Why did you give up golf ?

[bobmac]

Sooooooooo many youngsters try golf with their mum/dad, they like it and get quite good.
Then they grow up a bit.
Puberty, closely followed by alchohol and that's it, they're off. Golf isn't cool when your 16/17.
And being cool is THE most important thing at that age.
Then they hit 40
Too old/injured for football...too young to retire from sport altogether.
Kids are now grown up and they return to golf.
A bit more cash available so club membership is sought, found, paid for and the thought enters the head.....

'Why did I give up golf?'

If clubs want to keep the juniors into full membership, those that have a gradual increase will win the day.

There's no point in having Junior membership at say £150 for under 18s then jumping to £750 for over 18s.

How many of you good folk stopped playing at 16 and have started again ?

 

[AllyLodge]

I highly doubt I will give it up, but as of now my gcses keep getting in the way :cheers:

 

[fundy]

I was a bit different, I played far far less when at University (even when home for hols) then had a serious knee injury which laid me up ages. Ongoing probs with the knee led to me giving the game up for 6 or 7 yrs until a few yrs ago - hopefully the knee is now fine (just the rest of me falling apart now lol)

 

[LanDog]

Nowadays it's a different kettle of fish, I play in the Juniour golf team at my club and we are full, we get coaching, advice and whatnot from a pro. For whenever I go to University from the likes of Leeds Trinity I can get a grant and tuition from them while studying!!

 

[bluewolf]

I like to say that I gave up the game due to shoulder and knee injuries, but they were only the final straw. The major factor in my decision was a complete lack of inclusion from established members of the club. I felt like an afterthought, a necessary evil. No effort was made to integrate the older juniors into the senior section. No input into major decisions, and treated like a hindrance rather than a valued member. These barriers still exist now, things may have improved, but not by much.

 

[Revolt]

played off 14 when i was 14....... gave up for 9 years and just getting back into it........ already wishing i had never given up like to think i could of been playing pro but nowt i can do about it now.... hitting around 18-20 over par per round with my dads clubs looking forward to getting my own and getting down to around +10

 

[jp5]

Difficulty in integrating with the club, as a junior I always felt I was on the outside. So unfortunately I gave up at age 12 and played cricket to county level instead. Always wonder how good I could have got if I'd felt more welcome at the golf club.

 

[smange]

Sooooooooo many youngsters try golf with their mum/dad, they like it and get quite good.
Then they grow up a bit.
Puberty, closely followed by alchohol and that's it, they're off. Golf isn't cool when your 16/17.
And being cool is THE most important thing at that age.
Then they hit 40
Too old/injured for football...too young to retire from sport altogether.
Kids are now grown up and they return to golf.
A bit more cash available so club membership is sought, found, paid for and the thought enters the head.....

'Why did I give up golf?'

If clubs want to keep the juniors into full membership, those that have a gradual increase will win the day.

There's no point in having Junior membership at say £150 for under 18s then jumping to £750 for over 18s.

How many of you good folk stopped playing at 16 and have started again ?

Summed me up perfectly there Bob:thup:

Well apart from the "get quite good" part

 

[Hendo007]

I was one of them you speak of, I dabbled in the game when I was very young, had a couple of lessons at the range and was told I had potential. That was as far as I got though Took up the football, then the woman and the football, then the woman, drink and football, that was me playing twice a week at the time till I hit 30 then my teams both folded so I decided to hang up the boots too. got playing golf again with a mate after work then decided to join a club. Thats been me at it now for about 4 years. Wish I had got into it properly when I was younger.....

 

[MegaSteve]

I've got two lads in their early/mid 30's and after meeting all their family 'obligations' simply can't afford to play on a regular basis let alone join a club...

I am sure this is the case for many...

Membership ain't cheap in this neck of the woods and a round at a muni is £23 of a Saturday...

I am certain that I had more disposable income in my 30's than my son's have now and relatively speaking golf was [maybe] a little cheaper...

Its alright suggesting graduated rises in membership/green fees but someone has got to take up the slack can't always expect the older members/players make up the difference...

 

[ivan]

why did i give up golf?? well, yesterday i had a really, really embarrassingly bad round with the soceity i play with. swore i would never, ever, play again as the game is pretty rubbish and i was going to deposit my clubs etc into the bin.
however, this morning, i remembered that i actually did hit 2 reasonable shots, and next time out i might do more - so, today, i am a golfer again!!!


PS appreciate its nothing to do with this topic buts its my story!!

 

[Deleted member 15717]

for me it is the opposite...why didn't I start playing much earlier! Cost was the main factor in that though!

 

[Andy]

Gave up when 30 and spent all my time on the bike. Best m8 died in an accident while we were out.

Doing the phonecall to his wife and seeing my folks on return made me think. Sold the bike and returned to golf. Bit safer but nowhere near the same buzz.

 

[Mr_T]

I highly doubt I will give it up, but as of now my gcses keep getting in the way :cheers:

Exactly the same with me, I'm doing well if I get to the range once a week, looking forward to the summer thouhg when I have 10 weeks to play as much golf as I want!

 

[Bigfoot]

My son played at my club from 11 to 14 then stopped as it was awkward to play whilst at school and was playing cricket. He went back when he had transport when at university. He started playing for the university and then rejoined the club at 19/20. He now works there aged 24.

It all comes down to cost and time. Anyone with a weekday job and basic wage and any committments will struggle to play regularly.

 

[James' Slice]

Stopped when I was 13 and just got back into it ! Football just took too much of my time , never made it so I'm back on the course now !

 

[nil1121]

i gave up golf to concentrate on my 3 childrens golf, get just as much out of watching them develope and get better as i did playing. often walk around with them.

 

[Region3]

I gave up because I couldn't afford it when I moved out of home and got married. My only regret is that I wished I'd started back sooner than I did.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I gave up when my parents couldn't afford to put me through the PGA exams and the club and the pro wouldn't sponsor me to do them. Went off and found football, beer and women. Came back for a while, got frustrated that I couldn't play to anywhere near the level I had and didn't have the time or inclination to practice and so jacked it in again. Got back in to it again about ten years ago and totally addicted now with a quest to go as low as I can (today will have helped)

 

[DCB]

I didn't drift away from the game in my late teens. I was fortunate. At that time though, getting into a club in Edinburgh was nigh on impossible.

Nowadays, there's probably not a club in the City that doesn't have some form of enducement and staggered fee structure to try and keep their Juniors and bring in more young blood. We currently have a large number of 20-30 year olds that just wouldn't be playing otherwise.