how can we make it fun again

[Big money]

I went out last night to a gaming fun factory. Watched people play pool ) bowling ) schuffle board and numerous other activities.Everyone was just having fun and tons of it. Me and my buddy's sat down and started talking golf instruction. The fun factor conversation left after a few minutes and confusion quickly set in.We ended up agreeing that the fun factor is missing from golf.Are we making this game overly difficult and taking the fun away? There was a lot of competitive games going on last night.And many if not all Were having a blast.Hardly see this on the course.Even in a scramble play

[Big money]

The fun is still there.But like many others I over complicate it.Ive always tried adding info and techniques to my swing that never match.And always end up making me worse off.Used to play the extreme back tees knowing I can barely reach the holes in regulation.Playing not properly fit golf equipment.Coming home all upset and defeated.Within the past decade I've wised up.Got properly for equipment.Worked with a pro who developed a swing for me.And teed it forward where I can reach all holes in regulation.The fun returned when you make the game more manageable.And play with what you have body wise.If you can't hit the golf ball 220 yards than never expect hitting it 300.

[PlaidJacket]

I'm getting ready to head out to the course for our regular Saturday game. It's a lot of fun.

Where the fun doesn't exist for some players I believe is due to unrealistic expectations. We're amateurs for pete's sake. Not TV golfers. I also believe many 'grind" too hard hoping it's going to pay-off. Maybe it will. But if not your expectations aren't met and then the fun fades away.

I say stop with all the minute details of your swing and game and just go play and have some fun. Some days you'll light it up but most days you will not. But just like the pros you too will miss fairways and putts and makes bogey. Once you accept that you aren't a pro and never will be you'll have a lot more fun. 

[Shankster]

I practice for at least 8-10 hours a week. Probably not practicing the right stuff. But I put myself in positions that take creativity to get out of.

 

Either a big cut or a rope hook.

 

That is fun to me, I like to play the game like that. It might not always work, but the look on people's faces when I'm aiming 50 yards OB and end up on the fairway or green is pretty cool.

 

Or when you hit a low checker spinning wedge that makes the jaws drop.

 

Have a few rounds lined up with the boss and another guy on Fridays. We are planning on a little match play and scramble formats.

 

I don't like getting beat so it should be fun.

[PING Apologist #9]

"Fun" is what you make of it.

 

For me, fun is watching others in my group hit great shots and I'm always vocal to point out when they do. I like watching success and that encourages me to do better and keep an upbeat attitude even if I waste a potential sub-100 round by posting an 11 on an easy par-5... That performance on my part was not fun at all, but I put it aside and had better fun the rest of the round. If you get too serious (and I do in almost every sport I've ever played), then the fun will evaporate and it will just be another thing you've "got" to do rather than being something you "want" to do and you'll quit.

 

Keep it light-hearted, be humble and don't go overboard if you make a bad shot or six. This game is HARD! Our hobbies are supposed to be a release from the normal grind of life and once that is lost, so too is the fun. I have to remind myself of this constantly as I plow along sometimes otherwise I'll have a meltdown.

[alfriday101]

The people at the fun factory weren't involved in bowling instruction, or pool instruction.  I imagine a pool lesson or bowing lesson might not have the levity present at the fun factory.

 

Personally, I have a lot of fun with my friends on the course and at the range.

 

We play HORSE on the range and the putting/chipping green.  Golf etiquette goes out the window.  Insults and character assignation is the norm.  "Closest to the hole, chipping between the beer cans...closest to the 100 yard marker hitting a 7 iron...who can hit the most drivers where the ball lands between the 125 and 150 marker...longest drive standing on one foot...closest to the 150 with a Happy Gilmore swing..."  Fun, but also good for improving skills and concentration.

 

On men's  day, we have "Goofy Golf".  At 6:00, everyone who wants to play meets on the first tee, teams are chosen and chaos ensues.  16 or 20 players on the same hole.  Best ball format, ready golf even on the greens.  When the team holes out, they're off to the next tee even if the other groups aren't finished.  (If safe to do so of course.) 

 

Drunk a Golf.  Stableford scoring.  For each beer consumed after the tee shot but before making the final putt, subtract one from the score on that hole, increasing your points.  More strategic than it sounds.  I recommend you limit it to 9 holes.    

