Why the Attitude???

[TaylorMadeMark]

This is a great topic!! I completely agree I have a buddy I play with and it's always something new with him. The guy barley shots in the 90's and he's always telling me he's gonna draw the ball around the dogleg or try the new stance he learned on the golf channel the night before then he swings an smashes the club on the ground hardly hitting the ball and always has some stupid excuse. Now to be honest I am a very competive person and that's part of the reason I love golf the only person/thing to blame is myself and I do get a little hard on myself sometimes but keep it to myself for the most part.

[walk18]

Everyone plays the game with a different level of intensity. A guy I golf with is guaranteed to break at least one club a round, but he's a great guy he'll always apologize when he loses it and buys everyone a beer. Funny.

[Shanks A Million]

People just don't realize how good the tour pros are. These guys, however, weren't born that way. Tiger practiced his ass off from the time he could hold a club in his hand. These guys are tour pros because they practice all day, every day, for their entire lives.

This is the same reason people wonder why I am a session musician, and they can barely make it through a song without a major screwup. I never did much in school, never went to a prom, I never drank, never had women, I spent all my high school years practicing instead of having fun. I spent hours and hours at home building my skills, working, writing, studying, and busting my ass trying to constantly evolve. I learned to score the symphony, inside and out, working endlessly to get a feel for each instrument, reading treatises, consulting players, and writing out scores. It takes time, you can't do it overnight.

You can't expect to be great without sacrifice. I talk to so many people, week in and week out, who can really talk a big game, but they get to a recording console, and the meat is missing. They can't do anything right, and they wonder why they aren't working with some big name artists. The old adage, "put your money where your mouth is" is particularly appropriate. If you can't shoot the scores, then you can't be a pro, it's that simple.

[tm22721]

A single digit score has earned an attitude. High performance thrives and survives on ego. In fact it is encouraged.

The rest of us may not like to admit what is a fact of life.

[Gareth]

The attitude you describe really doesn't bother me that much. I can see though where it can become a problem, especially if they take their ire out on some kids or newbs on the course who accidentally cause the aformentioned "pro" a problem. What I can't stand is when someone gets excessively mad about their level of play that day. I'm in a league where there are a lot of decent single digit handicapers,

Agreed.

I warned you about your shadow on 15 as well, and I didn't miss-hit that 7-iron.....the wind picked up a bit and cheated me of yet another perfect tour shot....

heh, heh!

It's ironic that the biggest thing keeping these people from playing better is probably their attitude or inability to forget bad shots. I'll be the first in this thread to admit I'm guilty of it sometimes too.

Absolutely!

Enjoy Gareth

[RIduffer]

A single digit score has earned an attitude. High performance thrives and survives on ego. In fact it is encouraged.

I kind of agree with you...like when people say Tiger's on-course behavior is part of the winning attitude that makes him great.

But there also alot of good and great players who handle themselves with total class.

[chrt396]

Well guys...I had a horrible day at golf....cussed...verbally abused my clubs.....and technically made an ass out of myself! THERE...I admit it! I was NOT proud!

[chris0228]

A single digit score has earned an attitude. High performance thrives and survives on ego. In fact it is encouraged.

This is exactly what I am talking about. A single digit handicap won't get you on the tour, won't pay your bills, won't make you quit your day job (hopefully not), and more importantly does not give you the excuse to be a dick! (not saying your a dick tm22721) What makes a single digit handicaper, who either has alot of natural ability and luck or has worked very very hard to get the game they have, any better than a 20 handicapper who has time to play once a month and maybe goes to the range every other week? NOTHING!!! I do understand that to play consistent and competitive golf one must have great concentration and a good mental game, but at the end of the day, turning in a 70 or a 90, we all pay our green fees, bring our clubs we paid for, and should be respectful of everyone we are paired up with and with the game.

[HoosierGolfer]

I say have a beer, maybe a Marlboro and for sure a couple of aspirin and not take things so seriously.....LOL

[Doctorfro]

Yeah, I'm pretty much on board with the amazement in the guys with the bad perspective on the true state of their golf game and the attitude that stems from failure to live up to it. Blame someone or something seems to be their mantra. But in a funny twist I have to share: I am pretty laid back on the golf course. Oh I get frustrated from time to time but I don't helicopter clubs or curse, etc. My goal when I play is to shoot in the 70's. For me, 79 is just as good as 74. 80 seems like a five stroke difference from 79. Don't ask me why. But I was playing not too long ago when I got to the last hole and needed to make a short putt for a 79. Our course is in a residential neighborhood so there are houses all around. And just as I take the putter back, some child playing in their backyard lets out a blood-curdling scream (you can't imagine, it was crazy). To which I then get startled and miss the putt badly...no horribly. I actually got mad for second but then I look over and my son is ROFL. And then I bust out laughing. But I lived to play another day. And that's what it's all about. It's a shame that guys simply lose perspective.

