Are you content with your golf game?

[fixyurdivot]

So after having played this game since childhood, taken lessons during several periods over that stretch of time, practiced and played a lot during my early 30's, having achieved a lifetime best handicap of 11, been frustrated by further lessons seemingly moving my scoring the wrong direction, getting frustrated enough to get away from the game for awhile, then coming back to the game and telling myself to just have fun and don't take it so seriously (great advice from my Dad and best friend)... here I am.

 

Now 57, retired, getting to play much more now that we've added Yuma, AZ for winter digs, and playing with friends who likewise do not take their games overly seriously and just roll with it, I am content with my game.  I've come to the conclusion that I'll never be a single digit player and that shooting rounds in the 80's is just fine. I shot one 79 this past winter which met one of my two goals for the season; shoot at least one round under 80 and no rounds over 100.  I met my other goal, but just barely with a 97 (everyone shot lousy course and greens were like concrete).

 

It is also my opinion that no matter how many lessons some folks take or how much practice they do, they will simply reach a point where their physical and mindset limitations cap their scoring capabilities.  Perhaps some will argue this as incorrect - but it is reflective of my golfing life to date.  Yeah, maybe I could eek out a few strokes with more modern clubs and some additional lessons, but it won't ever get me to low single digit handicap.  Plus, having gone through that dance a few times, I simply don't have the drive to do so again. So now my goal is to simply hold onto my current 14 handicap as long as possible.

 

So where do you stand in regards to your game?

[perseveringgolfer]

Frustration sums up my game and probably every single golfer on Planet Earth. I'm sure we all want to get better.

 

 

I always think if I can get one birdie then why cant I get loads? I can make a Par, bet we all have, but it's only inconsistencies that prevent 18 pars with some birdies thrown in.

 

I stand on every 1st tee and think "this could be a par or sub par round, why Not!

 

 

4 hrs later I'm thinking about new clubs or new swing to sort out why I shot 85......yet again

[GB13]

Noooooo, not at all.

I am the guy who if I shot 59, I would lament over the 10 footer I missed for birdie on the 17th hole for 58. That is just how I am wired.

 

I am not content with my 7 handicap, I think I could be scratch or better but I just need to put in the practice.

[PING Apologist #9]

I'm never content and always tinkering. I do know that I'll never, ever get a sniff at single digits since my commitment level is fairly low. But I know I can do better in many aspects of my game and kind of see myself in the mid to high teens soon enough. Maybe not a lofty goal for some, but I'd be content at that level especially knowing that as I try to achieve that, I'm not getting any younger and my body takes longer to recover. I golfed 3 times last weekend (Friday 9, Sunday 9 & 18 on Monday). My lower lumbar is still very sore and I haven't picked up a club since.

[perseveringgolfer]

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[Kenny B]

I have never been someone who is content to just play and have fun and not worry about the ups and downs of my game.  I play to get better.  I believe that I will always be that type of player, but maybe it will happen one of these days.  

 

Part of the reason I feel this way is that I have shot a few low rounds, but they are just that... a few.  I've done it; I know I can do it.  I want to do it again.  I have gone through many lessons and golf schools, and I enjoy them.  I've learned a lot.  Currently, I am going though another change to gain more yardage and not just because @revkev keeps saying that you shoot lower scores because you have shorter clubs into greens.  I know he's right, but I still keep working on my short game!!  It's kept my 'cap as low as it is for the longest time of my golfing career.

 

The other reason I feel that I must get better is that I play and compete with my wife.  Her game has improved quite a bit recently, and since she is 9 years younger than me, I know that one of these days she will surpass my scores as I push closer to being an octogenarian.  I want to delay that as long as I can.  I beat her most of the time, but we are usually close on Net scores.  She has beaten me a few times Gross, and it doesn't sit very well with me!!  

 

So, I will still keep pushing for lower scores until I get to the point when I feel that it's not going to happen.  Then I will be pushing to maintain what I have for as long as I can.  

 

Well, I guess I better head to the practice range...

[PlaidJacket]

Yes and no.

