Jackal Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 I have been playing for 25 years. Eat, sleep, watch, and read golf. Play year round. Never go more than 3 days without picking up a club. Yesterday, all of a sudden, I think I hate golf. My Son is 17, and a fantastic golfer. High school team, medalist, local hero, etc. For the past 3 weeks, my score has been dropping like crazy. Went from shooting 45-46 per nine, to 40-41. Hitting long straight drives, great wedges, and putting. Just woke up yesterday, and don't like golf. We went to the course, and the whole time was thinking I would rather be at work than here. How do y'all deal with this? Do others get this way, or have I lost the golf bug? Thanks for the advice. Quote Always chasing different clubs Link to comment
ChitownM2 Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Can't say I can relate, but my advice would be to take a month or two off. My guess is some time away will soften any feelings you have now. Jackal, JohnSmalls and Larryd3 3 Quote Link to comment
Shankster Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 This happened to me a few years ago. I took up another hobby, running, which in turn boosted my golf game. I still have times when I am disinterested in golf, but as I get older (37) I am cherishing every moment whether that is on the golf course, fishing, work, etc. And the little times when I think I don’t like golf anymore, something comes up, I go hit a few balls and I’m back at it. Dont get discouraged with it. Embrace it, could be just giving you a nudge to look at golf from a different perspective. Rickp, JohnSmalls, cciciora13 and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment
DiscipleofPenick Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Take a break. Usually after a week off I'm dying to get on the course.Take Dead Aim Jackal, Larryd3 and JohnSmalls 3 Quote Take Dead Aim Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15* Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18* Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58 Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar Ball: Srixon Z-Star Link to comment
GregGarner Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Jackal said: Just woke up yesterday, and don't like golf. We went to the course, and the whole time was thinking I would rather be at work than here. This happened to me in college. We were required to be in the gym 3 days/week plus 6 days/week at the course. Tournaments were about once/month and involved leaving at 3-4am, driving to our destination, playing a practice round, then 36 walking on day 1, 18 walking on day 2, then driving back to campus. By the time I made it to my third year of college, I was completely burned out and opted to graduate early instead of play all four years. After I graduated, I don't think I played at all for a year and only a couple times/year for the next ~5 years. Then I slowly started getting back into it and it was just this year that I played in a tournament for the first time since college, 13 years after graduating. I will say that today, I enjoy nontraditional formats far more than I used to. (Case in point, this year my club had a 'Wacky Wednesday' league where we'd play with some ridiculous rules. My personal favorite was the Hasselhoff Scramble, where any shots played from the bunker or the water didn't count. So if you hit your drive into a fairway bunker and your approach into a greenside bunker, you could get up and down for an eagle.) I'm not saying you need to take as much time off as I did, but at least in my experience, if the golf bug has bitten you in the past, it never really gets out of your system. Give it time and you'll find the itch to dive back in. Larryd3, Nolan220, JohnSmalls and 2 others 4 1 Quote Driver: ZX5 LS MkII 9.5* (@ 9.0*) with 46.5" Ventus Blue 6X 3-wood: SIM 15* with Diamana Limited 75S 5-wood: RADspeed 18.5* with Motore X F3 60S 2i: ZX with SteelFiber i95 Stiff 4hy: TS3 23* with Tensei AV Blue 70 S 4i-7i ZX7, 8i-PW Z-Forged, Modus3 Tour 120 S 50*, 55* RTX 6 Modus3 Tour 125 60* RTX Full Face ZipCore DG Spinner S400 Putter: Toulon Chicago with a Quad Tour or HB SOFT Milled 10.5S with UST All-in Ball: Chrome Tour (but I might still have some Left Dashes hanging around) Bag: Ltd Edition Tartan, blue/green/yellow Using to keep track of my shots Tested: D7 Forged 3i-PW, KBS Tour-V 110S - Official Review Blind Ball Test (Ball #3 vs Ball #4) - Unofficial Review V3 GPS Watch + Tags - Official Review Vero X2 - Official Review The Stack System - Official Review Link to comment
