Why Do You Play Golf? A Two Option Poll

[NJpatbee]

I play golf to have fun and one or two poor rounds are normal at my level.  I did have  an 8 week period about 10 years ago where it was like I had never touched a club before and that was no fun and I wound up giving up the game for almost a year.  I do not have to shoot low scores (since an 86 is about as good as I get!) but I just want to play at or near my ability on most occasions.  

 

[billchao]

I play for fun. I aim for long term improvement, but enjoyment of individual rounds is more than just the score I shoot.

I'd rather score poorly with good company than grind out a good score and feel like I was fighting myself the whole time.

[CaseyD]

I have a goal of getting to a certain skill level that includes certain scores, but the lower I shoot the more fun I have 😂

[p1n9183]

Voted lower scores.
In tournaments, lower scores.
Playing with friends, lowers scores to beat them.
Practice round, practice something in order to shoot lower scores.

No matter the situation i always have fun and enjoy playing golf so shooting lower scores will gave me a little extra of enjoyment of the game.
 
 

[308 Ragin Cajun]

For me, it's a challenge. I get a thrill out of striking a shot solidly, and watching it go where i have aimed it. I used to be able to play a little bit, and the challenge is to get some of that back. Lower scores is just a measurement  of how well I'm doing.

[MD5225]

I voted shooting lower scores and here's why. Yes, "fun", "excitement", "leisure", or whatever label you want to put on golf, is primarily why most of us play. To me personally, a huge part of that is the feeling and excitement of a great shot, a birdie, a low score (relative to your ability), or whatever.  For me the fun comes from experiencing as many of those moments as possible during a round. 

Until a year ago, my golf consisted of hacking it around (100+ even with lax rules - bad), drinking beer and joking around.  Maybe it's my maturity meeting my inner competitor (former two sport athlete) but spending 50+ on a round, losing 10 balls and hitting bad shot after bad shot stopped being fun.

After taking it very serious just under a year ago I'm playing at a 19-20 hcp (strict rules) and I've never enjoyed it more. No other golf experience came anywhere close to the thrill and fun of breaking 90 for the first time, legitimately. I now play mostly with serious golf friends, and we laugh and talk between shots, but we are out there to play well. To me the majority of the "fun" is in the successes and challenge of getting better. If I want to yuck it up with buddies and drink a bunch of beer, well, I can do that in someones backyard, a bar, or a sporting event.

It's obviously completely individual as it relates to the feeling, or lack thereof, you get from playing or wanting to play better golf.  I don't feel this way about bowling, pool or darts. There's just something about golf.

Edited December 20, 2018 by MD5225

[iacas]

16 minutes ago, MD5225 said:

I voted shooting lower scores and here's why. Yes, "fun", "excitement", "leisure", or whatever label you want to put on golf, is primarily why most of us play.

Then you chose the wrong option in the poll. Without the fun, you wouldn't play. If you had a blast shooting 5 shots higher than you do now, you'd keep playing.

Something can't be the "primary" reason you play something, but have something else matter "more."

[MD5225]

6 minutes ago, iacas said:

Then you chose the wrong option in the poll. Without the fun, you wouldn't play. If you had a blast shooting 5 shots higher than you do now, you'd keep playing.

Something can't be the "primary" reason you play something, but have something else matter "more."

Is that right?  First, you're taking me out of context. I go onto to say my single greatest "fun" moment in golf was totaling up my score on the first round I broke 90 (87). I was beaming for days and it's the score that gave me that feeling. It was a sense of accomplishment. The process of getting there was fun, but the score was where most of my joy came from. 

"Something can't be the "primary" reason you play something, but have something else matter "more."

So wrong. Suppose I go to a sales job everyday. The the "primary reason" I go is to make money.  By your logic, money should "matter" most also. Well, I'd argue that doing a good job day in and day out "matters" most.  Why? Because that is how you ensure the "primary reason" for going to your job, which is making money.  Money isn't just waiting for you on your desk, just like fun isn't just waiting for me on the course.  There is a causal relationship there like many things in life. If you do a poor job, you get fired and don't make money. So how does money matter most? If I shoot 98 and did not have fun, how does fun matter most? The one that causes the other matters most. 

