Hitting a Plateau with Ability

[JonMA1]

This isn’t an “I’m ready to quit, talk me down” thread and it isn’t intended to be any kind of downer. I’m more interested in how others cope with the realization that any substantial improvement may never occur.

For any group of people participating in a sport, there will be a few who are at the top of the class, those at the bottom, and the majority at varying levels between. I think it’s safe to assume the vast majority of golfers look to improve regardless of how good or poor they play. The only exceptions might be those who, as they get older, simply want to maintain their level of play, and the few who are content to just enjoy the sport for the many reasons other than improvement.

I’m at that point now where I realize I will never be very good. By that I mean probably not at the level of bogey golf. Even though there are many single-digit, scratch and even pro players here, bogey golf isn’t that easy for a lot of people simply because of the time and effort it takes to get there. As a few of us are fond of saying, golf is hard.

I won’t get into all the negative things that I’ve let happen to me over the last few years for the sake of improving. but instead want to acknowledge the positives. First, the information Erik, Mike and others have provided is unbelievably valuable. Also, I have more time than many to play and practice. Finally, golf is inexpensive in this area so I’m not as hindered by cost. I’ve taken lessons, been fitted for new clubs… basically, I have no excuses.

I’ve read how it’s easier to get from bogey golf to single digit than it is to get from a HI of 3 to scratch. At every level, I’m assuming many folks who have played golf for a while realize they’ve hit a plateau and will be doing well just to maintain the level they’re currently at.

So what’s your mindset? Is there more of a balance between enjoying the game vs going balls-to-the-wall to get a little better? Or are you still as obsessed with improvement as you were from the first day you started playing? For those who are instructors, have you ever had to be brutally honest with a student regarding their expectations?

I really enjoy golf and will play as long as my body holds out. I even enjoy practicing and learning. I hate giving up on improving and hate settling for not being good at something, but I seriously need to dial back the expectations and remember this is supposed to be fun.

[DrvFrShow]

Here's my advice. Play golf. Have fun. Enjoy the summer. Practice when you feel like you want to.

I've never had an instructor at anything who was brutally honest about a student hitting a plateau. I only got encouragement. I realized I wasn't going to get any better at playing the piano simply because my hands weren't large enough and the fact that I'd developed carpal tunnel syndrome and I was managing that. Yet I kept getting encouragement that I would get better through more practice. BS. I just realized that there were limits as to what I was able to play and that was the end of that.

So how do you cope with it? You play within yourself when you play on the course. That's something I need to start doing. I'm sure I'll see my handicap start to drop if I do that. This sometimes may mean not going for a par 4 in two, but instead in 3 and playing for bogey instead of par on some holes - play three safe shots instead of two risky shots. Play this way until you get better and more confident.

[cedrictheo]

@JonMA1 I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you have to manage your expectations. I fear many people (myself included) set thier expectations way too high in golf and then can't enjoy the small improvements that come along the way. What I've tried to do lately is to have no expectation for how good I will be in the future and instead focus my energy on whatever it is I can do to get better that day. Then even if I just get 1% better at 1 part of my game the practice was a success. I also like to measure my success not by my scores but instead by how well I practice. Realizing that if I practice well I will get better. All that being said my overarching philosophy is that golf is a vehicle for growth in my life and I absolutely love the game and the challenges that it presents me with.

[joekelly]

I've greatly  improved my putting recently.  Within 10-15 feet, half in, others next to.  One yard, all in.  This is good for me.  I can practice putting/chipping a lot here, but cannot practice the long game much.  However, the long game, esp off the tee, is death to my card.

Make progress where i can, that's the best i can do now. I enjoy being out, refining my skill, appreciating my improvement and looking forward to chopping 2 off my HI within the next 60 days. I can play 10-12x per month.  I'm the only one who can see my path, or cares.

[rkim291968]

JonMA1,

I hear you.  I am a goal driven person, always has been for anything and everything I did.  So, to me, golf is not any different.  I set realistic short term goals to improve, and work at it.  But for the 1st 3 years of my golf career, I was more obsessed about improving (get better HI) than enjoying golf.   In my 6th year now, I have a good balance between improving and enjoying golf.  Although I have all-you-can-play golf membership, I divide my available time between practice & playing equally.   When I practice, I work at it seriously.  When I play, I do my best to enjoy.  I enjoy the people, enjoy the view, and just being out there playing this game called golf.  ( Playing together with my wife helps - if I get out of the line (swear, throw tantrum), she lets me know in no uncertain term .  )    Even if I can't reduce my HI further, I will be enjoy playing golf.   And if my continuous improvement effort results in my HI going down further, I will take it as bonus.