[fixyurdivot]

I adopted a new philosophy about golf around age 45 after having taken the longest break from the game in my life.  I simply keep my expectations low so as not to be disappointed  .

 

In all seriousness, just prior to that break, I was really not enjoying the game because I had been frustrated by my inability to significantly improve scoring.  Lessons had altered my swing such that I was not playing consistently at all and it just "didn't feel right".  Outwardly, I remained pretty level set, but internally, I was constantly hacked about my play and that I could not achieve a single digit handicap.

 

I took a break for about 5 years, largely due to lots of international work travel and a crazy workload. When I resumed playing, I just told myself to have fun and to hell with the handicap.  My natural swing mechanics took over, my more senior playing partners introduced me to the foot wedge and I used it where appropriate, celebrated the flush shots, and quickly dismissed the s*** shots. Being able to consistently shoot mid 80's rounds and just having fun is working just fine for me.

[Gg Owen]

Golf is what you make of it.Speaking for myself, it is ‘fun' if you join a group that makes it this way.I find it enjoyable when they aren't stuffy nor over bearing loud mouth drunks.Go find a group that you mend well with.Being stuck with people you can't stand for 3 -4 hours stinks.A few men's clubs in my area let potential players join up for a few rounds letting them find out if they like the group or not.I tried this several times before I found that ideal fun group.

 

Also shop around for a course that appeals too your game.If your an beginner stick with executives par 3 or wider open courses.Where better players may opt for an championship level course.Many similar minded golfers tend frequenting courses more suited for their games.Which also makes it easier finding a group that plays with your level of game.Try matching up with golfers equal with your skill level.Makes it more enjoyable and ‘fun' as well

[RickyBobby_PR]

I have fun 99% of the time I play and most of the guys i play with enjoy being on the course. I think the issue for some is the expectation of hitting a good shot in every swing and getting frustrated with bad results. Or the guys who let every action by their player partners or others on the course affect their game or enjoyment instead of looking past it and controlling only what's in their power to control.

 

Slow play can ruin a round and I can't stand it but other than talking to a Marshall or letting the course know afterwards I just deal with it while I'm out there and enjoy the time on the course.

[GB13]

Play with people you enjoy being around. Put the focus on fun not score. If just want fun don't keep score. This take the emphasis off score and puts it on fun.

Play fun games with yourself or one another.

I sometime play a one man scramble where I hit two shots and take the best. This adds enjoyment for me because I usually hit one good shot.

[revkev]

If it's not fun why play? There's tons of ways to make golf more interesting if that's your idea of fun. Many have been listed here.

 

Ultimately though golf is a far more time consuming and challenging game than the ones you've mention. Therefore not as many people will be interested in it.

 

However it's no less fun than it used to be and I've been playing it for 50 years.

 

 

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[tony@CIC]

For me the fun part of of comes with the companionship. I'd imagine if you played pool by yourself or bowl by yourself it'd be pretty boring.

 

 

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[Mr. 82]

The difference between the fun factory and the golf course is huge. Fun factory how often do you go? Once in 5 years? And when I go I didn't spend years of my life practicing anything to try and get better at it. I went to play a few games that required no warm up or time spent getting better at. I also didn't drop $2,000 on clubs, shoes, balls, gloves, etc. I also didn't have to buy a membership every year or spend thousands on greens fees to keep my game up.

 

Golf can't really be compared to the fun factory. Golf requires an immense investment of time and money. But golf also has a huge ROI when you have a hole in one, or eagle or personal best ever score. Seriously, do you ever remember anything you ever accomplished at the fun factory?

 

 

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[Charli]

Fun part of golf is the same as a “fun factory” it's about going with friends. The problem is people can suck at all the activities you just listed because it doesn't involve other people's time and fun.

[Big money]

. Seriously, do you ever remember anything you ever accomplished at the fun factory?

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I just remember having loads of fun and laughs.And meeting many people that had the same experiences that night.Just don't see a lot of this in golf.All I see is tons of anguish and frustrations.Really haven't played or visited even a driving range where I saw people enjoying themselves.From an outsider, i don't see golf as a stuffy old crotchety endeavor.Im seeing it more as pure torment.Really surprised so many put up with the constant discouragements

[GB13]

I just remember having loads of fun and laughs.And meeting many people that had the same experiences that night.Just don't see a lot of this in golf.All I see is tons of anguish and frustrations.Really haven't played or visited even a driving range where I saw people enjoying themselves.From an outsider, i don't see golf as a stuffy old crotchety endeavor.Im seeing it more as pure torment.Really surprised so many put up with the constant discouragements

I feel like the hard work you put into it makes the improvements even more rewarding.

