Close to giving up the game!

[Mulligan87]

Hi Guys

I've been very close to giving up the game recently and just wanted to see if others have similar feelings post round.

So passionate to play golf and improve and will always spend the time practicing to get better.

Recently have been playing great golf only to be 3 putting from 15- 20 yards. whenever i'm playing well I can't hole 3 footers its insane!!

I play off of 10 but I just can't putt when it means something. if i'm having a mediocre/bad round i'm ok with the putter but Havn't hit under my handicap in 20+ rounds and i'm actually creeping up when i'm playing/ striking the ball well enough to be lower.

I'm at my wits end with it and just don't know where to go as it seems more of a mental problem that I just can't seem to overcome.

Absolutely love the game of golf and spend every moment outside work thinking about golf if i'm not playing it.

I know theres going to be cliché comments about not letting the last shot dictate your mood, I don't have a short fuse compared to some folk I see on the course but when its a constant problem, hole after hole after hitting in regulation i'm losing my head!!!

Spend the weekend post round in a sometimes sombre mood and just thinking..... is this game worth playing if its constantly dictating my mood?

 

Sorry to ramble on....

Cheers Guys

 

 

 

[klineka]

How often do you practice putting? 

Have you been fit for a putter or had your putting stroke analyzed before?

Do you know your statistics such as how many putts you have per 18 holes? 

You might want to start a swing thread and post a video of your putting stroke so others can help you out.

[gregsandiego]

2 hours ago, Mulligan87 said:

 

Spend the weekend post round in a sometimes sombre mood and just thinking..... is this game worth playing if its constantly dictating my mood?

 

 

 

 

I know we've seen this (type of) post before and I'm always fascinated by it. It would seem to me it comes down to simply do you enjoy it or not?  If the answer is no, then why play?

I wish I could get just a few GIR's per round. You are probably way better than me but I never consider quitting.

Did you really mean that?

 

[swffjvl]

I just started my golf life in June, at 60yrs old its been a bit of a struggle. I play bad more than good ( I play at a good pace and not hold anyone back) but one thing I have learned in my short time, I want to enjoy the game, things most likely will get better and not to EVER get discouraged. Just go forward. This from a super newbie.

For now I play par 29 9's and am happy just to be out there.

[Valleygolfer]

Relax. Not care. I was listening to Chamblee talking about Rahm and how his attitude change helped him win. I thought about it and said, I know if I have a $hitty attitude about life, life sucks. It's the same about golf. Let it go and don't worry about the outcome. Play the shot the way you know, putt the putt and stop worrying about missing.  Relax and swing free-er. Besides no one else cares about your handicap.

[scotth]

9 hours ago, Mulligan87 said:

Hi Guys

I've been very close to giving up the game recently and just wanted to see if others have similar feelings post round.

So passionate to play golf and improve and will always spend the time practicing to get better.

Recently have been playing great golf only to be 3 putting from 15- 20 yards. whenever i'm playing well I can't hole 3 footers its insane!!

I play off of 10 but I just can't putt when it means something. if i'm having a mediocre/bad round i'm ok with the putter but Havn't hit under my handicap in 20+ rounds and i'm actually creeping up when i'm playing/ striking the ball well enough to be lower.

I'm at my wits end with it and just don't know where to go as it seems more of a mental problem that I just can't seem to overcome.

Absolutely love the game of golf and spend every moment outside work thinking about golf if i'm not playing it.

I know theres going to be cliché comments about not letting the last shot dictate your mood, I don't have a short fuse compared to some folk I see on the course but when its a constant problem, hole after hole after hitting in regulation i'm losing my head!!!

Spend the weekend post round in a sometimes sombre mood and just thinking..... is this game worth playing if its constantly dictating my mood?

 

Sorry to ramble on....

Cheers Guys

 

 

 

Hate to hear something like that, and I also hate cliches and coach speak so will try hard to avoid it here. 

I would follow up some on what @klineka said with some other thoughts.  Also, take a notebook with you for a few rounds and make notes on how you miss the putts.

Are they constantly coming up short? Missing to the left, missing to the right? You get the idea...  Might be painful, but afterwards look for a pattern.  You might see something there.

I was reading a book yesterday called Slaying The Tiger where the author followed the young guns on tour for a year.  In his chapter about Rory McIlroy there was in interesting section how he noticed he was missing everything to the right even when he thought he was lined up perfectly.

After careful study he realized he was lined up wrong and when he corrected that starting hitting putts again.

Hopefully these are some ideas that can help.

[Gator Hazard]

Have you taken or considered taking Aimpoint classes for putting?

[Hacker James]

This.

You know you are not going to quit.

Quitting is simply too easy, heck, I have done so many times

Rather than engaging  yourself in a self pity party, why not just throw the score card away the next few rounds and see what happens. You will look at the course in an entirely different way and will probably learn something about it.

That being said and you still feel the same, give your clubs to me, and take up something else.

 

[Rsuslow]

I recently found myself in this position and I'm a 20+ handicap.