[Mike Boatright]

For golf it depends on the tees you play from you can always shoot a better score. Hell a 200 yard drive from the right tees and you can shoot 7 under.

[dave s]

Jon,

You're last paragraphs sums it up perfectly.  Play.  Have fun.  It's not work, it's recreation.  Enjoy yourself and golf for what it is for guys like us!

dave

[Jeremie Boop]

I'm hoping that I can maintain my interest in golf after I plateau. My history with anything I've done is that once I stop improving I lose interest and move on to something else. This happened with playing pool and bowling, I was super into it for years until I no longer got better. As the realization sank in that I was at the peak of my ability I quit the activity in pretty short order. Even so far this year, with the nice weather I haven't even bothered to get my clubs out. It's a rather scary prospect to me. I wish you the best in keeping with golf and hope that you don't follow the same pattern I have.

[rkim291968]

Golf is going to drive you crazy if one's main goal is to improve.   I found the balance between improving & having fun.

With a bit of "smart practice," I feel I can continue to improve.   My practice routine for much of my 1st 3 years in golf have been the same, got bored and practiced less, and my game went south ... until I decided to shake it up a little by getting fitted clubs, taking lessons, and changing my practice routines a bit.   I think I squeezed most out of my recent "shake up" and wondering what next?   Next 30 days will tell me if I plateaued again or I am still improving.

[mmoan2]

This isn’t an “I’m ready to quit, talk me down” thread and it isn’t intended to be any kind of downer. I’m more interested in how others cope with the realization that any substantial improvement may never occur.

For any group of people participating in a sport, there will be a few who are at the top of the class, those at the bottom, and the majority at varying levels between. I think it’s safe to assume the vast majority of golfers look to improve regardless of how good or poor they play. The only exceptions might be those who, as they get older, simply want to maintain their level of play, and the few who are content to just enjoy the sport for the many reasons other than improvement.

I’m at that point now where I realize I will never be very good. By that I mean probably not at the level of bogey golf. Even though there are many single-digit, scratch and even pro players here, bogey golf isn’t that easy for a lot of people simply because of the time and effort it takes to get there. As a few of us are fond of saying, golf is hard.

I won’t get into all the negative things that I’ve let happen to me over the last few years for the sake of improving. but instead want to acknowledge the positives. First, the information Erik, Mike and others have provided is unbelievably valuable. Also, I have more time than many to play and practice. Finally, golf is inexpensive in this area so I’m not as hindered by cost. I’ve taken lessons, been fitted for new clubs… basically, I have no excuses.

I’ve read how it’s easier to get from bogey golf to single digit than it is to get from a HI of 3 to scratch. At every level, I’m assuming many folks who have played golf for a while realize they’ve hit a plateau and will be doing well just to maintain the level they’re currently at.

So what’s your mindset? Is there more of a balance between enjoying the game vs going balls-to-the-wall to get a little better? Or are you still as obsessed with improvement as you were from the first day you started playing? For those who are instructors, have you ever had to be brutally honest with a student regarding their expectations?

I really enjoy golf and will play as long as my body holds out. I even enjoy practicing and learning. I hate giving up on improving and hate settling for not being good at something, but I seriously need to dial back the expectations and remember this is supposed to be fun.

I think your mindset should be enjoyment like others said, but if you're struggling with this desire to improve, it means you have a competitive side. This is why you probably need to pop on a forum to ask people what their expectations are. I'm a very competitive person by nature and I could never understand people who golfed with no goal in mind, as if swinging a club and drinking beer were reward enough. If you have reached a plateau, I'm betting it's more with your full swing. I'm pretty convinced most people can become very good putters and short game players regardless of "innate" ability. Maybe you could strive to be the short game guru in your foursome? The guy who wows people with a flop shot that they wish they could pull off after a 280 yard drive. Make your game unique to yourself . Basking in the sun and smelling the fresh-cut grass is certainly great, but you can still play the game well enough even if you'll never be scratch. Become an expert on course management. Know your shot zones well. I think your post shows that you've answered your own question, but I hear you! I wish I was shooting 70 like yesterday, but it never happens. I guess being honest with yourself is the main thought I try to have. I want to shoot 75, but I can accept an 85 considering I don't play very often.

