I had a chance to play golf when I was 8 or 9 years old. Couldn't speak English and a couple of my teachers were big on golf. My father talked us out of it because he didn't like anything to do with golf. So, I spent my weekends shooting bows and guns, making and using explosives and other boy related terrorist activities. . .Retrospectively looking at both my kids, I think I would have preferred golf and caddying.

If you do ever decide to play Leo J Martin, shoot me a PM. I've played it probably a half dozen times.

Great blog, it encouraged me to reflect on my golf history.

I wish I learned to play golf at a younger age.  I was too quick to dismiss it as an old mans game that I never got to appreciate how difficult and challenging it really is.  I also wish I was more diligent in selecting an instructor as I have engrained many bad habits into my swing that I am spending too much time trying to fix now.

20 minutes ago, jamo said:

If you do ever decide to play Leo J Martin, shoot me a PM. I've played it probably a half dozen times.

Will do.  Thanks.

I wish I had not given up on the game of golf for approximately 12 years before starting back up again after I retired, but other things took higher priority during those 12 years of my absence from the game of golf. However it's good to be retired now and just enjoying getting out and playing some golf.

6 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I wish I learned to play golf at a younger age. 

Thanks.  Yes, that regret is a common one.  Still, you appreciate the game more and never became jaded from playing too much as a youth.

42 minutes ago, Lihu said:

I had a chance to play golf when I was 8 or 9 years old. Couldn't speak English and a couple of my teachers were big on golf. My father talked us out of it because he didn't like anything to do with golf. So, I spent my weekends shooting bows and guns, making and using explosives and other boy related terrorist activities. . .Retrospectively looking at both my kids, I think I would have preferred golf and caddying.

We are all happy you gave up the terrorist gig and started playing golf.  

13 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

Thanks.  Yes, that regret is a common one.  Still, you appreciate the game more and never became jaded from playing too much as a youth.

We are all happy you gave up the terrorist gig and started playing golf.  

Yes, it's a common regret not to have started younger.

As to the "terrorist gig" part of my life, glad it's over.

Good post!

No regrets for me really.  I wished I could have played in high school, but I don't regret not doing it because it conflicted with baseball.  Baseball was my thing back then so I was never going to miss that.  Then I missed several years because of a back injury, nothing I could've done about that either.

The closest thing I have to a golf regret is that I didn't make it a priority to play more golf on my last trip to Ireland in 2006. At the time, I was visiting with family, wasn't quite so gung ho on golf and not quite ready financially to plunk several hundred dollars down for club rentals and green fees. Other than that, I've lived a pretty good "golf life" by most standards.

Like others, I think I would have benefited from taking up the game earlier in life. But I had other sports passions at that time (tennis and baseball) and I don't regret the time I spent playing those sports. Also, I'm not sure I would have had the right temperament to take up golf as a teenager. It took me until early adulthood before I overcame a pretty nasty temper, so there is the possibility that I may have burned myself out by taking up golf before I was mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with it's highs and lows.

5 hours ago, newtogolf said:

Great blog, it encouraged me to reflect on my golf history.

I wish I learned to play golf at a younger age.  I was too quick to dismiss it as an old mans game that I never got to appreciate how difficult and challenging it really is.  I also wish I was more diligent in selecting an instructor as I have engrained many bad habits into my swing that I am spending too much time trying to fix now.

Same here. I don't feel regret in the way that I had chances to play and turned them down, because I really never had any. But more in the way that I now realize how perfect a game it would have been for my personality. I also wonder if I'd be decent - like breaking 80 now and then - had I learned how to play as a kid.

Of course there is the real possibility that as @bkuehn1952suggested, I might be burned out with the game by now if I'd played all my life.

The only golf regret I have is from my early golf days in the early 2000s. I picked up a golf club in 2003/2004 for the first time if I remember correctly. The previous mfg company I worked for had a mfg unit in Tijuana. I spent a collective 3 months out of a year, 1 to 3 weeks at a time in San Diego (I would stay in a hotel near the Otay crossing) from 2004 to 2007.

In all that time I spent there in CA I never played a single round in the area. Still haven't. I had plenty of time but just never did. I regret that a bit.

Incidentally, I also spent a lot of time in the Detroit area during the same time period and played quite a few munis in the Oakland County area. Shepard's Hollow up in Clarkston is still one of my favorites of all time anywhere even though never broke 100 there in 6 or 7 outings. I would love to go back and do that now.  

I wish I would have learned the game as a child when I had the chance to learn... Or even later. But then... It is fun to do it now too. Just wished I wouldn't have stopped and started so many times throughout the years. 

Wish I had played more golf with my dad before he had to give up the game due to back injuries/age...

I learned a home grown swing when I was a teen, elements of which are still with me... sometimes to my detriment. 

Wish i would have played more with my dad and uncle. As my dad can barley walk now. I also wish I wouldn't have quit the game for so many years . just got back into it last year, after about 24 years away .

I wish I started when I was younger, played alot of softball & thought golf was for sissies, some friends took me to play when i was 40 , it was like a good drug. I was hooked

Growing up, there were 22 kids in our neighborhood.   We played baseball, basketball, football and had many bike rallies.  Golf and soccer weren't popular in our area so we didn't know enough to give them a consideration.   

My dad had health issues and couldn't golf when I was a teenager but I would have loved to play golf with him as I grew up.  That is minor compared to my major regret.  He use to fly small planes and when I was 16, his health issues prevented him from passing his physical.   He offered to pay for all of the flight school and gas if I'd learn to fly.   At 16, I was too busy with the neighborhood kids to do that.   Now that he is gone, I always think of the things that could have been.