As much as I love this game, there was a time when I thought about giving it up.
Even though I snapped-out-of-it and rediscovered my passion for golf, others don’t. Why?
Golf is too Hard
Perhaps the most common reason is that golf is simply too hard. But is it too hard or are they just too lazy? Last year, I penned a guest post for a popular golf blog in which I asked if we’re too lazy to get better at golf. Here’s an excerpt:
Practice makes perfect…Or so the saying goes. What that little phrase fails to articulate is how much practice it actually takes to make things perfect. Throw in an impossibly difficult sport like golf and attaining perfection becomes perfectly ridiculous. Now don’t get me wrong, there are a select few who not only have the raw talent to be great at golf, but also have the drive to spend countless hours on the range or putting green practicing…But I’m not one of them. And I surmise not many of you are either. As far as I’m concerned: I’m just too lazy to work that hard at something I’m never going to make a living at in the first place.
Yeah, golf is hard. And some people have the guts to deal with that reality and enjoy golf anyway, while others don’t.
They Hate Golf
So they tried it and hated it – meh, it happens. But how could you possibly hate a game as great as this? Well, I wrote about that also – in fact, I provided 5 reasons why people hate golf. Enjoy.
A Serious Injury
Let’s face it, you would have to be in a good amount of pain to give up on a sport like golf, but it happens. Be it your back, or knees, or in my case, my foot knocked me out for a couple months – there are reasons people are forced to give up this game. Sometimes the pain makes quitting unavoidable, but other times, it can be downright inspirational. And how a returning Vet who lost a leg can take up golf is both inspirational and remarkable. Makes my foot pain look rather pathetic, actually.
They Stink
This is different than golf being too hard. When people quit because the game is too hard, it’s typically because they’ve recently started playing and realize they don’t have the time or patience to get better. But when people quit because they stink, it’s typically because they are pompous asses.
For example, do you know a golf buddy who can’t stand it that you win all the time? You know – they guy who makes everything a competition, but get him out on the golf course and he’s less than stellar? Not being able to live with the fact that he’s not as good as you at something, he quits golf never to return. Now there’s a guy that takes himself way too seriously – and believe me, those people are out there!
They Lose the Will to Golf
What? Well, if you were reading this blog a couple months ago, you would know all about losing the will to golf. When we dig way down into our psyche, we realize that passions can, for one reason or another, simply burn out. There can be several causes for this. In my case, an extended lack in playing time, coupled with a shift in priorities, triggered the feeling that golf was no longer an important part of my life. While I have since come to my senses, I’m sure there are others (perhaps those who were never really passionate about the game in the first place) who will simply walk away from the sport because golf just doesn’t matter all that much.
I certainly hope you never quit golf – especially because you stink, or because it’s too hard. If we writers of the Golf Stinks Blog accomplish anything, it’s to convey you don’t have to be good at something to love it. And I certainly hope you aren’t forced to give it up due to an injury or perhaps worse, lose the will to play altogether. It’s true that golf is not for everyone…but if you love it, you know what keeps you coming back.
At first I find golf as the hardest sport that I want to play but as days passes by everything is just easy. In every part of our life we tend to have difficult parts of it but still we did not lose hope, we strive to make it a successful one. Therefore, we should not put in mind that things are hard or difficult to do not unless we tried doing it.
A couple years back Golf Digest writer Jaime Diaz did a survey where most golfers said the game was too hard, too expensive and too long (time wise). What’s disturbing is many golf courses are doing nothing to combat this. Apparently it seems to be ok to lose customers and bank on senior citizens to keep your business afloat. Question is what do you do when they are all gone?
i just dont have time to learn it. i can get to the range to practice once a week, and play once a week, usually the day after i getto the range. it’s just not enough, i quit today because after months of effort i’ve gotten nowhere. i feel bad abandoning my dad, because i was golfing with him, but i refuse to embaress myself anymore out there and he has friends he golfs with as well.
i should add that i’m 25, and i don’t see many young people on the course, mostly grey haired guys 50+. this sport is dying anyway, i don’t see the point in putting a ton of effort into learning a dead game walking, it won’t exist by 2040.
Golf will be around till well after 2040. It is a dying sport your very correct – the days of youngsters playing this game is fewer and fewer but it is still very popular in the western world albeit not as popular as it was in years gone by.
To dumbocrat: And yet you still care enough to read a fringe blog and take the time to respond–I think there’s hope for you yet….
I love golf, but I simply can’t afford it. While its fun, the expense is now prohibiting me from playing. The balls, equipment, member and tournament fees, trips with the other members, the expense list goes on. Range balls are 5.00 dollars for a small bucket . Its an exclusive game, you need the extra money to play which I simply don’t have. I’ve worked a lifetime to get better and improve and enjoyed every minute of it. However, I’m out. The most interesting thing about it is I will be the topic of conversation at the club the morning I quit and pretty much forgotten after that, life and golf moves on.
Where are you from ? In Australia you can get a membership for $500 which allows you to play every day of the year and gold flubs here can be picked up for a few hundred for a set. It isn’t very expensive in Australia unless you chose to play at exclusive places.
While I love golf as much as the next guy does, I do find this a blog just a little biased. I am considering quitting golf right now because after years of practicing, I’ve oy accomplished how to humiliate myself in front of everyone. My sister started earlier than I did and is already in a higher lesson class than I am. (We go to golf lessons and there are levels: Player 1, Player 2, Par, Birdie and Eagle.) I am stuck in Par, while she’s already about to join Birdie, which I haven’t had the time to fill the requirements, which includes taking a paper test, then you have to fill out a book about sportsmanship, and then get 4 scorecards finished. The reason I haven’t been able to do it isn’t because I’m just “lazy,” I have schoolwork to finish along with band activities that are mandatory. Now that it is summer however, I will the time, but I don’t know if I have the will, and this blog only made me want to quit even more, and believe me, I really do want to start playing again, I just can’t stand being humiliated even after having practiced multiple times.