Jackal Posted November 1, 2020 Author Share Posted November 1, 2020 4 minutes ago, greggarner said: This happened to me in college. We were required to be in the gym 3 days/week plus 6 days/week at the course. Tournaments were about once/month and involved leaving at 3-4am, driving to our destination, playing a practice round, then 36 walking on day 1, 18 walking on day 2, then driving back to campus. By the time I made it to my third year of college, I was completely burned out and opted to graduate early instead of play all four years. After I graduated, I don't think I played at all for a year and only a couple times/year for the next ~5 years. Then I slowly started getting back into it and it was just this year that I played in a tournament for the first time since college, 13 years after graduating. I will say that today, I enjoy nontraditional formats far more than I used to. (Case in point, this year my club had a 'Wacky Wednesday' league where we'd play with some ridiculous rules. My personal favorite was the Hasselhoff Scramble, where any shots played from the bunker or the water didn't count. So if you hit your drive into a fairway bunker and your approach into a greenside bunker, you could get up and down for an eagle.) I'm not saying you need to take as much time off as I did, but at least in my experience, if the golf bug has bitten you in the past, it never really gets out of your system. Give it time and you'll find the itch to dive back in. Thanks for taking the time to write that. I appreciate all the replies. Just afraid it won't come back. GregGarner, Shankster and JohnSmalls 3 Quote Always chasing different clubs Link to comment
Middler Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Like others have said, take a break, however long it takes until you want to give it a go again. I can't imagine any other solution. I assume it won't happen to me because I am out there for three reasons, golf - camaraderie/friends - just being outdoors. Even when the golf itself isn't as much fun, I enjoy the other two. I am sure I'd get burned out on golf if that was the only reason I was out there. Best of luck. Incidentally, that may be the one advantage those who live up north have over the year round players - I used to live near Chicago. Taking several months off every Winter probably makes golf even more appealing once Spring-Summer-Fall roll around again. Jackal, Shankster, JohnSmalls and 1 other 4 Quote Titleist TSR2 11° HZRDUS Red CB 50 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize Titleist TSR2 16.5º HZRDUS Red 60 CB 6.0 & TSR2 21º HZRDUS Black 4G 70 6.0 w Lamkin UTx Midsize Mizuno JPX923 HMP 4-GW, T22 54.12WS, T22 58.04DC w Lamkin ST+2 Hybrid Midsize Evnroll EV5.3 Maxfli Tour & ProV1 Ping Pioneer - MGI Zip Navigator AT Payntr X 002 LE, Ecco Biom C4, FJ DryJoys Link to comment
ejgaudette Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 I concur with a break and agree with @Middler said just move up north, forced 5 months of keeps it fresh for me. GregGarner, Jackal, josmi15 and 1 other 2 2 Quote Epic Max LS 9° Ventus Blue 6X (2021 Official Review) | Epic Speed 18° Evenflow Riptide 70g 6.0 816 H1 21° Diamana S+ Blue 70 S | SMS 4-5/SMS Pro 6-PW Steelfiber i95 S (2023 Official Review) Glide 4.0 50°.12°S/54°.14°W/58°.6°T PING Z-Z115 Wedge Flex | SOFT 11S Super Stroke Mid-Slim 2.0 Hoofer Bag | Pro V1 | Right Handed | Tracked by V3 Link to comment
Bosox04 Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Take a break. Quit. Whatever, it's up to you. If you are not having fun, don't do it. Kansas King and Jackal 2 Quote Link to comment
SlowNLow Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 3 hours ago, Jackal said: I have been playing for 25 years. Eat, sleep, watch, and read golf. Play year round. Never go more than 3 days without picking up a club. Yesterday, all of a sudden, I think I hate golf. My Son is 17, and a fantastic golfer. High school team, medalist, local hero, etc. For the past 3 weeks, my score has been dropping like crazy. Went from shooting 45-46 per nine, to 40-41. Hitting long straight drives, great wedges, and putting. Just woke up yesterday, and don't like golf. We went to the course, and the whole time was thinking I would rather be at work than here. How do y'all deal with this? Do others get this way, or have I lost the golf bug? Thanks for the advice. Your game got better, but it didn't make as happy as you thought it would? Or maybe you were movitated by a goal to set for yourself, and you have achieved it? We all deserve to happy, golfing or not. Jackal 1 Quote Link to comment
ChitownM2 Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Middler said: Incidentally, that may be the one advantage those who live up north have over the year round players - I used to live near Chicago. Taking several months off every Winter probably makes golf even more appealing once Spring-Summer-Fall roll around again. Definitely true for me. The first round out in the spring is always the best. No expectation and happy just to be out there plus those two conditions usually results in a good score for me. Rickp, ejgaudette and Jackal 3 Quote Link to comment
ChitownM2 Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 1 hour ago, ejgaudette said: I concur with a break and agree with @Middler said just move up north, forced 5 months of keeps it fresh for me. ...just don't move so far north that you have to take 5 months off! silver & black, Rickp, GregGarner and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment
