What's Preventing You From Playing Scratch Golf?

[David in FL]

Skeet is easy fitasc and sporting clays is a lot like golf. I don't think golf is much different more variables. Also in golf u can get back a missed shot in clays once its gone its gone.

Yeah, skeet's easy. How many times have you broke 100 in .410? How many consecutive tie-break doubles can you run from stations 3,4,and 5? ;-) Never shot fitasc, but have hundreds of sporting clays rounds under my belt. More variables than skeet and trap (I shot 23 yard trap too) but nothing compared to golf. I'd agree with you. If that's your reference for what it should take to get to be a scratch golfer, you may be in for a bit of a surprise as you continue to improve. At least for me, golf is a lot harder.

[Jakester23]

I think its harder but not drastically. I honestly got board of sleet really quick same goes for trap. Once I got my first 25 in each I was over it. Maybe if I shot competitive skeet Id think different but I never did. I was lucky enough to shoot with 3-5 of the best sporing clays shooters in the US so I might be a little biased. I feel like golf has more variables which makes it harder to get better (scratch in this case) but I saw what a professional clays shooter looked like up close and I feel like thats kinda like a PGA player. Granted theres not even close to the $$ in clays but being scratch isn't a professional. I guess I relate it to one of my friends who picked up golf as a sophomore in high school and is a 2 handicap. I know he has natural talent but he also has(had now he's in the real world) every opportunity to get better. His parents have a membership at a private course and he could play all he wanted. I don't think everyone could get there but I feel like with the right guidance and funds its not any harder than being a state champion at Sporting Clays.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakester23

Skeet is easy fitasc and sporting clays is a lot like golf. I don't think golf is much different more variables. Also in golf u can get back a missed shot in clays once its gone its gone.

Yeah, skeet's easy. How many times have you broke 100 in .410? How many consecutive tie-break doubles can you run from stations 3,4,and 5?

Never shot fitasc, but have hundreds of sporting clays rounds under my belt. More variables than skeet and trap (I shot 23 yard trap too) but nothing compared to golf. I'd agree with you. If that's your reference for what it should take to get to be a scratch golfer, you may be in for a bit of a surprise as you continue to improve. At least for me, golf is a lot harder.

This is the toughest recreational sport I've ever done!

[Jakester23]

This is the toughest recreational sport I've ever done!

Have you ever shot competitive sporting clays or fitasc?  Or international skeet or bunker trap for that matter?

[David in FL]

Quitting after breaking 25 in skeet or trap would be like parring 4 holes and declaring that you've got golf figured out and you're bored.....

[Jakester23]

Well I started on sporting clays and you can't honestly tell me skeets as fun as sporting clays.  No its no even close to 4 holes and saying Ive figured out golf.  I don't want to argue but the number of skeet shooters speaks for itself.  Skeet is like playing 18 holes of golf on the same hole so your comparison is ridiculous but were getting off topic so back to golf.  Id like to give scratch a try but my days of spending as much money as I wanted on hobbies died when I got married.  I do think its incredibly hard but nothing is unattainable. I might just be one of those people who has been decent at all sports Ive tried so I have an unrealistic idea of how good I could get.  All I know for sure is this is the most fun sport Ive ever played and I can't wait until the snow melts so I can actually play and stop talking about it.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

This is the toughest recreational sport I've ever done!

Have you ever shot competitive sporting clays or fitasc?  Or international skeet or bunker trap for that matter?

In my 20s, I rock climbed at a 5.12d level, Bouldered B2-, climbed half dome Northwest direct free in a day. In my 30s, snow boarded nearly every double diamond in California and many in Utah. Learned to ski at an advanced level within a year, and patrolled for a couple years. Nationally ranked in indoor archery USA Archery (Under FITA ). Did rifle shooting, but did not compete since it was very expensive, like @David in FL mentioned (~$6000 for a decent rifle and $3-$4 ammo per round). I never competed in Clays, but did enjoy shooting locally for a bit.

Here it is 3 years after I started golf, and I am still playing at a pretty mediocre level. It's really hard.

[Jakester23]

No disrespect but 3 years of something isn't shit.

[Lihu]

No disrespect but 3 years of something isn't shit.

Sure, but every other sport, I got pretty good at in less than 3 years.

