The Content Golfer

[Tom the Golf Nut]

This is a loaded question. Are you content with your game? I would say most of us would say no.

So being the golf nut, I've done everything around my property to improve my golf game. 100 yard tee box to a synthetic green. Separate chipping area closer to the house. Simulator in the basement. Swing trainers and such. I play golf every Sunday at 8am. Sometimes play on Friday afternoon as well. I did practice up to about 5 years ago. Never been a range rat.

So everyday I walk past the simulator to get a cool one out of the fridge. I rebuilt the entire hitting bay area over the winter because I was bored and I turned it on once. Once a week I mow. Paying particular attention around the green and flag for the chipping area and thats it. I don't practice much. Shoot I don't even have to go anywhere to practice. All I have to do is walk out the back door or down the steps to the basement and I don't.

Tomorrow morning I’ll wakeup and drive 5 minutes to the course. Head to the first tee without a warm up. Still no excuse for not warming up. I'm the only one there and the range is 20 yards from the first tee. I will tee off at 8am shoot in the low 70`s and be heading home at 10:15. I love to play though. As soon as I'm done sometimes I consider playing another 9 but I don’t. I know most people would love to have that problem.

Now, if I'm selected to test something that's a different story. The "nut" comes out. I'm all in at 110% until I am done and results are submitted. I am driven to do a good job to let my fellow spies know my results. 

So I can't figure out if I am just content with my game or just plain lazy. My handicap is now down to a 1.3 and I don't practice a lick. I read all of everyone's posts in how did you practice hoping to get myself into practice mode. But I still don't get motivated. It's not normal to have a low handicap and not have to work at it. Not that I'm complaining. Some of you are probably calling me an A-Hole right now. It's ok I get it.

Is it normal to just be content with your game after playing for 32 years?  I do give myself a goal every season and usually achieve it, but it just somehow happens over normal play. 

[cnosil]

sounds like you are content with your golf situation so yes you are basically content with your golf game.  It doesn't; matter if you are a +2 or  a -20, you can be content.   I don't see anything wrong with what you described.  

I want to improve my game but am too lazy/cheap to drive the 20 minutes to a golf course or range to practice as much as I would like.  I love most wanted testing because it give me a chance to hit balls and if I had a simulator at home I feel like I would utilize the setup.   I simply love learning and figuring things out.    If I was retired,  I would be at the course more often as I would probably be a member somewhere.  

 

[LeftyHawk]

I'd say your in a good spot with your game. Not many can say that. I would say I'm pretty much in the same spot, I practice a bit of chipping and pitching in my yard and some putting at the course, but thats the extent of it. I know where my short comings are and the only way to remedy that would be more time on the course. Neither my wife or my body would allow. 

I truly enjoy being out on the course, I never keep score so my handicap is a guess at best ( when I do play with others I'm usually in the low 40's). For me it's all about the fresh air, exercise and the course and how she's feeling on that day. I think shes calling me now....

Chris

[Shapotomous]

I am more realistic than content with the current state of my game given the very limited amount of actual playing I am able to do now.  Due to a change in work and family care responsibilities I have only managed about 9 holes per week for a while.  Overall I have been happy with my scores.  Although there are moments of frustration because I have lost ball striking consistency and I am paying more attention to my actual score than I should which has an effect on my shots sometimes.  

However, I am a range rat, always have been happy to practice and work on specific things or make it fun and shape shots or putt for dollars.  So like Tom I have a putting green but I use it a LOT.  I think its fun to hit wedges into it or putt and love the convenience of walking out the door with a putter in my hand.  It's been great to have it here for my Dad to use too, it helps him from getting to bored.

I also have a hitting net i picked up last year when the courses were closed and I hit balls into it frequently.  I just picked up a Mevo which will make it even more interesting to hit into the net.   Maybe a simulator will be in my future.  

 

[Shinnman]

If you live by me, I’ll gladly bring beer to practice both outside and on the simulator. If I had a room for one (low ceilings with max 8ft height is my issue), then no one would find me anywhere, but down there.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 hours ago, Shinnman said:

If you live by me, I’ll gladly bring beer to practice both outside and on the simulator. If I had a room for one (low ceilings with max 8ft height is my issue), then no one would find me anywhere, but down there.  

I was like that for about 10 years. Go downstairs on a rainy day and played 18 in an hour. If it was nice out, I would practice in the yard for a few hours.  But I think I just got bored.  There is nothing like actual course play.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 hours ago, Shinnman said:

If you live by me, I’ll gladly bring beer to practice both outside and on the simulator. If I had a room for one (low ceilings with max 8ft height is my issue), then no one would find me anywhere, but down there.  

