Are You A Better Golfer Now or In Your Junior Years?

[golfinnut]

It got me thinking the other day, during one of my sad days wielding the golf club, that I was such a better golfer when I was younger than I am now. There are, of course, a number of reasons for it. Some of the following are my top 5 reasons why:

 

1. Older & more out of shape
2. No time to practice
3. Out of shape ... oops I said that one already.
4. Old ... yep that one too
5. Family obligations

But there is one that stands out for me not listed there. "Overthinking & not just letting it happen." 

What I mean by that is there are so many devices, websites, YouTube, etc. that all have some idea to "fix" your swing or analyze what is wrong. Back in the day, I had 1 thing that I relied on for my swing issues and fixes ... my father. He is the only one that I have ever taken lessons from (no formal lessons ever). I would read an occasional book here and there. But for the most part I would work it out myself or let my father decipher what was going on. By not over analyzing everything, I played some of the best golf in my golfing career by just "letting things happen." Not really "muscle memory" per se, but everything would just come natural. Some days it "was like a walk in the park" as my father used to say whenever I played well. Grant it, back in my day, I played golf pretty much every day. When I worked on the golf course, I would practice one day and play the next, especially over the summer.

My question here to everyone is ..... Are we over analyzing everything? Do we think TOO much about our golf swing? Are we constantly looking for that magical fix, that new & greatest club, or that miracle cure for our faults? What happens when you just step away from the game for a while? Do you forget everything you have learned? I doubt it. 

So I was definitely a better golfer in my junior years, by far. You would think that the older you were, the better you would get .... being that you have been playing for a number of years. But for me that just isn't the case. I think I'm going to stray away from the books, the YouTube videos, the "unsolicited" advice, etc. and just let it happen from now on. I play better that way it seems.

 

[cnosil]

I am a far better golfer now than when I was a junior. Just never took it seriously when I was younger. It was more of a go around and beat balls kind of thing. When I started playing again about 20ish years ago I put more effort into the game to get better and am now single digit. When I was younger I shot in the 90s.

[Shankster]

I am way better now. Here's the reasons.

 

1. More time to practice

 

2. Less of a temper

 

3. In way better shape

 

4. More drive to be better

 

 

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[golfinnut]

I am a far better golfer now than when I was a junior. Just never took it seriously when I was younger. It was more of a go around and beat balls kind of thing. When I started playing again about 20ish years ago I put more effort into the game to get better and am now single digit. When I was younger I shot in the 90s.

See I was just the opposite. I took it a lot more serious as a junior than I do now. Maybe because I was playing competitively, whether in school or money games with my father, to keep the juices flowing. Now I don't care as much never really play for anything so I don't concentrate as often

 

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[Golfspy_CG2]

I'm definitely better now than I was as a Junior or even early twenties.  Mostly back then, you would have had to lead me by the hand to something called the driving range or putting green...Ha  I was out of the car and where's the first tee.   Didn't even think that you would go to a driving range "just to hit balls" 

 

Now as I'm older and more educated and yes even though I hit my driver about as far as I hit a 5 iron back then, I'm better.  I have a better understanding of how to play the game, and manage my way around a course better.   My scores may not be 30 shots better, but they are are probably 10 to 15 shots better, and far more consistent.  I never took a lesson as a junior or early in my golf journey, I know know that was a huge mistake.   

[jayjay0808]

I'm in better shape than I was as a junior. I think I hit the ball farther as a junior as I would swing out of my shoes. But as I have gotten older my short game has really advanced and I think that is just from experience. 

[revkev]

There is no comparison - I started playing golf at 10 but didn't take it seriously until I was in my 20's. I'm so much better now it's hard to imagine.

 

I played my best golf from 45-55. I'm not as good as I was then primarily because of conditioning and age.

 

I was better from 25-45 than I am currently - I was so much longer then and had so much less stress that I could cover a multitude of sins with ability and lack of concern. I did have a blip for a year or two just after turning thirty where I didn't play much. (It was called having children).

 

 

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[Miboy62]

I would say way better, when I was younger I never went in with a plan.

It was drive the ball with those old "wood" driver. And a PW around the greens.

Balls, woods, wedges, shafts, have all improved from 1976.

[ole gray]

I didn't play golf as a junior unless you consider in the mid twenties being a junior?   I was a true hacker for several years and began playing some pretty decent golf in the thirty to fifty year bracket.  At 55 I had my first knee surgery and it (right knee) was botched up pretty good affecting my balance. Three surgeries later and I've been average at best with occasional glimpses of knowing what I'm doing on the course. 

[TBT]

I was much better in my junior years, I had a long free flowing swing and hit nothing but straight balls...then I quit the game for over 20 years and when I came back to it I was hitting big high slices and I was like, "What the hell is that?"