At 63 and for some reason as I've gotten older my game has gotten better. Improving actually. Doesn't usually work that way for most. The past couple of years I've play some of the best and most consistent golf of my life. I've played this summer between a 3-4.5 hcp. Had many rounds where I should have shot even or perhaps 1-2 under. But I blew it each time for one reason or another. Just this past weekend I shot 2 over on a course out of town. (I've played it many times) What happened? Well, oddly enough I wasn't making short putts of say 4-8 feet. I recall missing or lipping three or four putts for bird. Grrrrr.

So am I satisfied/content with my game? Yes.... to certain degree. I'm playing well and grateful to be doing so. But I want to break par before I croak. I never have in over 50 years at this game. Will I? I think so. But it will need to happen soon. My window is closing.

[MaxEntropy]

Not at all content.

 

My partner in my league is approaching 80 years old, can't reach many of the fairways, and every par 4 is a par 5 (or more) for him. He hits the ball dead straight almost all the time and very rarely makes the kinds of mistakes I am prone to making. He is a pleasure to play with and enjoys the time on the course. I view this as a level of contentment. Perhaps it is because he recognizes his limitations and makes the best of it?

 

Right now, I know I have "untapped potential" so I can't be content. If or when I get to the point where I am consistently doing the best I can, I hope I am able to find contentment, regardless of the level of play. It will be hard, though. I gave up softball about 12 years ago because I was very discontented with not being able to perform to the level to which I had become accustomed. Father time was mostly to blame for me losing a step (or six) and restricting my ability to make throws that were once routine.

[Angry Yeti]

For me there are two distinct parts to this answer: am I content and do I enjoy the effects of that level of contentment.

 

Am I Content:

No, I am not content. I get frustrated when I don't score or hit well and I spend time, effort and money trying to improve. 

 

Do I enjoy the effects of that level of contentment:

Heck yes I do! Personally I feel lost if I don't have a hobby or sport to work on and try to improve. As I've gotten older the focus of my efforts has changed from football, snowboarding and climbing to where it currently stands - my family, job and golf. I enjoy practicing, and even more so, I enjoy seeing that practice translate into something tangible. It doesn't have to be lower scores. A round with no slices into the woods, a round where my club choices were not the problem because distances are dialed in, avoided fairway hazards for a day, etc. It's challenging and that's a big part of the fun for me.

 

As a bonus, with apps I have stats to look at. I'm happy as can be if you give me spreadsheets and things to nitpick to direct how I do something. It's a running joke both in my office and at home that I have an Excel spreadsheet for everything. My wife especially dislikes the grocery list done by protein(g)/$. 

[Jbmullin]

Never been one to be content with where I am at with anything I do as there is always an opportunity to learn something new and improve.

 

I have spent more time on the course and at the range this year than any other and I have seen improvements in almost all areas of my game and realize there is more to go.

 

I struggle with my short game, I asked a question on here about wedges and was overwhelmed with the great info in the responses. I typically struggle to get my ball within 15 ft of the pin so most holes I am at minimum a 2 putt.

 

I think that is what both like and sometimes hate about golf, just when you think you have figured something out, another improvement opportunity appears. I don't think I would like golf as much if it were easy.

[NiftyNiblick]

Now you're just breaking my balls, right?

[Kenny B]

Yes and no.

At 63 and for some reason as I've gotten older my game has gotten better. Improving actually. Doesn't usually work that way for most. The past couple of years I've play some of the best and most consistent golf of my life. I've played this summer between a 3-4.5 hcp. Had many rounds where I should have shot even or perhaps 1-2 under. But I blew it each time for one reason or another. Just this past weekend I shot 2 over on a course out of town. (I've played it many times) What happened? Well, oddly enough I wasn't making short putts of say 4-8 feet. I recall missing or lipping three or four putts for bird. Grrrrr.

So am I satisfied/content with my game? Yes.... to certain degree. I'm playing well and grateful to be doing so. But I want to break par before I croak. I never have in over 50 years at this game. Will I? I think so. But it will need to happen soon. My window is closing.

