POLL: Why do you want to be good at golf?

[Middler]

2 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Much like @PMookieit is the last competitive sport for me. Organized sports are not in the cards anymore and the fact that it feeds my competitiveness is a necessity for my mental state (snowboarding does the same for me too) 

On top of that being able to adore a perfect tee shot, approach, chip, splash out of the sand or 30' putt....there is nothing else quite like it:

It doesn't happen all the time but when it does its the exact fix any of us need to keep coming back and trying to just get a few more of those jaw dropping, high fiving, fist pumping, Tiger Woods double arm scream to the sky when you do make those "top 10" plays. 

A big part of it to me. Even on a bad day (scoring), I always have a few really good shots, even a truly great one here and there (that even a pro would be happy with) - a chip in, sticking an approach, making a long putt, reaching a par 5 in two, etc. I don't know of another sport where an amateur can match a pro, even if only for a moment.

[Lacassem]

20 minutes ago, Middler said:

A big part of it to me. Even on a bad day (scoring), I always have a few really good shots, even a truly great one here and there (that even a pro would be happy with) - a chip in, sticking an approach, making a long putt, reaching a par 5 in two, etc. I don't know of another sport where an amateur can match a pro, even if only for a moment.

Tough part with other sports is you may never be facing that 98 MPh pitcher (I have and let me tell you what). Defending an all pro shooter or trying to outrun a 4.6 40 linebacker. But just like you said in golf you can hit a professional shot from time to time. It’s a beautiful thing

[pakman92]

Because I can't believe I'm not better at it.

[Nolan220]

I’m a sports competitive person as is and if I get involved in something I’m usually 100% committed, so with golf I just want to get better especially when you play with better players. It’s also great where 100% of the blame is you and no one else ( sometimes the clubs are to blame)

[BK_Strozier]

I am all about how golf is all on you. I love being able to improve and learn everytime I am out there playing. You can't be perfect and I love the mental side of the game.

I'm not proud to admit it but I do enjoy impressing my buddies and getting the W. 

[den748]

I was a gym class hero growing up.  Good enough to crush it in gym class but not good enough to play beyond high school in anything. 

 

Golf is the adult version of that.  So you could say I just never grew up..just adjusted to my age. 

But for real, it's this great combination of being able to be competitive while also being social.  Love me the club championships and club events but also love just going out and having a few bucks on the line and then enjoying a brew or two at the end.

[No3PuttLaLa]

I played football for 21 years including college and professional. After that’s all said and done, there is a void to compete and be challenged. Hence where golf came in. It’s an opportunity to be active regardless of age and helps with the mental aspect of continuous improvement. 

[tony@CIC]

All of the above, but most importantly, because of my obsessive, compulsive. competitive nature, I'm going to continue playing/improving until I get really good at it. And we all know that never happens. 

[Bomber]

I would say 'to enjoy it more', but I'm not sure it helps... you just expect more of yourself the better you get. What a game!

[DStar]

My main goal at the moment is consistency and getting to single figures. Started playing properly last year on 22 and now down to 13.2 so going in the right direction.

Good or bad I enjoy being out on the course but the competitive side of me wants to be better.

There's a group of 8 of us that switch around and I'd like to be the best in the group. 

[DoubleBogeyPapi]

I used to play baseball and that came natural to me, throwing and catching the ball, fielding the ball, hitting too all felt easy. Once I stopped playing after HS I didn't do anything competitive/athletic. The pandemic although negative led me to play golf. It reignited the competitive bones in my body but one thing is that I am still learning and this does not come natural to me. Especially coming from a baseball swing to a golf swing it's a different beast. 

Just as baseball came natural to me I eventually want golf to feel natural to me, I think it all comes down to having control. I think that is my drive to get good so I can feel in control and actually shoot the shots I want to hit and start actually scoring decent. I'm not far from it but the journey is still beginning. 

[MNUte]

Being good at golf to me is being "good enough" to the point where I am able to keep reasonably close to my playing partners, who practice and play significantly more than me. 

Golf is one of my escapes from the stress of daily life. It's a time where I can go out, enjoy nature (Utah is gorgeous and the views from most courses are beautiful), and just unplug from my phone, job, chores, etc for a few hours. 

When I can keep up with my playing partners in regard to pace and minimizing the hacking, it makes it far easier to just enjoy the conversations we have and the good company. 

[Reesedw]

I will never be "Good" at golf. Better than when I started yes, better than 3 yrs ago, mostly. Once I came to the realization I will never be "good" at golf it became a lot more enjoyable. Better, yes I want to be better.. No-one wants to be Sh!tty at something they love, but better definitely..  I mostly want to enjoy my time playing, and getting better is more enjoyable than getting worse...

 

[Lacassem]

*second thought* to jump off being competitive. When I was younger the goal was to always beat my dad, then it was to beat other family members. Once you do it its always someone else. I remember seeing my uncles and dad play and always setting that goal to beat them. These days I am sure they feel that way about me now! Golf is the never-ending next goal I think. Shooting for that next milestone, its always being hungry for that next step but satisfied to an extent at the same time.

[2puttbogey]

Personal challenge. Golf is great because it challenges you in so many ways, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I should be able to play for many more years, and I want get good and challenge myself against what this game can throw at you.

[ballplayer002003]

Great question!  For me, it's the challenge.  Many sports have always come pretty easy to me throughout my life.  Golf is the one sport that I struggle with the most.  It's the one sport that requires the most practice...("practice, practice...I don't need stinking practice").  When I played baseball, a lot of the motions were muscle memory and instant reactions, meaning if I saw a 96mph fastball I didn't have much time to think about swinging, I just swung.  In golf, I have all the damn time in the world to think about what shot do I want to hit, what club should I use, how hard do I swing, where do I want to land the ball, where is the clubhead in the back swing and on and on and on.  That is the challenge for me.  It's just wanting to be good to prove a point to myself I guess.  

[peterg2000]

For me its not about getting out there and playing 5 times a week in a mediocre fashion. So I go play twice a week and practice for the other three. I enjoy practising not as much as actually playing , but the 2 times I do go play are much more satisfying. I'm not in any one place to be a member , so I play where I can and usually play with the weekend type golfer who curses every second shot. I've been through that and practice has me to where I REALLY appreciate the work I put in. 

The other thing many weekend golfers go out and buy the latest equipment thinking they'll play better golf , but you need to be fitted and the only way to get fitted properly is to have a consistent swing, so they would be way better off getting lessons. 

So it all boils down to , I like to play but play well.

Pete

 

I really wish they hadn't canned the amateur tour.Thanks to [ractice, I'm almost to a point of a club change. First a driver fitting then irons.

Edited March 8, 2022 by peterg2000

[jecsonborn]

Very often I and my friends are going to play golf, but my losses really piss me off, I have the worst skill in the game, so I have to do extra training to become the best among my friends. 

[Mdrnsamurai]

Try my hands at some Senior Tour qualifying events by 55 and maybe a couple try's for the US Open.

[Fran83]

Keep me out of the pub and stops me drinking! 

It's a great way to play with people of all different levels due to the handicap system.