NiftyNiblick Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Golf didn't burn out for me. I got really super-angry when they banned the steel spikes, but I kept playing. I used to love autumn golf just before the snow, and I loved July golf at 95ºF. I even really enjoyed hanging out at the club even if I wasn't actually playing. But unfortunately, I physically burned out for golf. It happens. Kansas King, Jackal, Rickp and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment
Rickp Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Take a break try something else, possibly too much of a good thing. I think it happens to most of us occasionally. If it’s not fun anymore time to move on to another hobby.Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy Jackal and Nolan220 2 Quote Rick Left Hand, Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior 5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr 7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr 5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2 Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2 Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56* Putter; Waaay too many to list Link to comment
Shankster Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 3 hours ago, ejgaudette said: I concur with a break and agree with @Middler said just move up north, forced 5 months of keeps it fresh for me. Worst advice ever!! Move further south, at least you can surf instead of freeze your butt off for 5 months... Jackal, GregGarner, Kanoito and 4 others 2 5 Quote Link to comment
ejgaudette Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 2 hours ago, Shankster said: Worst advice ever!! Move further south, at least you can surf instead of freeze your butt off for 5 months... Its not that bad, I am used to it by now and I enjoy some good winter sports like hockey and broomball, and heck I will run all year round outside too. Jackal and Blueberry_Squishie 2 Quote Epic Max LS 9° Ventus Blue 6X (2021 Official Review) | Epic Speed 18° Evenflow Riptide 70g 6.0 816 H1 21° Diamana S+ Blue 70 S | SMS 4-5/SMS Pro 6-PW Steelfiber i95 S (2023 Official Review) Glide 4.0 50°.12°S/54°.14°W/58°.6°T PING Z-Z115 Wedge Flex | SOFT 11S Super Stroke Mid-Slim 2.0 Hoofer Bag | Pro V1 | Right Handed | Tracked by V3 Link to comment
silver & black Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 It happens to anyone that plays the game. Just give it a few weeks, and I'm sure you will want to play again. It's like anything else that has to do with golf.... nothing makes sense...lol. Middler, Rickp and Jackal 3 Quote Link to comment
tony@CIC Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Some things you didn't mention: Playing the same course all the time? Same group of guys or a single? Same tees? Perhaps mixing it up on any of the three mentions would help. Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy JohnSmalls, GregGarner and Jackal 3 Quote Left Hand orientation SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft Cobra Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft 410 Hybrids 22*, 26* Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts SM7 54* Wedge Glide 3.0 60* Wedge O Works putter V3 NX9-HD - 4 Wheel EZGO TXT 48v cart - too many shoes to list and so many to buy And BAG Boy Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 2020 Official Tester Beginning Driver Speed - 78 2019 Official Tester 410 Driver 2018 Official Tester C300 Link to comment
MadMex Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Don't think about it at all, mid around '93 I went almost 18 months without even thinking about playing. Thought about selling clubs on several occasions. Then for no reason at all, I picked up a club while in the garage, held it, looked at it and 3 hours later I was back home cleaning the the clubs after hitting couple of large buckets, chipping and putting. Then around late '98 I did not play a round of golf until I finally started playing around 2001. You should feel like you WANT to play, not like you HAVE to !! JohnSmalls, GregGarner and Jackal 3 Quote DRIVER: Cobra F-8 set at 10.5, Aldila NV 2KXV Blue 60 (R) 44 1/2 " 3 & 5 WOOD: Callaway XR-16, Fujikura Speeder Evolution 565 Red (R) IRONS 5-SW: PING G-700, 2 upright, std loft Alta CB (R) + 1/2" HYBRID 3-4: PING G-410, 1 upright, Alta CB 70 Red (R) + 1/2" PUTTER: Byron Experimental GSS Link to comment
Buffly Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 @Jackal like @Middler mentioned, friends/who I play with is one of the reasons for burn out for me. I got to a point where I dreaded playing with certain friends because of a plethora of reasons. Alternately, I found myself missing certain friends who walked away, moved away, or just didn't line up on my tee sheet anymore. The lack of certain people made the game less enjoyable for me too. I also used to hit 3,000+ balls a month 2 years ago, then went to 2,000+ until 8 months ago, then down to 1,500 from 5 months ago til last month, and now I am at about 200 balls a month. When I get to the range, I have just as much fun talking to my friends at the range as hitting balls. I really don't play golf by myself - for me, there is no point in it. Just sharing that golf is more about the people for me - even if they are strangers because they don't stay strangers for very long. tony@CIC, JohnSmalls and Jackal 3 Quote Golf is simple - people are complicated. 5w Taylormade SLDR S 19* - 220yd, Ping G2 5-U - 190-105, Maltby M+ 54* & MG 60* - 95-75, Evnroll ER8, Titleist 816 H1 4h 21*, Maltby 4 Hybrid Iron 24* - 210-200, Callaway XR16 8* - 235 carry Link to comment