The window is not closing PJ.  I would love to have had my game now when I was 63.  I've shot some of my best rounds in the past two years at age 71.  I'm sure you will only get better.

 

I sometimes wonder if the many years I spent on an exec course in town stalled my improvement.  It was a great place to play and enjoy fun rounds, but my game really didn't start improving until I joined a regulation par 72 course.  Hitting a bad tee shot on the exec course really only meant having a different club into a green; also, there weren't any bunkers.  Now I have to recover from bad shots, hit out of bunkers, and get up and down to achieve a good score.  It's a different game.  Don't get me wrong... the exec was fun!  Lots of good partying took place there, but it wasn't good for my handicap.  Maybe it's a place to go back to one of these days.

[fixyurdivot]

Perhaps I should qualify my OP by saying that I still practice and try to get better/more consistent, but that this activity no longer drives me as it once did.  Allowing the "drive to perfection" to overshadow the pure joy of just playing and laughing it up with friends, is the part of the game I no longer miss.  I also think my approach to the game has changed as the years roll along.  I'd be interested to hear ones age associated with replies.

[MattF]

In a word, no. I KNOW I can play better and have in the past.

[excourse]

Now, I'm content. At 71 any thoughts of having a career best round are reserved for those hours that I'm asleep. Even my desire to go out and play has waned, probably as a result of some medical issues that kept me off the course for a while. When I do go out it's strictly for fun, camaraderie and to enjoy nature. I'm more interested in the birdies in the trees then the ones made on the green.

 

 

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[silver & black]

I'm not really "content" with the state of my game. I'm sitting at a 9.5 hc at the moment.... and those are mostly rounds played on a very familiar home course. If I played a lot more different courses, I'm sure it would be higher.

 

I play very inconsistent these days...... I'll shoot 78 one day and 88 the next day. Most of my scores this year have been mid/low 80's.

 

I am going to listen to Rev and a few others on here and get myself fit over the Winter. I can no longer hit my MP-64's with any consistency or distance.... age has crept up, along with a bad back, and a bad left shoulder.... swing speed is definitely down.

 

Time to get a little help in the club department and see if I can back to a solid 8 like I was a few years ago. If I can't, I guess I'll have to be content with just being able to play. I know there are a few guys that would love to just be able to play, so.............

[THEZIPR23]

Is there anybody that is ever content with their game? I am constantly tinkering and changing trying to find more consistency. I have been fairly consistent this year. Average score is 74.5, which is good but it is how I go about those scores that drives me to the constant tinkering. I shot 79 on Saturday and then 67 on Wednesday, 2 weeks ago I shot 72 with 4 pars. I believe that I should be able to get down to a + handicap by this time next year even though my lowest index ever is .7. I think it is the good shots that always allow us to think that we are capable of more. This drives the constant search...

[cksurfdude]

Working hard to improve (when I have time) .. but then I didn't pick up a golf club until age 53 ½...

 

I have no scratch nor single digit hcp illusions, but seek to play rounds with many more good, or at least serviceable, shots vs the "dammmmit!" ones; my scoring goal (for now, I guess...) is to be consistently in the hi-/mid- 80s.

 

And play with good people (who do not have to be good golfers).

 

And have fun.

[pulledabill]

No...I always want to get better. I started at a young age but always shot 83 to 85 range in my 20s and 30. I basically stopped for 12 years or so minus a few range sessions to raise my daughter solo. Didnt have the time or funds. 2016 I finally started back up and shot a 79 my first round bsck out. 2017 I played a dozen rounds or so and was in low to mid 80s. I worked my butt off in all weather at the range and then joined as a twilight member. My 1st hdcp was a 12. Got to a 9 then revamped my bag with fittings. Currently a 7 trending to a 6. I play a ton and work at it. I doubt I will ever accept my play and will always want to improve.

My playing partner on occasion is a guy 82. He was a low single digit shortly after picking up the game in his late 20s. I t killed him to go from the tips to whites a few years ago and he plays money games from the next box up. He works on his game almost daily is is a pretty good stick minus the loss of length.

