Know Any Really Good Golfers That Completely Quit Due to Frustration?

[Vinsk]

It's nice to hear others out their frustrations here. Seems a lot us have this commonality. Maybe I should take a break. But that's like telling a smoker to take a couple weeks away from cigarettes. Playing poorly isn't fun guys. I can take a walk anywhere and enjoy the outdoors. I live in Colorado for ****** sake! LOL. If I just wanted to enjoy myself there are a million ways to do that. I play golf because I love the challenge, true. But like any other sport I've played, hard work and dedication deserves some reward. I'm not getting any reward as of late. Having 3 range sessions of beautiful ball striking followed by an 87 on the course is not fun. I don't enjoy hitting a 310yd drive down the middle of a 415 yd par 4 only to shank my approach to an unprotected soft green and end up with a DB. It's not just scoring well that I'm after. I want to PLAY well. If I slice a drive but nail a tree and the ball kicks into the fairway, then I top the ball but miraculously it rolls up 4ft short of the hole and I make birdie....I'm fortunate, but not excited, not proud and I'm not happy because it was just luck. I can't continue to play my round like that and expect good results. It baffles me how I can study video and swing in a mirror, go to the range and hit 350 balls with a handful of poor shots then go shoot an 87. Not poor putting, awful iron play. I just don't know what to do anymore. I guess I should take lessons again. I can't imagine any instructor telling me anything I haven't heard. I just can't seem to repeat a good swing any more than a couple of days.

[cfritchie]

My brother turned down a full ride to Tulsa and Hawaii to get married...this was back in the late 70's early 80's. He was burned out because our dad (I didn't grow up with him) pushed him so hard. He stayed in the game as an assistant pro another 10 years but almost never played. If he did he'd shoot 2 or 3 under every time he teed it up. Easily had the talent to play on the tour...he hasn't played a round of golf in probably 15 years...

[iacas]

@Vinsk , it's not too hard to get into a groove on the range. Flat lies, mats, same club several shots in a row, no specific targets (or penalties for missing the targets), etc.

You should seek out GOOD instruction. Your swing has some things which could easily be attacked and which, if you are diligent about working on them, could easily get you down to a single digit handicap. Then the range sessions will translate to the course…

[mmoan2]

Tom Wieskopf

[inthehole]

I totally could see how the shanks could make a golfer go mental to the point of quitting.      Its such a devastatingly horrible shot that comes out of nowhere ... probably one of the toughest problems to fix, because it's fairly random

[Vinsk]

@iacas True Erik. The problem is I'm hitting off nice grass not mats and my terrible shots on the course are happening on beautiful flat well manicured fairways just as much as in rough or uneven lies. You're right about finding GOOD instruction. I need to search my area I guess. I just moved to Colorado and am sure I can find a good one. Do you by chance know any instructors in the Denver/Fort Collins/Greeley/Loveland area? Or, How would I go about getting lessons from a certified 5 Keys instructor?

[WUTiger]

I'm a so-so golfer who basically put golf on the shelf for 18 months one time, and for three years another time. I knew life would be hectic in the coming months, so I prevented frustration by just walking away for awhile.

I know a dozen or so golfers who thought they were good - but really weren't - and quit in frustration. The course was a lot quieter with their departure.

Two guys I really felt bad for were single-digit HDCP golfers who quit over physical ailments. One was in his late 50s, had a stroke, and two years after recovery could rarely break 90. He quit.

The other guy injured his back in an auto accident. This cut down his distance a lot, and he quit rather than play from the senior tees.

[Spitfisher]

I know of several scratch to 9 handicappers that have given it up or simply walked away, sometimes its I only played for the social, gambling and drinking and yet more say they just don't have the time for it like they did- it was inevitable. Nothing to do with cost or complexity of the game. Decades ago I used to play tennis, every weekend, a couple times during the week, it was great work out against competitive players, age and sex. Then one year. I played less frequently ( in favor of something else) then another year less, before I knew I hardly played at all. I didn't feel guilty at all because I knew then as I know now, I could jump right back into it. Maybe that's how some of these guys feel, so I don't find fault with them. Unfiortunatly there has been a replacement for them, we have a small club of members. At one point 2 years ago we had 30 players in single digit handicaps, now we have 12. And overall membership took a big hit last year to this year. That to me is the most concerning.

[iacas]

You're right about finding GOOD instruction. I need to search my area I guess. I just moved to Colorado and am sure I can find a good one.

Do you by chance know any instructors in the Denver/Fort Collins/Greeley/Loveland area?

Or, How would I go about getting lessons from a certified 5 Keys instructor?

I'll send you a PM.