[MrFlipper]

As an older guy who hit his plateau years ago, I'd say the issue isn't as much hitting a plateau as it is, where was your plateau and how far do you fall from your plateau.

If you have truly hit your plateau, you can still hit the shots that you know how to hit and even improve some if you hit a hot streak. From my perspective, if you are reasonably healthy you should always have the possibility to shoot 85 or so without hitting it like the big boys. So if your handicap is higher than that I'd sure say you still have room to improve if you take the right steps.

I'm quite a few strokes off my plateau but I can still hit enough of the shots that I think I should for the game to be fun, don't really play that much anymore but it's a good excuse to get outside and be with my golf buddies.

Guys who have fallen from their plateau a long ways are the ones I feel for, whether from health or age or both. One of my closest golf buddies was a 7 in his earlier days, as he got older he got Parkinson's and got old and he reached a point where he couldn't break 100, so he quit. His ball striking skill level was just so far from what he knew how to do that he couldn't take it. So I sure understand that. No way it was going to get any better.

Can't tell from your profile, but you don't seem particularly aged or unhealthy from your comment. I think you are giving up on bogey golf way too soon

[RandallT]

One way to look at it is that we are at some skill level at the moment. If we went out and shot what our skill level is, then we are all reasonably happy with that.  If we shoot better, we are all somewhat thrilled. When we stink, we are mostly frustrated and eager to get out there and improve (or just hang it up, if it was that bad).

But it really doesn't matter what that skill level is for each of us at the moment.

You see great players get pissed when they shoot just a couple wayward shots.

You see poorer players get thrilled when they reach bogey golf. Or pissed off when they hit 110.

Since there is variation in our rounds, we have a lot of the same emotions due to how different we are playing from our individual "normal" rounds. And if you improved by 5 strokes overall next season, you'd likely still experience the same emotions round to round because of their variability (even if that variability is 5 strokes lower).

So with that said, if you are not getting enjoyment out of golf, then it's time to re-evaluate. I figure there are lots of ways to enjoy golf:

- shooting better than your typical score, regardless of what that is.

- hitting that one perfect shot.

- making that one birdie/eagle per round

- or just getting exercise and being outdoors.

I don't mind if I hit plateau, but I'll always strive to get better. For me it adds enjoyment to improve, but I don't get too frustrated if tangible progress isn't being made. I'm amazed at how much work I've put into golf with so little true results. My hope is that the work will pay off eventually down the road because I'm getting more fundamentally sound.  You wrote:

I really enjoy golf and will play as long as my body holds out. I even enjoy practicing and learning.

That about sums it up. So you answered your own question, and I just rambled on and on.

[rkim291968]

My usual greeting with my course starter goes something like:

Starter: It's a beautiful day today.

Me: Yeah, I am here to ruin it with golf.

At the end of the round, our parting exchanges are, typically:

Starter: How did it go?

Me: Golf sucked but we had lot of fun.

[JonMA1]

Thanks everyone - especially the advice to just have fun. It's sometimes easier said than done, but that's exactly what I'm after. I've gotta back off on the trying to get good part, for a while anyway.

While I do rag on how bad my game is, there is good golf mixed in with it. The score card is a reality check, but a GIR, or a long drive right down the middle, or simply an afternoon playing golf with my son is the rewarding part of the game.

[BuckeyeNut]

This isn’t an “I’m ready to quit, talk me down” thread and it isn’t intended to be any kind of downer. I’m more interested in how others cope with the realization that any substantial improvement may never occur.

For any group of people participating in a sport, there will be a few who are at the top of the class, those at the bottom, and the majority at varying levels between. I think it’s safe to assume the vast majority of golfers look to improve regardless of how good or poor they play. The only exceptions might be those who, as they get older, simply want to maintain their level of play, and the few who are content to just enjoy the sport for the many reasons other than improvement.

I’m at that point now where I realize I will never be very good. By that I mean probably not at the level of bogey golf. Even though there are many single-digit, scratch and even pro players here, bogey golf isn’t that easy for a lot of people simply because of the time and effort it takes to get there. As a few of us are fond of saying, golf is hard.

I won’t get into all the negative things that I’ve let happen to me over the last few years for the sake of improving. but instead want to acknowledge the positives. First, the information Erik, Mike and others have provided is unbelievably valuable. Also, I have more time than many to play and practice. Finally, golf is inexpensive in this area so I’m not as hindered by cost. I’ve taken lessons, been fitted for new clubs… basically, I have no excuses.