russtopherb Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Any hobby that is your main focus (and possibly only focus) will get stale and boring from time to time. That's life when you solely focus on one thing only. You get burned out. Same goes for things like music. After a while you feel like you "run out" of creativity. Or biking - you feel like you've ridden every route and your body just wants a break. Take a break. Focus on something else for a while. Develop other skills or talents. silver & black, JohnSmalls, Jackal and 2 others 5 Quote In my carry bag: ST-X 10.5* Kai'li Blue R Flex ST-Z 15* Kai/li Blue R Flex ST-Z 4h Linq Blue R Flex Launcher 5h Launcher CBX 6i-PW CBX 54* & 58* Huntington Beach #10 e12 Contact CURRENTLY TESTING - Mizuno Long Game Link to comment
Kanoito Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 What a coincidence. Just last night I was asking my wife whether we should take a break from golf and do something more "active", such as tennis. We both played tennis in our youth and our 6 y.o. daughter is taking tennis with golf right now. I guess the fact that winter is coming makes it an easier decision that usual. I normally give my clubs a last spa treatment around November and don't take them out til March/April, so the 3-4 month break does help with getting the bug back. For me golf is like having a girlfriend: see her every day and you take it for granted, but see her only during weekends and you'll miss her from Mon to Fri. Or go on a business trip for a couple of weeks and you'll be dying to be back home. We just went into our 2nd lockdown... golf courses were lucky enough to remain open (only singles or twosomes, unless you are from the same household). You should consider the effects of COVID, if you take a break from golf, is there an alternative in the current situation? Jackal, JohnSmalls, silver & black and 2 others 5 Quote SpeedZone 9* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 60 S X2 Hot 3 Deep 14.5* w/ Aldila Tour Green 75 S JetSpeed 5W 19* w/ Matrix Velox T 69 S OR Super LS 3H 19* w/ Kuro Kage Black 80 S JPX919 Forged 4-PW w/ Modus3 105 S Vokey SM7 50/08F, 54/14F & 58/08M w/ Modus3 115 Wedge ER1 34" w/ SuperStroke Fatso 2.0 Pro / H2NO Lite Cart Bag / 3.0 / NX7 Pro LRF My reviews: MLA Putter // Titleist SM7 // PING i500 // PuttOUT Link to comment
SlowNLow Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Living in MI, I get the involuntary 5-6 months off every year. Even with that, there are times during the season when I don't got out when I have an opportunity, and instead sit in the house and watch Law and Order reruns. Truthfully, I get tired of it, it doesn't last long, maybe just a day, but yeah, I can admit it. It is a hard game, and it is fickle. Sometimes a nice canoe ride is preferable to grinding over a 4 ft. putt. But knowing the season is short is motivation to get back to it, there just isn't much time to waste. Jackal 1 Quote Link to comment
Jackal Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 I didn't play golf this weekend. Stayed home, and played guitar. Today, I walked 9 with my Son. No real swing thoughts. Hit some really good shots, an didn't worry about the score. My driver is going farther, and the wedges suffered some from the 8 " of rain last week, and nighttime temps in the 30s. It's fall, I'll have to just hit when I can and want to. Thanks to everyone for all the comments and good words. Looks like I'll be part-time this winter. Chip Strokes, Buffly, Shankster and 2 others 5 Quote Always chasing different clubs Link to comment
Micah T Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 I live in Salt Lake City so there’s a minimum 3 months off. Time off is definitely a good suggestion: but you may have just lost your love for the game. Same thing happened to me with my 1st love, snowboarding: went from going 100+ days every ski season, to maybe once or twice a year. Just didn’t love it anymore. I think it as much to do with my ability peaking/declining as anything else.Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy Jackal and GregGarner 2 Quote Driver - Cobra LtDxLS 3 Wood - Ping g410 LST 2iron - Titleist U505 Irons - Ping i59 Wedges - Vokey Sm9 Putter - Mizuno Mcraft IV Link to comment