[Charli]

I am now that the baby is here. I got way lower then I imagined ever beingZ

[revkev]

Interesting post.

 

If you're content, your content regardless the level of play or the why and that in many ways means you've conquered the game.

 

In that regard I'm content to - much of the time I enjoy playing and practicing golf. It hasn't always been that way the past few years. But right now it is.

 

Part of that contentment for me is striving to get better with the belief that I can. Like others here I know that the window is closing on those efforts.

 

Improved fitness has put a stopper under the decline but it is of course a temporary block.

 

For now I'm content.

 

 

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[NiftyNiblick]

For now I'm content.

 

Be content while you can, my friend..

Shuffleboard at the senior center (in the metaphorical sense) is never that far away.

 

I'm not only genuinely glad for your contentment, Rev, but also grateful that I squeezed everything out of golf that I could....although possibly in a different way than you do.

[SteddyGolf]

Great original post! Really gives the opportunity to get to know everyone on a little bit different level.

 

 

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[Sluggo42]

nope

Ive always been labeled as the guy who might be a little too competitive. And I was blessed with good physical abilities. Im shooting better than ever due to good equipment, and being retired.but Im also fighting father time and a crumbling body.

But my main goal is to somehow shoot my age on a reasonable course, so I've got about a 5 year window to not die...

 

That will be the day I'm content with my game...

[srooch2]

Try to be. I was as low as an 8 when I played frequently but after a long break I'm about a 14 ish. I'm never content but have no time to practice which makes the game more frustrating than ever.

 

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[Bucky CC]

Yes and no. I enjoy pretty much every round I play, but am also on the lookout for ways to get more consistent. Golf would be boring if it was easy or I was content just to play the game.

 

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[cksurfdude]

Totally agree with all who've simply said, "No."

 

I *love* the challenge of this game! Not sure whom .. Nicklaus? .. called it the "unwinnable game".

 

So... To be content then must mean that you're always improving.

 

And Nicklaus also said...

"Getting good at this game, then staying good, is a tough and lonely and endless journey, with lots of dead-ends and other frustrations to strain your body and stress your mind along the way."

 

And...

"Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game's two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself."

[Kenny B]

I was thinking about this thread while I was playing today.  Today's round wasn't pretty and not worthy of a "How'd you play?" post.  I was thinking about what would make me be content with my game.  After hitting another poor shot, I decided that I probably never will be content.  Each poor shot made me want to hit the next shot better.  

 

I am playing some of my best golf at age 71 since I took up this game 27 years ago.  However, I know that at some point my scores will slowly get worse with each passing year.  I decided today that even if I can't shoot lower scores, I will still work on trying to improve parts of my game.  Improvement may not be measured on what I did last year, last month or even last week.  For me it will always be a sliding scale...  I believe that I will always be able to improve on what I did during my last round of golf.  Yesterday I played hole #14 very poorly and had a no penalty double bogey.  I lost focus for a few minutes, and it irritated me.  So today I was not going to let that happen.  OK, I didn't play that hole as good as I have in the past, but I made a par.  Each day I play, I will be trying to improve on something from my previous round.  To me this is what's fun.  Playing with friends, but still trying to better myself.

 

So as I age, I guess I have to look at contentment a little differently.  If I can't change my circumstances, then I have to change my perspective.

[PokeForeLyfe]

Never content though as I grow older I have come to realize the extent of my abilities and enjoy the game more. I used to constantly try to chase the prototypical swing and as a result found nothing more than inconsistency. I've learned I'm not Adam Scott or Louis Oosthuizen. I'm me. My swing isn't the prettiest to look at but it's starting to work and in the last couple of years I've dropped from an 8 to a low of a 1.4 handicap (closer to 3 right now) at 47 yrs old. I'm also enjoying rounds much more and not worrying about those bad days you can't avoid. Love this game.

 

 

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[cksurfdude]

 

 

.....

If I can't change my circumstances, then I have to change my perspective.

 

"There's always a third option!"

-- Capt. James T. Kirk