In many cases there are thresholds that must be exceeded to achieve their "primary reason" for doing whatever they do... e.g. 85k and up in the sales job or shooting 90 and below on the course.  Failures to meet those thresholds and you may not make enough money to support your family or not shoot low enough to have fun.

Perhaps you should have worded to question different because I know what matters most to me.    

 

 

 

[dbuck]

I play for the fun, and I enjoy it even if I don't score as well as I expect.

I try to lower my scores, and plan to continue, but if I shoot over my handicap I still have fun.

[GolfLug]

3 hours ago, MD5225 said:

Is that right?  First, you're taking me out of context. I go onto to say my single greatest "fun" moment in golf was totaling up my score on the first round I broke 90 (87). I was beaming for days and it's the score that gave me that feeling. It was a sense of accomplishment. The process of getting there was fun, but the score was where most of my joy came from. 

"Something can't be the "primary" reason you play something, but have something else matter "more."

So wrong. Suppose I go to a sales job everyday. The the "primary reason" I go is to make money.  By your logic, money should "matter" most also. Well, I'd argue that doing a good job day in and day out "matters" most.  Why? Because that is how you ensure the "primary reason" for going to your job, which is making money.  Money isn't just waiting for you on your desk, just like fun isn't just waiting for me on the course.  There is a causal relationship there like many things in life. If you do a poor job, you get fired and don't make money. So how does money matter most? If I shoot 98 and did not have fun, how does fun matter most? The one that causes the other matters most. 

In many cases there are thresholds that must be exceeded to achieve their "primary reason" for doing whatever they do... e.g. 85k and up in the sales job or shooting 90 and below on the course.  Failures to meet those thresholds and you may not make enough money to support your family or not shoot low enough to have fun.

Perhaps you should have worded to question different because I know what matters most to me.    

 

 

 

I think the question is then, would you still show up to work if you stop getting paid for your services regardless of how much you enjoy doing it?

[iacas]

1 hour ago, GolfLug said:

I think the question is then, would you still show up to work if you stop getting paid for your services regardless of how much you enjoy doing it?

Yep.

“Primary” = “most”

If you shot high scores and had a blast you’d keep playing. If you shot low scores and had a miserable time you’d quit.

Shooting lower scores helps have fun. Absolutely.

But that’s not what most means and your own “primary” reason is the answer.

[MD5225]

I think we’re caught in a game of semantics now. Let me just give you what you want.

Yes, of course, those of us not earning an income from golf, by definition, play for fun. Why ask such an obvious trap question? The simplistic way your framing it would mean only paid pros would answer the way I did. Unless fun depended on performance e.g. low scoring, which is what I’m saying  

The distinction I’m making is at a level deeper than surface. There are two types of people. Those who play purely for the enjoyment of being on a beautiful course with friends and have a blast doing that. They can achieve max enjoyment regardless of their performance. More power to em, that’s great. Then there are those like me, who only find max enjoyment by playing at or near our capability and challenging ourselves. Anything less has a disappointing element... still enjoyable to a degree, but there is a sour taste. “Matters” I interpret as “most important”. Yes fun is the goal, but for people like me “matters” or “most important” is playing well since that is how I can have max enjoyment. I’m not alone. 

These boards are littered with stories of people who gave up the game for a period of time because they regressed to a point where they were frustrated and didn’t have fun. This is nothing new. Same game, same courses, why aren’t they still playing? How do you explain that? Do they hate golf all of the sudden? No, they just hate going out and playing below a bar that I’m their mind is necessary to enjoy it most. Every year there are examples of athletes who retire not because they hate the game, but because their abilities have diminished and they don’t enjoy struggling at something they love. It not right or wrong, it’s personal preference most likely from a competitive nature higher than others. So I maintain that for me playing well “matters most” “is most important” “carries the most weight” or whatever tag you want to put on it. My thought pulling up to the course is never “just have fun”, it’s “I hope I remember to do this, or that, I hope I play well”

[iacas]

31 minutes ago, MD5225 said:

I think we’re caught in a game of semantics now. Let me just give you what you want.