About a year I lost my swing. It wasn't great before, but I could at least keep it in play. Since then I've struggled to find it. I've done lessons, I hit in my garage with a skytrak for practice and nothing seemed to be improving. 

But when I got out on the course, smelled the grass, realized what a good day it was, I just couldn't see myself giving up the game.

My game isn't where I want it, or where it was a year ago, but I just try and grab on to the little imrpovements. Example, I slice 10% less now with my driver (although I pull 10% more) and it's really forced me to find where I'm successful like my chipping and sometimes putting.

I would recommend to continue working on what's frustrating you, but really hold on to what is working and what is improving (even if it's minimal improvement) in order to hold on to your passion for the game.

[Grinde6]

First off...don't quit.  You're putting too much pressure on yourself if you are thinking about quitting.  Your expectations are probably too high as a 10 handicap if you are wanting to quit.  3 putting from 45-60 feet is not all that uncommon for a lot of people.  It would take a lot of pressure off your putting game if you work on your approach shots at the range a bit.  What is your normal yardage left to the hole (range)?  Figure that out and work on those distances and getting more accurate with those shots.  45-60 feet away from the pin on 100-160 yard shots is a long ways...practice those yardages and don't forget to practice putting as well.  Maybe have the Club Pro take a look at your putting stroke quick and see if he can pick up on anything you might be doing wrong.

[mcanadiens]

Your own expectations are always a killer. If you have spent that much time thinking about golf, I doubt you quit permanently.

Don't want to go to the course? Take a week off. See how you feel about it next week.

 

 

[rehmwa]

Quote

is this game worth playing if its constantly dictating my mood?

If the mood is good?  yes.  If the mood is bad?  no

If you enjoy the game, play it.  Take the good play with the bad and have fun.  You'll probably get better.  Take the lessons etc if that gives you joy.  But even if not, if you enjoy the game play it.

If you are not enjoying the game, quit.  Either take a break, or quit.  There are a lot of hobbies one can take up.  Golf is NOT the end all be all.

It's really quite simple.  No one died, no economy was ruined, from someone not playing, or from not playing well.

Edited July 21, 2017 by rehmwa

[WUTiger]

On 7/20/2017 at 9:56 PM, Mulligan87 said:

Absolutely love the game of golf and spend every moment outside work thinking about golf if i'm not playing it

You have worked your way into a persistent beehive brain frenzy about your golf game. You are stressed out because you believe your hard work at golf entitles you to better scores. Well, golf doesn't work that way.

You have to get back to the point where - on course - your just line up your shot and let it happen. Take a week to 10 days off and do something other than golf. Then, work your way back in.

On 7/20/2017 at 10:35 PM, klineka said:

Have you been fit for a putter or had your putting stroke analyzed before?

After your theraputic layoff, get a putting lesson. After the lesson, the pro may recommend you get a putter fitting and tweak.

And remember... golf is supposed to be fun! 

[iceman777]

Ive never been a good golfer . About 7 years or so . I was shooting about 43-48 for nine . I could be fine with that . Over the last few years ., Ive been getting progressively worse . It got so bad on father's day  weekend , when I played with my son , I put the clubs in the trunk and swore it was over . Instead I told my weekly playing partner I needed to stay off the course if this was going to work .  I went to the range about twice a week and started from scratch : my grip , how far I was standing from the ball , my spine angle at setup , etc . I found I was falling forward on my toes in the downswing , hitting everything low and right .I looked at a Steve Stricker slow motion swing video and concentrated on a minimal body movement swing . Im hitting it much better and now just slow down , set up correctly , and go . Stay with it . Sometimes we just need a break . 

[MarvChamp]

Love this thread, though I'm sorry a good golfer considers calling it quits. As others said, forget the score for awhile. Let others keep it or forget it altogether? Let the social and pastoral side of golf catch up to competitive perfectionism?  -Marv

[Patch]

Back in the day, I use to quit on my golf game once or twice a year. Then I realised that quitting was a waste of time. I figured out I was not quitting playing golf. I was actually quitting on myself, playing golf. 

Then came a time when some medical folks figured I would never be able to swing a club again, and told me as much. Took that pretty hard since I was being told I was being forced to quit. I was not quitting on my own, with the option of starting again. I missed the game so much, I made those folks eat their words, in a happy sort of way. 

Today I played 18 holes, and I have no idea what my actual score was. I could guess and come close. What I do know is that we had fun knocking that ball around. Today, having fun with the game was all that mattered. 

In all walks of life there are folks who take things way too seriously. Sure there are times things that need to be taken seriously, but unless you are a making a living at golf, it's ok to goof off with the game every so often. I think folks who get to a point where they want to quit golf, are taking their game way too seriously. They need to step back, relax, and just have some fun with their game, what ever shape it's in. 

[Vinsk]

On 7/22/2017 at 11:19 PM, WUTiger said:

golf is supposed to be fun! 

Wait...what?

[WUTiger]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

On 7/22/2017 at 10:19 PM, WUTiger said:

golf is supposed to be fun! 

Wait...what?

Didn't the Morning Drive people tell you this?