Where is the fun if you can automatically do it perfectly? The fun is putting in hard work and watching pay off.

[Gg Owen]

Ok... I will bite.Maybe I'm wrong OP.But didn't you say in another thread you play less than 5 rounds a year.?! Many on this site and on the golf course are avid golfers.Which is usually 100 or more rounds a year.We take the game seriously and aren't going to be jumping up with joy like the Fun Factoies.Were there for a purpose of lowering our scores verus someone who plays less than 5 rounds a year.What you see as a non fun attitude is actually fun for us in an competive sense.

 

Many of us are slightly more vested in this game than you. Our goals would be more fun not caring as much attitude. If we played less than 5 rounds a year like you.Heck,If I played less than 20 rounds a year I wouldn't care about score as well.Just my two cents.The more avid at golf.The more you care

[SteddyGolf]

If you are not having fun playing Golf then do something else. Seriously if you find the activity that is suppose to provide you an escape from the demands of your life does not then find something that does. However, if you enjoy the sport but are simply frustrated by your inability to improve then change your mind set. I play with a preacher who is awful. In the Stappleford system he has to pull two points! Still no one smiles more on the golf course than does he. In the end it comes down to expectation management.

 

I'm a better than average golfer on most days but at 54 I've developed some pretty difficult to deal with joint issues. I use golf as a fitness activity. My end score is not nearly important as my walking 4 to 6 miles at a very brisk pace with my bag on my back. If I shoot 88 I'm happy. If I shoot 74 I'm equally happy. My mindset is the journey is more important than the destination.

[Mr. 82]

I just remember having loads of fun and laughs.And meeting many people that had the same experiences that night.Just don't see a lot of this in golf.All I see is tons of anguish and frustrations.Really haven't played or visited even a driving range where I saw people enjoying themselves.From an outsider, i don't see golf as a stuffy old crotchety endeavor.Im seeing it more as pure torment.Really surprised so many put up with the constant discouragements

While everyone has different goals and expectations from anything they do in life, golf for me is about the fellowship with other golfers while playing. I had a membership at a course not far from my house in another county and state, where I went every weekend and played by myself. After a year of this I cancelled my membership. I was always by myself, and could never get a game, because the course was either empty, or the few groups that went out were clickish and never once invited me to join them.

 

I belong to a Tuesday evening scramble that averages 37 guys a week. I have been playing with them for 3 years now, and some of my best memories in golf are with this group of guys. This group has a wide range of golfer skill levels from 4 handicap, all the way up to 30+. I can be playing with a 8 handicap or a 30+ and it honestly doesn't matter to me. We play the best ball anyway, so if you hit a bad shot, who cares, pick it up and move on. I've been on winning teams many times with this group, but it honestly doesn't matter what we score. I've invited many friends who aren't all that good at golf, and we go out and have a blast. We laugh, joke, and tell stories, and just hit a few shots and spend 2 hours enjoying each other's company and thankful that we are away from the troubles of life for a couple of hours.

 

We finish playing, and come in and have dinner together at the club, and share a quick 10-15 minute devotional. We all share golf in common, but after doing this for a few years, we all get to know each other a little bit better, and even when I am having a bad day on Tuesday, I usually walk off the golf course in a much better mood, and feeling good again about life in general.

 

But yeah, if I never played golf with others, and just went solo I just might quit the game. Some of the best rounds of golf for me have involved my Dad and two brothers playing together. These are some of the best memories of my life. A good round with friends will always be better then just going out by myself. Sure, I go solo if I need to work on something on my game, and try and improve whatever I wanted to, but I'd rather shoot 100 with good friends, than shoot 72 by myself.

 

Bottom line is this - if you aren't incorporating relationships and the social aspect of this game into your golf experience, you are missing out on what it is all about, in my humble opinion.

 

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[PMookie]

I played in a competitive game with my HS buddy and two other foursomes and had a great time the other day. I played as a twosome with a buddy from HS and had a great time. I usually enjoy golf when I play with others, especially scrambles. I very rarely ever have a bad time...

 

 

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