[STUDque]

I feel like I'm still getting better. I'm relatively new to the game (8 years) and have noticed steady improvement year over year. With 2 kids and a career, I do find it tough to play as much as I want but I still find ways to practice fairly consistently.

 

I'm also relatively young (30) but am starting to feel "creaky".

 

 

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[dadivots]

My question here to everyone is ..... Are we over analyzing everything? Do we think TOO much about our golf swing? Are we constantly looking for that magical fix, that new & greatest club, or that miracle cure for our faults? What happens when you just step away from the game for a while? Do you forget everything you have learned? I doubt it. 

 

So I was definitely a better golfer in my junior years, by far. You would think that the older you were, the better you would get .... being that you have been playing for a number of years. But for me that just isn't the case. I think I'm going to stray away from the books, the YouTube videos, the "unsolicited" advice, etc. and just let it happen from now on. I play better that way it seems.

 

 

For me I was better then, a blown out back still has me wondering if hanging it up might be the sane thing to do.

I think most who are at all serious do tend to over analyze, and maybe its due all the info out there to begin with now. But as I have said before golf is the only game where there is 20, heck 50, different ways to do it. Always a case of TMI and getting better has alwasy been about wading through that. While finding the aha instruction or ideas that work for you amongst the TMI is the thing that makes all the difference it seems. Video and the rest now are changing the golf swing for the better, its just a matter of finding someone who doesnt hold onto all the outdated or just wrong ideas, never mind the latest 'fix'. An almost impossible task but they are out there with others copying their ideas in one form or another more and more.

Its a great time to be able to play and work at golf!

[Jmikecpa]

Better now than as a junior and think I have a better swing and grasp of the game. In my early to mid 20's I played off a +3 or so but still think I am better today. With a family, career and limited practice time I am still scratch to a plus at any point during the season since I figured out how to just get the ball in the hole. Also I am surprisingly longer throughout the bag at 40 than I was at 20.

 

 

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[yungkory]

I feel like I'm still getting better. I'm relatively new to the game (8 years) and have noticed steady improvement year over year. With 2 kids and a career, I do find it tough to play as much as I want but I still find ways to practice fairly consistently.

 

I'm also relatively young (30) but am starting to feel "creaky".

 

 

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Gotta get on that yoga mat! Trust me, your lower back will thank you! The morning after yoga, I get out of bed and my back feels incredible. I'm going to look for an easy way to do some more conditioning as well to see if I can gain more strength and flexibility.

 

On to the topic, I am much better now than I was when I was younger. I didn't take it as seriously as I should have, even though I was fortunate to have a single mother who pushed me to be better, I just wanted to have too much fun, and I didn't have any friends my age that golfed. The most fun I had was when I would get sent to Hawaii for the summer (before we moved here) and I would get to play once a week with people my age in group lessons and stuff. Otherwise, I was always playing with old fogies that were more fun to laugh at than play with. Also, with all of the club fitting stuff in today's golf world, the game is so much more fun getting dialed in!

[TheWahoo]

I'm not sure that I can accurately respond to this topic because I was never a junior golfer.   I had no interest in golf until I was well on my way to developing and advancing my professional career.   Advancing in my chosen profession was my focus, my priority-golf became an important activity but never the less a secondary ancillary some what related activity.   Now that I am nearing retirement, improving my golf game is now my focus, my priority because I suspect it will be my primary retirement activity.

 

Like a fine wine, I like to think or at least hope that I will be improving with age.   With age comes wisdom, not only about life generally, but one's approach to one's desired activities and goals for the remaining years.   I have often quoted Mr. Eastwood-a man's gotta know his limitations.  With the wisdom of my age, in golf, I now recognize my limitations,  so now I play from the Senior tees where I play a heck of a lot better and enjoy the game a heck of a lot more.   Combining that wisdom along with the time and opportunity for lessons and practice,  I hope to continue to improve. 

[DaveP043]

I'm light-years better now than when I was a junior.  I started as a teenager, with a little instruction from my Dad in the basics.  Once I got that, I completely ignored all of the rest of the good advice he would give me (typical teenager, right).  I had one shot, and that was a wild slice, occasionally tamed down to a big fade.  I very occasionally broke 90, and was often over 100, but I loved to play.  I got a little bit of good advice from a buddy in college, took a single lesson maybe 20 years after that, and worked my way down to an 8 handicap.  Over the past 4 or 5 years I've enjoyed practicing more, I'm playing regularly, have taken a little instruction again this spring, and I'm pretty close to my lowest handicap ever (3.6 index).  I'm much much much better now.

[golfinnut]

Maybe my "problem" was that I started too early ... 4 years old.  So I had some really early years.  HA! 

[butters]

I didn't start playing till my late 20s so I would have to say I'm better now(37)

 

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