I quit this week because after years of trying, Its just frustrating to suck and hit crap shots …I dont see any reason to pay to go out on a course and hit hooks and slices on every shot and 4 holes later walk off leave from total frustration…is that supposed to be fun…?
Hey Larry – totally understand! I’ve stunk at golf for a very long time, but I learned to separate my love of the game from my score. The key is to go out with no expectations other than to have fun – be it with spending some time with friends or the pure enjoyment of walking to course or just hitting that perfect shot every so often.
You should read more of this blog as it’s pure reinforcement that this game is awesome regardless of your shanks, slices, skulls, or even your final score.
Good Luck and keep playing!
It is great if you can go out to the course and have fun no matter what your score is good or bad. I admire people who can do that however I feel that after a certain point – if your golf is so bad then it moves into the territory of frustration and disapointment. I’m a 24 handicaper and scores 111 off the stick today on a par 65 course. One of the guys I played with said – did you have fun ? I looked at him and said “common now – I score 111 off the stick and you expect me to say – yes that was fun ?”
Why would you encourage someone to continue playing a sport that is nothing but a source of frustration to them. That’s ridiculous. He should frustrate himself because you think he should enjoy something that embarrases him.
There are fun and rewarding outdoor activities other than golf that are too numerous to even list. And Larry and others might even be good at some of them.
Golf is a sadistic sport in which you can count the good players at any club on one hand.
I totally understand how you are feeling. I have been playing almost 4 years. injuries, surgery in between. Life. I find it very hard to stay in a game that consistency is impossible for me. I broke 90 for the most part but man, it takes a toll on self esteem and passion. I am very grateful I did play and had great times with friends. It is just too frustrating and I don’t have time to waste anymore.
golf is a terrible sport , i wasted 30 years on it ,,, i quit this past week forever no more golf I’m free ,, scratch golfer
I agree. Golf is NOT for everyone. I am convinced that some people can never learn to hit a golf ball with any consistency. I’ve tried for 50 years. Never been able to connect the dots. I have realized that I’m getting no enjoyment from playing, I’m no fun to play with and I frustrate the groups behind me. I was hoping Golf would be something for me to do with friends, outdoors, in retirement. Oh well, maybe shuffleboard.
TA is done
Golf is too hard, I stink, and have lost the will to play. I am tired of being endlessly frustrated and disappointed when I’m out trying to enjoy my free time. I played the game for only one year, but probably played more golf than many people will play in several years.
I don’t even enjoy the good shots anymore as i’m either too infuriated by the rubbish that has come before, or dreading what is yet to come. For the record I found the sliced shot fairly easy to overcome, members of my club friendly, membership very reasonable and good clubs cheap to purchase online.
Good luck with your golf, I am proud to say I am not having any more otherwise good days ruined by this activity.
I would like to make a follow up to my last comment. To no one that is not reading. I tried so hard with my golf. Greg Norman became a scratch golfer in a year, and i thought I could too. Watched dozens of swing tip videos and articles. Where did it get me? Frustrated, hating the game and myself. Never wanted to play again, even wrote an epitaph (above) after a few weeks ‘reformed’.
For some reason I read more and more articles on this site, and came around to the stinky golfer philosophy. Yeah, I stink at golf, so be it. Yesterday and today I went out, pulled off some impressive thins, fats, shanks, made the usual amount of doubles and triples (and worse), and ya know what? It didn’t bother me because I stink at golf.
Thanks to the writers of this blog, for showing me a way to enjoy this game. Cheers 🙂
Here’s three things to remember if you want to enjoy your time on the course more: 1) Nobody cares about your score but you; 2) Everybody else really wants your next shot to be a good one and is quietly rooting for you; and 3) Your next shot may really be one of the best you’ve ever hit. Let go of the mind-set of sites like WRXgolf and The Hacker’s Paradise. It’s a game, and, more importantly, it’s YOUR game. Embrace it. (I love this blog!)
I played for 30 years and I have walked away. Two reasons are cost and time. But, unfortunately, the main reason is other golfers. I simply have witnessed too much disrespect for myself, for the course, and for the game. I simply became tired of replacing 8 inch divots left behind by other golfers, having the group behind me hit into me, having the group in front of me playing slowly, dealing with fivesomes, with people bringing dogs on the course, and so on. Now, I played only public courses because I simply did not want to spend thousands of dollars to play a game. I also simply don’t have an interest in the game and it just isn’t important enough to make an effort to play.
In my experience many many people also quit because they were pushed too much as kids. I used to play competitively and by the time everyone turned 16, so many dropped out.
Great piece…Weather can also get me to quit for a bit.
md
I haven’t officially quit golf but a lack of time and a shift in priorities ( young children) means that I put golf temporarily on the back burner. This is not the first time and I hope I will get back to it in the next couple of years or so. And I also hope that getting back into it will not be too demotivating…
I have played for 5 years and I am at the stage where I can park or birdie but I haven’t been able to get any better. My iron swing may be good one week while driver swing is horrible. The next week I can hit far and pure with my driver and shank my irons. I’ll take some lessons with one pro again to get more info but I’m too embarrassed sometimes when I play golf now more than ever. I sometimes feel it is torture how shots can go. I don’t like some of the comments of the author though about some of us are asses