By the way,  I played a lot of the courses right across the river from you. My brother in law lived in Pomona. We play golf anytime we are together. He is moving to South Carolina just north east of Myrtle Beach. Lucky for me more golf? 

[DStar]

I'm looking at my game with as much honesty as I can.

I've only been playing properly for just over 3 months (after a long lay off from not really playing that much) and I've seen all kinds of golf. Regularly shooting low to mid 90's but broke 90 a week or so back. Last week I played really well, felt like a few things were really coming together and starting to feel like 'I'm getting there'. This weekend I had a nightmare, nothing worked but scraped 32 points.

I have to keep telling myself I'm really just a beginner but I just want to be getting better, more consistent.

I guess I'm content with the fact that, at times, my game will suck but keep hoping for the good shots that keep me coming back. I know I will get better, I do have it in me, just wish I had the time to spend a bit more time 'getting there'. 

 

[tony@CIC]

I get bored easily so in the past I've given up a number of different activities because I got to a level where I was content. Content at golf - hmmm it'll take me quite a while to get there, because once I get good at one part of my game another part falls off the rails.  

[alfriday101]

I am very content with what I consider the most important parts of golf.  

 

I have good friends that I play rounds with several times a week.  We enjoy each others company, give each other a hard time, enjoy an after round of drinks and we encourage each other and celebrate successes together.  

 

I appreciate the opportunity to play regularly--that my health, marital situation (celebrating our 40th anniversary next month) and economic situation allow me the get out and spend time on the course.  I enjoy the sun and wind and beauty of the course and seeing the wind life on and around the course.  I am grateful for the clubs I belong to.  They are not "high end" by any means, but are good, fun courses to play.  

 

I shoot low scores (for me) and high scores, but the score is always secondary to the time spent with others.  I get as much enjoyment out of my friends' great shots as my own.  My scores have improved a lot over the last few years.  My bad rounds now are better than my good rounds a few years ago.  I used to say that I would be happy if I could consistently play bogey golf or better.  Well, I shoot better than that now, and it really doesn't matter all that much compared to the enjoyment of playing with friends and my wife and other couples.    

[FmrCaddie13]

Being a content golfer is a good thing. You are having fun and obviously enjoy the game. There is no requirement to practice. Better your way than my friend who practiced incessantly, won a lot of amateur events, got a golf scholarship and quit the game aftsr his sophomore year. Got him to play once a decade later. He dug out his clubs, shot in the 70s with zero practice and was miserable the entire round. Now almost 2 decades later and still no interest. Golf isn't a job unless it's your job.

"I'd keep playing if I were you." 

[Stuka44]

On 7/3/2021 at 7:20 PM, Tom the Golf Nut said:

So being the golf nut, I've done everything around my property to improve my golf game. 100 yard tee box to a synthetic green. Separate chipping area closer to the house. Simulator in the basement.

Tom I wouldn't call us "lazy"  I would say we are "extremely low energy"  where practice is concerned.  While I do not have all of the set up that you have for practicing at home, I do have a course with a nice range, and practice area literally less than a five minute drive from my house.  I understand your dilemma.  I went from working shift work, where when on midnights and afternoons I could play rounds of golf 2-3 times midweek, and then on Saturday with my brothers.  The last 2.5 years working days with weekends off I've gone to only once on the weekend.  I've seen parts of my game begin to slide a little without the midweek "practice"  rounds to keep my game sharp.

I know taking the small amount of time to go and practice, without then playing a round, would help me maintain my game like it was.  I am a lot like you.  I love playing "rounds" of golf, but can't seem to catch the "range/practice area bug".  My game declining when I first started the days with weekends off thing hit me kind of hard.  Now as others have stated I am content.  I am ok being in the 85-89 range instead of expecting to break 80 on some of the easier public courses I play around here.

The only goal I have set for myself now that I am 55 as of a few days ago, is to get to the course early enough to practice some putts, and  be able to hit a small bucket, or at least do some simple stretching, and full swing practice swings to ward off injury, not really to improve my game. 

Been feeling a few aches and twinges, when the entirety of my pre round warm up is the swing hitting my ball off the 1st Tee. 

I would say we are content.   I play every weekend with 2 of my brothers, and I'm on the slope to I don't care what I shoot, because they are all older than  me and we only have so much time left.