It's not "what I want." It's what you've said. It's not like I'm the only one who has told you that.

Don't read too much "caring" into my comments. You can insist and stick with "shooting lower scores" and my life won't really change. I made a few quick comments; nothing more.

Have a great Christmas.

32 minutes ago, MD5225 said:

Why ask such an obvious trap question?

See, here's where your assumptions get you in trouble, perhaps.

This question came about because of a Twitter conversation, and someone arguing that the ONLY way to play the game of golf is by caring about scoring above anything else. Which, IMO, is bogus. Lots of amateur golfers have reasons to play the game above and beyond "scoring" or "winning."

[saevel25]

11 hours ago, MD5225 said:

are two types of people. Those who play purely for the enjoyment of being on a beautiful course with friends and have a blast doing that. They can achieve max enjoyment regardless of their performance. More power to em, that’s great. Then there are those like me, who only find max enjoyment by playing at or near our capability and challenging ourselves. Anything less has a disappointing element... 

I 100% disagree with your binary reasoning here.

10 hours ago, iacas said:

Which, IMO, is bogus. Lots of amateur golfers have reasons to play the game above and beyond "scoring" or "winning."

Absolutely. I know many golfers who go out because it's a social thing. They play in one or two leagues a year with the same guys. They have a blast playing crappy golf and drinking beers.

[Sandy Divot]

I play because I'm too old to play baseball.

[MD5225]

  12 hours ago, MD5225 said:

are two types of people. Those who play purely for the enjoyment of being on a beautiful course with friends and have a blast doing that. They can achieve max enjoyment regardless of their performance. More power to em, that’s great. Then there are those like me, who only find max enjoyment by playing at or near our capability and challenging ourselves. Anything less has a disappointing element... 

"I 100% disagree with your binary reasoning here." 

I respect your opinion completely and will admit, there is some grey area in between. I just meant in a general sense that at polar ends of the spectrum there are 2 types.  There are those who go out to play and their score does not dictate in any way their level of enjoyment.  Then there are those who can only enjoy themselves if they play to a certain level.  I am one of these people. If I shoot 10 shots worse than a 5 stroke range that I think should play in if I play well (eg 85-90), then I'm not having a good time.  I don't care how many good friends I have with me, I am going to be disappointed.

To your point about binary reasoning, yes there are people in between that want to shoot well but if they don't they can still find a way to have a good time.  I struggle with this personally and others do too is all I am saying. I think that is the push-back it felt I was getting based on my answer to the poll, which I don't understand. If you disagree that amateurs can have this mindset, please tell me why lots of golfers at all levels have given up the game at one point or another due to poor play/skill regression equaling frustration and no fun? If it were just playing golf that was fun then they would't quit - I relate to this mindset.  For them, and me, enjoyment comes from playing golf and playing it well (relative to skill level). What do you think?

  11 hours ago, iacas said:

Which, IMO, is bogus. Lots of amateur golfers have reasons to play the game above and beyond "scoring" or "winning."

"Absolutely. I know many golfers who go out because it's a social thing. They play in one or two leagues a year with the same guys. They have a blast playing crappy golf and drinking beers."

I 100% agree with you and iacas. These people comprise most of the people I've played with over the years. I said it above twice.  As to the Twitter post that prompted this question, of course that "shooting low score matters most is bogus" for many people. That is ridiculous. Golfing is what you make of it, and people take all different kinds of pleasure from it.  What parts of the game you enjoy just differs from person to person, as does the impact of playing well as it relates to your enjoyment.  

[Buckeyebowman]

Interesting turn this discussion has taken. Back in the day, when I could play pretty well I would have voted "shooting lower scores". Nowadays I voted "having fun". That's because i simply love the game, and can't imagine it NOT being a part of my life! 

I may bemoan my poor play after a round, but do I ever regret playing? NO! 

[Mr Puddle]

Although it is always to improve, playing golf surely is about enjoyment. I took golf up three years when I retired. I am now 61 years old and now play off of 15.7. It is a great time killer, and extremely sociable. To be honest, I have now hit a wall, but to be honest I don't care. As long as I an get out in the fresh air and whack some balls, nothing else matters