I’ve read how it’s easier to get from bogey golf to single digit than it is to get from a HI of 3 to scratch. At every level, I’m assuming many folks who have played golf for a while realize they’ve hit a plateau and will be doing well just to maintain the level they’re currently at.

So what’s your mindset? Is there more of a balance between enjoying the game vs going balls-to-the-wall to get a little better? Or are you still as obsessed with improvement as you were from the first day you started playing? For those who are instructors, have you ever had to be brutally honest with a student regarding their expectations?

I really enjoy golf and will play as long as my body holds out. I even enjoy practicing and learning. I hate giving up on improving and hate settling for not being good at something, but I seriously need to dial back the expectations and remember this is supposed to be fun.

Jon Brother.................there is hope!

I personally hit the brick wall and gave up hope of improving.  I became an avid golfer in 1992............ when I first started keeping a valid USGA HC in 1996, I was already a 7-9HC.   I was forever stuck as a 7-9HC for nearly a decade.   I got to the point where I fully accept my fate that I would never get better..............it is what it is....and I am only good enough to be a 7HC or whatever..................

Then out of nowhere in 2006.......I started improving!  go figure?  I got down to a 4HC....I played to a 2-3HC in 2008-2010..........In 2011...I was consistent in the 1-2 range..............then I lost my job in 2012 and played every day...........I got to scratch and played to a ZERO..........most of 2012.....LOL....... My game has fallen off since, but I still hover in the 2-3HC range as a working stiff.   I want to stress..............you may feel stuck, but can break through multiple barriers and take your game to an entirely new level.....................it can be done!!!  I've been there and done that..............

[JonMA1]

Jon Brother.................there is hope!

I personally hit the brick wall and gave up hope of improving.  I became an avid golfer in 1992............ when I first started keeping a valid USGA HC in 1996, I was already a 7-9HC.   I was forever stuck as a 7-9HC for nearly a decade.   I got to the point where I fully accept my fate that I would never get better..............it is what it is....and I am only good enough to be a 7HC or whatever..................

Then out of nowhere in 2006.......I started improving!  go figure?  I got down to a 4HC....I played to a 2-3HC in 2008-2010..........In 2011...I was consistent in the 1-2 range..............then I lost my job in 2012 and played every day...........I got to scratch and played to a ZERO..........most of 2012.....LOL....... My game has fallen off since, but I still hover in the 2-3HC range as a working stiff.   I want to stress..............you may feel stuck, but can break through multiple barriers and take your game to an entirely new level.....................it can be done!!!  I've been there and done that..............

Thanks for the encouragement. You're not the first person I've heard this from and it really does help newbies who are struggling to know that they aren't the only ones to go through it.

I think you've made a couple of my points. First, you got down to single-digit in 4 years - that's pretty damned good and something some of us simply cannot accomplish. Second, you were ok with where (you thought) you'd ended up. You accepted it and could enjoy the game with the belief that you wouldn't get a lot better. The fact that you did get better sounds like it was just a bonus.

I'll take any improvement that comes my way. But my ability and potential are what they are. Not being able to hit as far as a pro isn't causing high scores (not at 6000 yards). Making good decisions seems easy enough. And I've learned to hit every type of shot I need for the level of golf I'd hoped to be playing by now (except putting). That leaves failure to execute far too often as the culprit. Maybe with time and repetition it will improve slightly - who knows. I just don't want to be consumed by it any more - if that's even possible.

[imsys0042]

Jon, I mean this with love, but that's horrible. :) Don't accept that things will only get a little better if you practice more. I don't know how long you've been playing, but I'm going on 30 years (and I'm only 41) and I am still learning new things to put the ball in the hole with less strokes. I've learned more in the past 3 years than the previous 26. And that's with a job that's gotten brutal in the past 2 years, Plus 2 young kids at home that are very tough. Oh, and I moved away from everything I knew and my in-laws hate me. Despite all that, my goals are to improve every month and this year I intend to go from a 12 down to a 7. That's my goal. Doing that requires major uplifts in a couple of areas, but I'm going to do my best. I have a lot against meme, time wise, but it's somethg to shoot for. My point is. Don't treat a plateau as anything over than what is happening this moment. That'll change in an instant.

[Nagah]

Jon Go visit the golf goo roo. Just google it. It will give an insight as to why you play, improve but most of all have fun Cameron has been there done that. This guy had a +3 hc at one of Australas best and hardest golf courses. Plus he's a personal mate of mine. Enjoy.