[David in FL]

My point is that competitive skeet and trap is comprised of 100 rounds. You stopped at 25, likely just with a 12 gauge (ignoring 20 ga, 28 ga, and .410) and declared yourself bored. Hell, I'd offer that you never even gave the actual competitive sport a try! Regardless though, my intent is to agree with you. If you achieved a reasonable degree of success and competence in sporting clays, and that's your basis for thinking that you should be able to replicate that in golf in the same timeframe, you will likely find that you can't. I certainly haven't been able to. I find golf much more difficult and infinitely more frustrating. Of course, YMMV.....we'll just have to wait and see.

[Jakester23]

I don't doubt that but I shot for about 6 years before I even had a clue. And I wasn't really all that good. Im not trying to say golf is easy but were not talking about being pros were talking about shooting scratch.  I know not a lot of people accomplish this but how many out of the 6 million or whatever the number was even give it a try? I golf with a lot of different people and I don't know a single one besides my buddy who's a 2 cap that even really care about their score enough to have scratch as a goal.  I feel like 90 % of the people that play do it for fun.  I played baseball for most of my life but I never really worked at it to make the NBA.  Im not saying I would of (I wouldn't have Im only 6 2 and have a bad knee) but I never really worked at it with an end goal.  Most golfers play for the time outside with their buddies to have a few libations and enjoy their saturday or sunday.  Thats part of what makes it fun if you hit one good shot or make a nice putt it was worth the money.

[Jakester23]

My point is that competitive skeet and trap is comprised of 100 rounds. You stopped at 25, likely just with a 12 gauge (ignoring 20 ga, 28 ga, and .410) and declared yourself bored. Hell, I'd offer that you never even gave the actual competitive sport a try!

Regardless though, my intent is to agree with you. If you achieved a reasonable degree of success and competence in sporting clays, and that's your basis for thinking that you should be able to replicate that in golf in the same timeframe, you will likely find that you can't. I certainly haven't been able to. I find golf much more difficult and infinitely more frustrating. Of course, YMMV.....we'll just have to wait and see.

I don't know what YMMV me and the timeframe isn't ever going to be relatable I was able at that time (for clays) shoot for a very reasonable price(worked at a facility) and had probably the best sporting clays shooter in WI history give me a whole bunch of pointers for free. Im just saying your making it out like golf is designing Miller Park  and shooting clays is like painting your bedroom.  One is definitely harder than the other but not as much as you are making it out to be.

[iacas]

Can we keep this to golf?

[Lihu]

Golf is hard. Getting to scratch is extremely hard.

[Jakester23]

My point is that competitive skeet and trap is comprised of 100 rounds. You stopped at 25, likely just with a 12 gauge (ignoring 20 ga, 28 ga, and .410) and declared yourself bored. Hell, I'd offer that you never even gave the actual competitive sport a try!

Regardless though, my intent is to agree with you. If you achieved a reasonable degree of success and competence in sporting clays, and that's your basis for thinking that you should be able to replicate that in golf in the same timeframe, you will likely find that you can't. I certainly haven't been able to. I find golf much more difficult and infinitely more frustrating. Of course, YMMV.....we'll just have to wait and see.

Yes Sir last one none golf from me. Sorry to disagree with the gauge shit but shooting skeet with a .0030 choke in a 12 gauge is harder than a .410 with a skeet choke.  All of the people I know that shot skeet switched to clays because skeet is boring.  I don't think its not hard just repetitive and boring like trap.  I don't have to shoot competitively to know I think something is boring. I shot competitive sporting clays all over the midwest for 4 or 5 years so Ive competed and its great.  As far as personally I know scratch golf is out of the question unless I win the lottery.  There is just no way I will ever have the money or time to really try.  Im smart enough to set realistic goals for myself but its fun to think what if.

[David in FL]

Of all the scratch golfers I know, none have won the lottery. They all work full-time jobs and they're all married. They also have loads of talent. Of those 4 characteristics, sadly, most of us only have the first 3.

[Pave]

Of all the scratch golfers I know, none have won the lottery. They all work full-time jobs and they're all married. They also have loads of talent.

Of those 4 characteristics, sadly, most of us only have the first 3.

And, I bet, they all started playing golf as kids!

I've never seen a scratch golfer who started playing golf after the age of 20.

[MS256]

And, I bet, they all started playing golf as kids!

I've never seen a scratch golfer who started playing golf after the age of 20.

Larry Nelson didn't start playing golf until he was 21 years old and ended up quite a bit better than scratch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Nelson