taking golf too seriously

i keep the pissed off energy at work and play the "i am enjoying life on the course". sorry i am, a dbl bogey golfer at best. played sunday morning best ball against a couple buddies (lost a little money tho) my new driver pleased me i was concerned at first, but hit a sm bucket of balls before going out which help out on my apprehensions that, i would shank duff many of my tee shots, that did not happen.  me and my partner played most of my shots (after i would hit in the fairway he would un load into the water LOL) consistency is there, short game meh need to work on chipping and putting, unless you are getting 250 mil don't worry enjoy.

After a few lessons and a solid start to last season my game has declined. Lack of practice is the reason. Anyway I used to get very upset when I would play lousy, but have since come to grips with the fact that as a person about to get married the days of multiple outings in a week and consitent range and lessons are out for some time. So now when I go play on a Sunday it is pure enjoyment to be out for 5 hrs of PLAY. Pop a beer and enjoy the outdoors being a kid for 5 hours on any given day is better than the best day of work for me.

 

 

They call it golf because all of the good 4-letter words were already taken! 

 

If you want the beauty of nature without any challenge, there are plenty of pretty places to go sit in solitude and watch the world go by.  Golf offers the opportunity to spend time outdoors in a beautiful environment, but there's a lot more to it than that.  It's the opportunity to overcome the challenge, knowing full well that it can beat you into the ground at any time, that makes golf so special.  It's a difficult game to play.  It's very difficult to play well.  As you get better, the progress you make in terms of lowering your scores/handicap becomes disproportionate to the time and effort that it takes to do so.  Enjoy the journey and remember, if it weren't for the bad days, the good ones wouldn't be half as fun!

 

But really......15 penalty strokes?!  

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IMO, if you are getting that upset about the way you play, you must care about golf. So if I were you I would keep working at it. At the same time, if you are getting angry on the course that could be a big part of your problem. When I started to calm down on the course is when my game improved.

Most of us are with you, tuffluck.  It's like a major-league baseball player trying to go 4 for 4 at the plate every day.  It's just not going to happen with any regularity.  Same with us putting together driving, iron play and green play consistently every round.  Here are some thoughts for you:

 

Golf Course Management.  Or, for better descriptive purpose, how to manage your game throughout a round.  I was fortunate to have a scratch golfer dad who was also an instructor.  When he and I would play together, he'd impart his very practical approach to 'playing the course' and not trying to keep up with him.

 

For example:  OB right.  Tee as far right as you can and hit AWAY from from OB.  This includes all hazards.  If you know where they are, certainly devise a plan to land your ball somewhere OTHER than a hazard or OB.  This strategy is successful 99.9% of the time if you see it and plan for it.

 

5 foot putts.  The only way to make these consistently is practice, practice and more practice.

 

Golf is like the game of pool.  The shot you are about to take is setting up your next shot.  Always think at least one shot ahead.  Example:  Crappy drive on a par-4 making it impossible to reach green in two.  Take your best club to setup the NEXT shot.  If it's a 7-iron, then have at it.  If you hit that shot well, you'll likely have a wedge into the green and an opportunity to make par or 5 at worst ... providing you practiced those 5-foot putts!

 

I love walking around a course with players who blindly whack away at the game.  If someone shared some of the basics of managing ones way around a golf course, there are usually 10-15 shots that can easily be shaved from a score.  105 can very easily become 88 when the unforced errors are eliminated.

 

Don't let this issue ruin the enjoyment.  Think about what you're doing and execute better.  And I'm living proof that rarely putting the three aspects of the game together in a round can still result in breaking 90 every time out.  On a rare day when the game does come together, it's more like an 82.  Bu that only means all the makeable putts went in.

 

dave

I feel your pain Tuffluck, Consistency frustrates me as well. One day I hit the driver well the next its the irons. If only I could hit them all well on the same day. Ive been there also, wanting to quit the game after a bad day. Fortunately for me my playing partners are all much better than I am and are very encouraging. I know this is well worn advice, but what they have taught me is to take something positive away from the game each time you play. It could be a shot, a putt, a good joke.etc, just something that puts you in a relaxed frame of mind. Ive found when I play with a relaxed carefree attitude. I play much better. Don't get me wrong, I still focus but when I'm relaxed I can focus on the right things like hitting the little ball before the big one.

Don't get caught up on the score. Focus on one good shot, then one good hole, and build from there.

Don't give up Tuffluck Golf is the greatest game out there.

Enjoy it. Relax and have fun.

at the end of the day...I realize that I'm never going to try and be or have the capabilities to be a traveling tourney player or a tour pro or anything else.  I'll never make money from the game of golf....so even if I shoot a bad score, I know it isn't the end of the world :D

 

Until you play smarter, you will continue to struggle.  You started out here with your rant about how you were going to play the back tees and hit driver whenever you want despite some good advice about dialing back, using some strategy, playing a shorter course until your game was good enough to match those back tees.  You basically blew us all off, so I'm not going to feel sorry for you now.

The only consistent thing about golf for most of us mortals is inconsistency. My official (but not up to date) is 14.9, so I am slightly better than bogey. My usual card for 9 is something like 3 pars, 3 bogeys, a birdie and two "others". Double those numbers for 18, and usually at least 1 snowman on the card somewhere. I have come to terms with the fact that I am not a scratch golfer, but that doesn't mean i don't try to be. I hit a bucket every now and then with a purpose in mind, and spend time chipping and putting to improve. I have worked on my fitness, and started walking a few rounds. I am more consistent than I was and continue to improve overall. But still, as they say, a bad day on the course beats a good day at work! Well, I actually enjoy my work too, but the point is, try to make a good shot every time, and make your misses better. Enjoy the good shots, and be glad of the opportunity to hit the bad ones.

My advice is this: Practice or play every day, get lessons, and do everything else possible to improve. *Then*, after you've done that for 3 years and you still haven't improved, at least you have a legitimate reason to get upset. (At least, that's what I tell myself when I get upset.)

Golf's hard. If you are competitive at all you will want to play well. It's okay to get a little irritated when you hit bad shots or don't play well. If you are all grins and giggles every time you play then there is something wrong with you or you have just completely embraced the fact you suck. You cannot let it get out of control though. Get irritated but learn to control your emotions well enough so they don't affect your whole game or ruin your entire day. Someone once told me its always the next shot that counts. Simple but good advice.

It didn't come with a tool? My Taylormade came with the wrench, and I check to make sure it's on good after every couple of rounds.

Yeah at some places buying things used they dont provide wrench or headcover. But if it's new they definitely should've given him a wrench.

 

Interesting.  I know that at least Titleist does not provide the tools with the fairway woods and hybrids.  But, as far as I know, it seems like everybody provides the tool with a new driver.

save some money and go to a home improvement store and buy some star bits and a multi-bit screwdriver...and use the other 10 dollars for dinner :)