[Saig55]

When I was younger and more of a hot head this is what a 76 year old man told me one day after a blow up. When you're bad, don't get mad, get better. And yes, he did beat me that day. I actually thought he was going to shoot his age that day.

[Shanks A Million]

I say have a beer, maybe a Marlboro and for sure a couple of aspirin and not take things so seriously.....LOL

Yes, same feelings here, but I don't condone smoking.

[cougar978]

There's a dickbag in Newport News that fits the 'wannabe pro' to a T - he even goes around telling people he tries to qualify for the Nationwide Tour and he played in a British Open in the late 90's. This dumbass can't even break 80 at Deer Run off the back tees on his best day.

Back in June, me, him, and two other guys were playing a $10 Nassau - he ended up blowing up for a 43 on the front side (had to re-tee on 7 and took triple after snap-hooking his tee shot into the trees) and I ended up shooting 37 and beat the other two guys (around 39-41, can't remember). He's pretty pissed at himself, and looks like he's going to get his bag, ditch his cart and back out on the bet.

On 10, I ended up taking a bogey and Mr. Pro hit a good approach in and birdied. Still up four, down two on the side. On 11, I made an absolute bonehead move and played his ball from the fairway (what really sucks is I stuck the shot about 5 ft from 150 yds) - he had a bitch fit that I hit his ball - I was thinking 'dude, I just gift-wrapped you two strokes, shut up and play'. He placed his ball at its original spot and made par, I had to talk the walk of shame back to my ball, played in, and ended up making 6. All of a sudden, 4 shots down on the side and only 2 up on the overall. I look at the guy I'm riding with and tell him 'I'm hitting the ball too well to let this clown beat me'.

I ended up getting a shot back between 12 and 14 (I can't remember the round because it happened almost 8 months ago) and then he chili-dips his 3rd shot on 15 and ends up making double (I f-ed up and made bogey, still down two with four to play).

On 16, things get really interesting - 16 at Deer Run is a 210yd par 3, plays downhill over a creek that cuts across in front of the green and then goes up the right side. I hit mine on, about 40 ft away. Mr. Pro blocks his WAY right, and it ends up on the edge of the hazard (outside the hazard line), but he has a lot of tall grass right in front of the ball from the unmowed grass in the hazard. The three of us stand there and watch him take two swipes at the ball and move it a grand total of six inches. Between the first and second attempt, the other guys look at each other and say he's just gonna quit. Keeping my voice down, I said, 'let him hit, guys'. Next, he storms back to his cart and sits down - the three of us look at each other, and then he gets back out, hacks the ball on the green, and drains a 15 footer for double. I look at him and say 'clutch putt, man, well done', and go ahead and miss my par putt. He doesn't even look at me and storms off to the 17th tee.

He bogeys 17, I made par, so we're tied going into 18. I missed about a 25 ft birdie putt to put him away and take the whole pot, and he says he wants to go to a playoff for the back nine. Even if I lose, the worst I can do is walk away with $60, so I take him up on it.

We drive back to 18 tee, and he tees his ball up on the back tips (none of us say anything) and then proceeds to walk the hole (it's a 570 yd par 5) while the three of us ride. My friend that's riding in his cart told me 'I'm not going to babysit this guy any more'. Anyway, I par, he bogeys, and we shake hands and collect money. Then he turns to me and says I talked in his backswing on 16, trying to blame me for his pissing away a 4 stroke lead over 7 holes, and tells me it's best that him and I 'part ways'. I was just like 'whatever dude, just pay me'. I asked the other two guys to shut it when you were trying to machete your ball out of the shit on 16.

I don't know what makes this guy believe he's anywhere near the caliber of player to play on any sort of tour, but I swear the guy is bipolar.

Anyway, my theory on him is, he wasn't shit then, he ain't shit now, and he's never gonna be shit.

[Blades4me]

Alright guys and gals, help me out......

Because they are delusional and live in a fantasy world. LOL, other than that, why waste your time, its their problem.