Kansas King Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 I like golf and have always had a soft spot for it but it's definitely a sport that you can get burnt out on. I worked for three golf pro's through college and within one year of me graduating all three changed professions and quit golf, they simply hated what they once liked. You're not required to golf and you don't owe anything to the game. Take some time off and if you still feel like you want to like golf then go golfing few times to see if you get that spark back because it may require some effort to find it. During college I worked at a bookstore during the winter and they had a 12-step book for quitting golf. I always thought I should have read it but never did for fear that I would actually stop playing. I know it sounds weird but I think it's our self-defense mechanism gone awry. Golf is a hobby (for most) and if it isn't making you happy don't do it. It sounds like you are genuinely not interested in golf and not just going through a rough patch with your swing or some other element of the game. I suggest you stop playing with the intention of not playing unless you want to. Try not to just take a scheduled "break" and expect to return because then you may never fully disconnect like you need to. Let it come back naturally. However, if you are seriously wanting to get back into golf, I would suggest coming back more for social reasons. Do it to hang out with friends and have a good time and not to try and get you handicap down another stroke. I don't know how you went about golf in the past but most people absorbed by the game are in it to get better and not in it solely for social or fun reasons. Try to join some leagues that play scrambles, drink some beers, and just have fun. I always found that I enjoyed my stroke play rounds more after I played in scrambles. Playing with high handicap golfers who only play scrambles generally have that pure joy when playing golf even if they aren't very good. That joy tends to get lost when you get absorbed into the game because once you understand how everything works the magic kind of disappears. Whatever you decide to do just remember that you don't owe golf anything and golf doesn't owe you anything. Deep down I think some people on this forum are probably jealous of those that can straight up quit golf. Don't let golf be a tyranny on what you do for fun in your life. You only get to live once. Jackal 1 Quote Link to comment
Firebird Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 We always take 2-3 week holidays twice a year where we generally do not play golf. I find that after about a 2 weeks I find that I do not really miss it but then do enjoywhen I do finally get back on course. Interestingly we have been in Lockdown for 21 weeks and boy were we itching to get back out on course, not necessarily for the golf, more for the banter and catching up with people. tony@CIC and Jackal 2 Quote Callaway Epic Flash 9 Degree Callaway Epic Flash 3 wood 15 Degree Callaway Apex 21 Hybrid 19 Degree Callaway Steelhead Pro 4-AW Irons Cleveland 54 Degree Wedge Steel Shaft Recoil Graphite Shafts in all Callaway Cobra Vintage Series Stingray 40 Preferred ball - Seed 001 Link to comment
Kaplack Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I say Double or triple down on your normal amount of Play! Kansas King, Jackal and tony@CIC 1 2 Quote WITB: Driver: Taylormade SLDR Fujikura XLR8 61 S RH. 3 Wood: TaylorMade RBZ 3W Hybrid: Ping G400 3 Hyb 19 degree S Irons: Titleist 710 AP1 5-PW Aerotek Steelfiber i110 cw S RH standard lie Wedges: 50 Callaway MD 4, 54 Vokey SM5, 58 Callaway Forged Putters: Ping Grayhawk Putter Link to comment
ballplayer002003 Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 On 11/1/2020 at 11:11 AM, Jackal said: I have been playing for 25 years. Eat, sleep, watch, and read golf. Play year round. Never go more than 3 days without picking up a club. Yesterday, all of a sudden, I think I hate golf. My Son is 17, and a fantastic golfer. High school team, medalist, local hero, etc. For the past 3 weeks, my score has been dropping like crazy. Went from shooting 45-46 per nine, to 40-41. Hitting long straight drives, great wedges, and putting. Just woke up yesterday, and don't like golf. We went to the course, and the whole time was thinking I would rather be at work than here. How do y'all deal with this? Do others get this way, or have I lost the golf bug? Thanks for the advice. You know NOT what you say. This talk is sacrilegious. haha. I've had days like this too, but it's usually when I am playing poorly. Sorry to hear this, take some time off from golf and then see how you feel. tony@CIC, Kansas King and Jackal 3 Quote Driver: Epic Flash Sub Zero Hzdrs Smoke x flex 70g 3 Wood: 917 w/ Diamana Whiteboard stiff 5 Wood : Epic Flash 18* Hzdrs Smoke stiff 4 Hybrid: TSi3 Hzdrs Smoke X flex Irons: 5-7 Apex forged 19 w/ Modus 120 X 9-A Apex Pro 19 w/ Modus 120 X Wedges: MD5 52&56 Jaws Dynamic Gold wedge flex Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 34" Link to comment
Jackal Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 Update. I started playing again last weekend. Just concentrating on the swing basics. My score is still pretty low. The cooler weather & hunting\ football season has emptied the course. I'm enjoying it again. My time in the golf forums has slowed, because I don't want to ( overdose) on golf. Thanks for all the good words and replies. MNUte, bens197, Kansas King and 1 other 4 Quote Always chasing different clubs Link to comment
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