course time in the last two years and the majority of my golf is competition golf.

It's tough, but I enjoy the challenge. It may mean more inconsistency but it is possible to play well you just have to be realistic with your expectation level when you do play.

 

[Craigg]

Good idea this. I quite often will be out myself and play 'irons-only'. Good fun and it's as if I'm playing different holes. Good iron practice also. Must try more variations of sort you suggest.

Yep. Concur with that. I sometimes go around my local 9 holer with just a 9 iron and a putter for company. Surprising how much you have to think. It's also fun and quick.

 

[la_lucha]

I think like SwingslikeHogan and Paul77 did, I am going to take a few years away from being a member. Hopefully still get out monthly for a game and if I can get to the range to practice weekly then I shall do. I have no intention of selling any gear as it's a sabbatical and not a retirement. I just feel my family life will benefit and I'll get alot more from the game when I practice and play to the level that I know I'm capable of. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[Hacker Khan]

So I’ve been playing Golf for around 3 years now.

I hit a nice ball, I putt reasonably well and I’m not too bad at chipping. BUT I’m terribly inconsistent. I can play 9 holes 2 over par and then play the next 9 14 over. I can birdie a hole and then triple the next three and I do so on a regular basis. What I can’t do is string together 18 holes. My current handicap is 19.2 with my lowest being 18.3.

I understand the technicalities of the swing and I know what I’ve done wrong generally. I just don’t have enough time to practice with an FT job and a young family.

I’m really thinking of knocking it on the head for a few years and coming back when the kids are a little older.

We’re talking what 5-10 years when I can take the little ones up for a game? I’m not getting out what I’m putting in at the moment and it’s purely because I can’t practice enough.

Has anyone here given up for a while and come back? Is it worthwhile stopping if you’re not enjoying it as much as you should be?

I’m at a real crossroads here and with subs due in the next month I feel I may benefit from some time away from the game.

Made a similar comment in another thread but you don't have to judge your enjoyment of the game by the fact you are constantly improving. Because of the handicap system which is providing an accurate and constant gauge of your ability, people kind of expect to get better and better and your handicap regularly drops. And when it does not people get all frustrated, do not enjoy it as much and kind of forget why they started to play in the first place, which is it being a fun pass time.

In reality, in how many amateur sports do people have a constant rate of improvement? What actually happens is that most people eventually reach their level and then mostly enjoy playing at that level. And there's no reason it should not be the same for golf. Golf is a hard game and to improve you need a lot of time and commitment. And if you have a family, full time job and other commitments then you may not be able to set aside enough time for this to happen. So you will be inconsistent. But this does not mean you are failing, it just means you do what the vast majority of people do in amateur sport, they find their level and mostly stay there.

So I'd say don't base your decision on the fact your handicap is not coming down all the time or that you are inconsistent, but base it on if membership is value for money. And remember to play golf for fun.

 

[Crow]

I played for 6 or 7 years and then pretty much stopped when the first mortgage came along, then kids, then a bigger mortgage etc. I only joined a club for the last couple of those years and was given an 18 handicap but never played competitions.

15 or 20 years later and I didn't think I'd ever get back into it but after playing 2 or 3 rounds a year through work for a couple of years I took the plunge and joined my old club again and love the game more than I ever did, the youngest was about 8 or 9 by then. My play had deteriorated to a horrible degree and I still carry the faults I had when I restarted.

I have a couple of regrets, the first is that I used to play all my early golf with my Dad and when I stopped he soon did. It wasn't until much later (by which time it was too late) that I realised how much he'd enjoyed it, I should have made the effort to continue to play with him even if at a reduced number of rounds.
The second is that I didn't try and get my two eldest kids into it and they now look at me gone out if I suggest it. I tried with the youngest but he didn't take to it, maybe if the elder two were playing he might have done too.

At the end of the day it's your call but if other responsibilities/priorities are weighing heavy then I'd seriously consider a break or at least becoming a nomad as suggested by others, you'll get plenty of opportunities to play if you stay around here.

Golf will always be there if you decide to come back.

 

[la_lucha]

Cheers Nick, the eldest is 4 this weekend and doesn't seem to be wanting to get into it. I'll be trying with the youngest when he gets to 3/4 and hopefully it'll be something we can do together at that stage.

 

[la_lucha]

So I'm well into this sabbatical now. My membership ended at the end of July. I've played three rounds since, two of which were on a course that I really don't like. The interesting thing is that I played within the buffer on all three.

I'm starting to really miss membership now though. Even though it's dark wet and cold outside, I'd love to be gearing up and getting down to my club.

I miss golf. :-(

 

[TheCaddie]

So I'm well into this sabbatical now. My membership ended at the end of July. I've played three rounds since, two of which were on a course that I really don't like. The interesting thing is that I played within the buffer on all three.

I'm starting to really miss membership now though. Even though it's dark wet and cold outside, I'd love to be gearing up and getting down to my club.

I miss golf. :-(

Sign yourself back up to the club and find the time to play! Even if that means going out alone at sunrise, and just handing in supplementary cards for handicap if that's what's important to you, if it isn't, just squeeze in 9 holes.

Play for enjoyment, rather than handicap.

 

[garyinderry]

Don't give up on kids because they don't take to golf when they are under 5. Try them at every opportunity.

I played now and again when I was a kid. It wasn't till I was a teenager that I played a bit more and in my 20s till I got proper hooked.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Baby is 4 months today. I'm keeping my game as a nomad and knocking it round the local par 3. Will get membership again when the baby is old enough to be interested.

If you can afford it keep the membership, if you can think of a better place for the money then relax and play when you want. I spent less than a membership on golf last year but not by a huge amount

The par 3 course allows me to get round in a couple of hours and it's 5 mins from my house. I also have a range to go during lunch at work.

 

[Oddsocks]

Did you make a decision rich?

 

[la_lucha]

I did decide to take the sabbatical and I've decided that I'm going to rejoin the club in January/February. I've told the boss at home that I'm going to get back to it so its all set up.