When do people give up trying to improve?

[Petercool]

SO Ive been playing for 4 years.
Started at a 26hcp and now a 4.

But I look at some people in my club that hover around 18-22 and just wonder if they have given up trying to get better.
And then the question is,

What is better for some people.

Personally Id love to get to scratch, but I think my course is holding me back being tree lined and bunker and a lot of water.

My Nephew is +1 but plays at a course that has no water, no trees and it basically like a big paddock.

I have played there several times and once hit a 69. Ive never hit lower than 72 at my course or any other course.

When we play on holidays on the gold coast, I beat him in all 4 games/courses off the stick. 5 shots is a lot at low hcps.

Anyway I drifted off a bit.

When do people stop trying to improve and just got for a hit? Obviously always trying their best but never getting better?

 

[irip]

I think there are a huge amount of different reasons people stop getting better.
I’m not sure anyone tries to stop getting better on purpose.

For me over the years I have been
Financially poor
Time poor
Injuries
Lack of ability
Other sports/Hobbies
Work

All have contributed at various times to stop me getting as low as I would of liked

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I've been there a while . I'm currently at my lowest h/c but it's been by small increments over the last two years.

I don't practice, not a boast. That comes down to time, what I do with my spare time. I'm not driven enough about golf to want to dedicate myself to it. It's a hobby, a really fun one, not nothing more than that.

I can get great pleasure from playing at the level I'm at. To improve, really improve, I'd have to spend hours per week improving my strength, flexibility, swing, short game, putting etc. I'm not going to spend the time required to do that at the expense of other things. I can play with a smile on my face at the point I'm at, that will do for me. You need to find inner peace on the course (I may have lifted 'inner peace' from Kung Fu Panda, but it's correct still )

 

[Backache]

I've never stopped trying to improve but there were many years when I didn't.
I suspect it was for a couple of reasons mainly being time poor but also lack of knowledge.

I started golf in my mid twenties and was definitely not a natural, practiced like crazy took lessons and gradually got a little better till about 31 when I virtually stopped playing for ten years because I lived abroad.
Restarted in my 40's and quickly settled to slightly better than I was before with a handicap of around 18. With a growing family and a busy job I tried to play and practice but didn't really improve.
As I headed to my sixties and had a bit more time I also discovered the ball flight laws and a few things about skill development , got fitted clubs and took lessons probably understanding them better and have gradually improved chap now around 12 hoping to get a bit lower but know I have to work at it a bit more to get to single figures.

 

[PaulMdj]

SO Ive been playing for 4 years.
Started at a 26hcp and now a 4.

But I look at some people in my club that hover around 18-22 and just wonder if they have given up trying to get better.
And then the question is,

What is better for some people.

Personally Id love to get to scratch, but I think my course is holding me back being tree lined and bunker and a lot of water.

My Nephew is +1 but plays at a course that has no water, no trees and it basically like a big paddock.

I have played there several times and once hit a 69. Ive never hit lower than 72 at my course or any other course.

When we play on holidays on the gold coast, I beat him in all 4 games/courses off the stick. 5 shots is a lot at low hcps.

Anyway I drifted off a bit.

When do people stop trying to improve and just got for a hit? Obviously always trying their best but never getting better?

No idea, but congratulations on getting to 4 in just 4 years, that’s brilliant..

Now stop blaming the course and get to scratch.

 

[Orikoru]

It's unfair and reductive to say people at 20 handicap have 'stopped trying'. Everyone has different physical limitations, different amounts of time that they can dedicate to the game, and different priorities. I used to play football with a guy who'd played every week for 20 odd year and he was still useless. Some people just have a low ceiling ability-wise. Other people (annoying people) can take up any sport and be decent at it pretty quickly - we all knew someone like that at school. Personally I'm somewhere in between, whatever sport I try I seem to get to a mediocre level and stay there.

 

[timd77]

Interesting question, one I’ve considered about myself.

I started playing as a kid but was more interested in football, then had a family, and so it’s only been the last 7 years that I’ve started playing properly after joining a club. Started off around 30hcp I think it was, came down to 18/19 quite quickly, and have gradually come down to where I am now, which is 13.

I’d love to get to single figures, that’s my goal. However, I don’t practice in the spring/summer, I’d rather play a round after work whilst the nights are lighter. So only really go up the range in the darker months, which I feel holds me back. Sometimes I’ll have a run of striking the ball really badly, got into some bad habits and ideally I should go to the range and fix it. But I don’t, I’ll play instead.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to get better, but that might end up being out of my hands! 49 now, assume it’ll start going downhill in 5-6 years!

As for your handicap, it’s just a number. Based on what you’ve said, if you were the exact same player at the other course then your hcp might be lower, but that doesn’t mean you’re a better player. In fact I’d say your game will continue to get better playing the tougher course, rather than being able to spray it around and not be penalised at the easier course.

