hey, how many of you golf to get better?

[golfmentalist]

Hi, i am conducting a study about golfers, i wanted to know how many of you play golf just for fun and dont care about your score, and how many of you practice and play with a bunch of golf tips in your mind so that you can improve your score. thank you very much, this will help push my studies farther.

[Knockglock]

I play to get better! But that's also what I find fun so, take it any way you want to.

[iWALK18]

I'm always trying to improve

[David in FL]

I play because I enjoy the game. I find that the better I play, the more enjoyment I get.

Having said that, I sure wouldn't quit playing if I knew that the likelihood of improving wasn't very high. Something everyone is eventually going to face as they age.....

[prutkows]

I go to the range and I play twilight rounds alone or with a friend to work on my game. Twilight around here is usually pretty slow because everyone on the course is hitting multiple balls and practicing different shots. I do that during the daytime too if the course is empty or if the group in front of me is playing slow and theres no group behind me.

When i play "serious" rounds I try to have only a few simple swing thoughts in my head. My "lazy" swing usually results in my not releasing my hands enough through impact and i push everything out to the right with a fade to add insult to injury.

I think you'll find that a lot of people have a similar approach to golf as i do.. practice during practice time, and just play the game and have fun during rounds... same as most every sport/game i suppose.

[Macmike2112]

I love it, but I'm always trying to get better.

[Bflynn23]

I play to get better and use every round to fix any flaws I may have, so when I play competitive rounds I'm at my best.

[billy]

  David in FL said:

I play because I enjoy the game. I find that the better I play, the more enjoyment I get.

well said. i agree with you.

[Titleist Man]

Well i may be in the minority but i thoroughly enjoy practice and that gets me better so i guess i play to get better.

[Jell0b0y]

I play to get better but as posted above I would still play if i hit my ceiling but I would still always try to improve even if I wasn't making any ground. Its just the thought of trying to get better.

[enduro]

This forum is probably a terrible place to get a sample from for your experiment. A golf forum like this is very likely used by golf enthusiasts who are more likely to strive for improvement.

[The Wilderness]

  None said:

This forum is probably a terrible place to get a sample from for your experiment. A golf forum like this is very likely used by golf enthusiasts who are more likely to strive for improvement.

Agreed, but still I work to improve.

[schigara]

That is a very true statement. I played for years mainly for the fun of it but when I realized I was getting no better by just playing or practicing, I started reading books, this forum and watching swing videos.

I had a hdcp of about 30 just 6 months ago and am now at 16 since I joined this forum and began reading and voraciously consuming knowledge. I just read Ben Hogans book a couple days ago and now know a lot about what was wrong with my game. It was basically my grip, stance, takeaway, etc. I have been able to grind out an 87, 2x88's and 5x89's with a very clumsy and inconsistent swing.

  enduro said:

This forum is probably a terrible place to get a sample from for your experiment. A golf forum like this is very likely used by golf enthusiasts who are more likely to strive for improvement.

[CG031]

  golfmentalist said:

Hi, i am conducting a study about golfers, i wanted to know how many of you play golf just for fun and dont care about your score, and how many of you practice and play with a bunch of golf tips in your mind so that you can improve your score. thank you very much, this will help push my studies farther.

I certainly play to get better and to improve my score. That's what is FUN about the game for me. If I sucked and I was shooting incredibly high scores all the time, I don't think I would be having FUN at all. I am always trying to get better...that's just my spin on things though.

[dmband8985]

i play both for fun and to get better. i start every round with the mindset of going lower than the last... i'll play 9 holes brilliantly...around the turn the wheels tend to get a little loose. i try hard on 13-15 to save a few pars to see if i can get back on track...if i can great! if not, i'll crack open a few beers enjoy the last few holes.

the problem i have is maintaining my energy throughout a round. i lack the stamina and the mental resolve to carry any momentum i have on the front to the back. the last two round i've played, i've been 2 and 3 over through 9 and 7 and 10 over, respectively, on the back. It really just gets frustrating knowing that if i could keep it together, i could potentially be under a 5...

[Diddy]

I'm not sure if this is answers your question, but this is my take on it.

I play golf to get "good" at it. Basically, I have a point in my mind where I'll get to the point where I'm a "good golfer" in my estimation. This point doesn't have a tangible notation (like "I want to be scratch"), but just a general feeling. It has to do with both scores and with how I hit the ball. To wit, I want to be able to walk out onto any course and have a better-than-average chance of shooting in the 70s. I want to be able to stand behind a ball, and be able to call upon a shot and have a reasonable degree of certainty that I can pull it off. I don't know if this day will ever come, but that is what I'm shooting for, and that is why I play.

It should go without saying that I enjoy the game of golf, and the challenge of getting to this mythical "level" in my head. This might have something to do with my naturally competitive nature, in that to enjoy something I have to be good/getting better at it. Otherwise, I wouldn't put myself through all the ups and downs this great game provides.

[Stillhacken]

I want to get better but I do not have the time to do what it takes to get better right now. I usually play once a week though. It consists of working all week and getting up my first day off and meeting my buds at the number one tee box. No practice.First few holes are spent figuring out my swing. I try not to have any expectations of how I will play. I can shoot anywhere from low 80s to upper 90s.

[Chas]

I'm definitely still interested in improving, with the aim of shooting in the 80's reasonably often. I haven't played golf seriously for that many years, and I don't play often enough either, to have anywhere near reached a plateau yet IMHO.
(Wishful thinking???)

Oh yes and another thing, I still make boneheaded decisions out there that cost me strokes. Sheesh.

All in all, plenty of room for improvement. But I'll still play even if I feel I won't get any better. It's a truly great game, a joy in and of itself - if your head doesn't get in the way.