[Patch]

I knew two guys who were pretty good golfers. One was true scratch player on any course he played, and the other was a 2 hdcp. Both of them had the same goal which was to play in the US Open. For one reason or another neither made it to the USO. After 10 years of playing, superb golf, they just up and quit, and took up tournament bass fishing. Pretty sure it was not frustration, but just knowing they had done the best they could, and just did not make the cuts. They simply lost interest in the challenge.

I was the one who introduced them to tournament bass fishing.

[scorpion12]

I don't know anyone that's quit out of frustration. I know I quit for several years but that was because life and responsibilities got in the way. I just started playing again on a regular basis this spring/summer. I don't get frustrated on the course. I'm a lousy golfer. I know I suck. Lessons will help but there are too many other things in the way at the moment... but I'm not going to stop. I'm having too much fun and enjoying it.

[Valleygolfer]

I totally could see how the shanks could make a golfer go mental to the point of quitting.      Its such a devastatingly horrible shot that comes out of nowhere ... probably one of the toughest problems to fix, because it's fairly random

I have the intermittent shanks at times...Matter of fact on Sunday's round, I hit two shanks in a row. If that happened throughout the round, I would have stopped playing for a week or so. If it was a persistent fixture, I would definitely quit. I am not a great golfer but I spend a lot of time to improve. If I was charging backwards I would quit for sure.

[AmazingWhacker]

A guy I used to play with all the time suddenly quit playing.  He didn't keep an official handicap but he would always shoot high 70's to low 80's.  There was no real "quitting" - he just stopped being available whenever I'd call him to play.  I thought he just quit playing with *me* . . but my wife is good friends with his wife and she says he hasn't played in over a year now.  I guess, according to his wife, he's depressed or something . .apparently he's not doing much of anything.  When I first heard that I called him up and tried to really pressure him to get out and play golf . . he agreed to play but then didn't show up at the tee-time.

So - I guess it has nothing to do with golf but he's a really good player who, at least for now, has quit.

[Kieran123]

Meh....I quit golf after every bad round.

"I f%#king quit, this game is stupid.....................................................see you next weekend"

[dfreuter415]

Know any really good golfers that completely quit due to frustration?

Good is a relative term. The few golfers that I know who completely quit out of frustration have been a couple of friends who were 80+, and they just couldn't hit the ball far enough or consistently enough anymore.

A good example is Dr. X.  He is 92 years old, and loves to golf.  He came out to play with his friends at a local club on a Saturday morning in a better ball of 4 competition (full handicap), and even though he was playing the ladies' tees, he had to pick up on about 14 holes.  As he left the club, he told me, "I think I've played my last round of golf."  That was two years ago, and we haven't seen him since. (He is still alive, and to what I am told, is still mobile.)

We miss the good doctor, and still remember his better days on the course!

[inthehole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by inthehole

I totally could see how the shanks could make a golfer go mental to the point of quitting.      Its such a devastatingly horrible shot that comes out of nowhere ... probably one of the toughest problems to fix, because it's fairly random

I have the intermittent shanks at times...Matter of fact on Sunday's round, I hit two shanks in a row. If that happened throughout the round, I would have stopped playing for a week or so. If it was a persistent fixture, I would definitely quit. I am not a great golfer but I spend a lot of time to improve. If I was charging backwards I would quit for sure.

I hear ya - I hit a shank with a full 8i off a tee last weekend - scared the crap out of me - closest I ever came to putting it right into a house with a lot of big expensive windows in it - I was REALLY lucky.     Haven't done that all summer - its the worst feeling in golf.    If that was a persistent problem I couldn't fix, I would most definitely turn in the clubs ...

[Tecwesty]

On 9/17/2014 at 6:53 PM, AmazingWhacker said:

A guy I used to play with all the time suddenly quit playing.  He didn't keep an official handicap but he would always shoot high 70's to low 80's.  There was no real "quitting" - he just stopped being available whenever I'd call him to play.  I thought he just quit playing with *me* . . but my wife is good friends with his wife and she says he hasn't played in over a year now.  I guess, according to his wife, he's depressed or something . .apparently he's not doing much of anything.  When I first heard that I called him up and tried to really pressure him to get out and play golf . . he agreed to play but then didn't show up at the tee-time.

 

So - I guess it has nothing to do with golf but he's a really good player who, at least for now, has quit.

Is it a crazy resurrection of this thread to ask about your friend? I hope he's playing and happy. 

[mcanadiens]

As I'm currently having trouble with the shanks, I can see very plainly how it would make somebody want to quit. After about a month of this nonsense, popping the big money (for me anyway) for lessons is starting to sound like my best alternative.

The case mentioned in the OP is a much better golfer than I have ever been. In my mind, there is still a sense of optimism that this problem can be overcome. However, I won't be hitting 10 shanks a round next year one way or the other.