 

[SteveJay]

I often wonder the same, but for my circle it’s probably age related to, being in my early 60’s.
Saying that, a lot of friends are still 15-20hc yet played much longer than me (started at 36, but only joined a club in my 40’s).
I’m playing my best golf now and still strive to improve by practicing.
Agree that natural ability & mentality play a big part, and unfortunately WHS doesn’t encourage a lot of people to try to improve.

 

[nickjdavis]

Some people dont care about getting better....and never have cared....they learn the game, maybe have a block of lessons, settle at a particular handicap and just get on with enjoying playing the game. Sure they might have the odd lessons here and there when a particular aspect of the game is frustrating them....but it's often not done with the direct aim of improving their handicap.

Theres a lot to be said for such an attitude if you ask me....but its not one that I adhere to myself.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I have always tried to improve, but time and life often get in the way.
However, when you break your back in a big fall having your handicap go up from 12 to 20 is a success, as I can still play.
If thats not trying I dont know what is.

 

[rksquire]

All sorts of factors, age being one, in the sense there's a point in life - work, family, organizational / community commitments, etc. - that golf, which is time consuming, takes a back seat and just ticks over. I would say my motivation to get lower has changed over the past 5-10 years; golf is a luxury to play so enjoyment is now the focus rather than frustration of improving..... I still want to be lower but without the time commitment I'm happy to try to stay in around where I am, although playing once a week (in a comp) is seeing the handicap move in the wrong direction. The best player at our club is playing 3 times a week with additional practice throughout the week - he is newly married but doesn't have kids yet and his job is such he can play midweek, every week. His enjoyment is and focus is totally different to mine - for now!

 

[The Squirrel]

Everyone reaches their ceiling in the end no matter how much time and effort you put in. Scheffler and Rory are awesome at golf but I doubt they'll improve from where they are now.
Then that time and effort are limited by other things.

Also: everyone has a ceiling. For some of us that's just so low that it nearly touches the floor

 

[Imurg]

Everyone reaches their ceiling in the end no matter how much time and effort you put in. Scheffler and Rory are awesome at golf but I doubt they'll improve from where they are now.
Then that time and effort are limited by other things.

Also: everyone has a ceiling. For some of us that's just so low that it nearly touches the floor

This...

I think one of the hardest things in golf is being able to accept that you've probably reached that point where, no matter what you do, you're just not going to get better.
And we all get there at different times and for different reasons.

 

[LincolnShep]

I think I stopped trying to improve when I joined a club and obtained my first handicap - handicaps level the field (more-or-less). Don't get me wrong, I want it to go down and last year I reached my lowest ever handicap, but I'm not interested in putting in any effort to make it go down. I love playing but hate practising.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

SO Ive been playing for 4 years.
Started at a 26hcp and now a 4.

But I look at some people in my club that hover around 18-22 and just wonder if they have given up trying to get better.
And then the question is,

What is better for some people.

Personally Id love to get to scratch, but I think my course is holding me back being tree lined and bunker and a lot of water.

My Nephew is +1 but plays at a course that has no water, no trees and it basically like a big paddock.

I have played there several times and once hit a 69. Ive never hit lower than 72 at my course or any other course.

When we play on holidays on the gold coast, I beat him in all 4 games/courses off the stick. 5 shots is a lot at low hcps.

Anyway I drifted off a bit.

When do people stop trying to improve and just got for a hit? Obviously always trying their best but never getting better?

As I always say - people’s level will always be determined by their natural ability , people can have lesson after lesson and practise all hours but there will always be a limit that someone can reach based on their own natural ability and that’s relevant imo for all sports

 

[Backache]

I've always enjoyed my golf and am not particularly competitive but I do really enjoy hitting good shots.
The better I play the more good shots I hit.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

.Who says those at your club at the HI or at any club have given up. Maybe they prioritise fun, outdoors exercise and simple enjoyment of the sport over the work required to boast having a low handicap. .

I enjoy working on my game as it gives me a break from the outside world. Others won’t all have that time availability so are reliant on their natural ceiling. Also course can have a big impact you’ve highlighted that alone with your course vs your nephews. So perhaps those higher players would be lower without putting any work by moving to a similar course your nephew plays.

 

[Voyager EMH]

When do people give up trying to improve?

This can happen when the desire to improve ceases to be there, once a self-perceived satisfactory level is reached.

This is not merely a factor of time. It is how the individual views themself and what type of enjoyment they are seeking from their golfing.

Improvement is mostly done away from the golf course. The desire to do this can greatly diminsh with an increased level of enjoyment from being on the course and in the bar.

 

[jim8flog]

For me it was when age and injury made me decide to give up practicing. I got to as low as 5 and stayed at a steady 6 ( SSS 2/3 under par) for 15-20 years between the ages of 45 and 65 but just keeping there meant a lot of time on the practice ground and practice greens.

Although I used to shoot to level par ( 2/3 over the SSS) regularly I only ever had one round equal to the SSS.

 

[simsini]

A lot of people have family commitments, and don't have the time to practice for hours on end just to shave the odd shot off their handicap.