I've come to terms with my golf !

G

gov

Senior member
Regular forumites may recall a few months ago I decided to try my hand at golf - bearing in mind my age ( 66 ) a somewhat brave ( some may say daft ) endeavour. When I worked for a living I was persuaded to donate a trophy to our Golfing Society and each year since I have made an appearance to present the trophy - having retired I thought it would be amusing if by sheer fluke ( helped with a handicap of 28 ) I could win my own trophy and present it to myself. Unfortunately my golfing prowess has not improved and if anything is going backwards :( I soon discovered that managing to occasionally hit a ball straight from a driving range does not mean it can also be achieved from a tee at a course. My first outing back in December at Cowes GC was a total disaster so much so that I tore up my score card after the first hole :( my second outing at Freshwater GC saw me teeing off at the first hole and landing on the green followed by a couple of good puts getting a par and scoring 3 points :) Everthing went down hill after this but I did score 9 points in all . Fresh with enthusiasm and optimism the third outing ended in another disaster scoring a paltry 5 points - got so frustrated and annoyed with myself put the whole lot of golfing paraphernalia on Ebay when I got home . then I had an epiphany - I'm taking this game too seriously and does it really matter if I'm crap - it's a good day out , a decent lunch and good company - so I withdrew the advert ( a bit like I did when I posted up an advert for my zed ) and I now feel much more relaxed. Tomorrow we play at Ryde GC for my own trophy and I've been drawn first to tee off in front of the clubhouse and all my ex colleagues - am I nervous ? no - my first shot will be a doozie :rofl:
 
My previous but one employers were very keen on corporate golf, it was compulsory to play. as soon as I left (about13 years ago) the first thing I did was sell all my Golf Bats and equipment. :evil:
Time was Much better spent riding my motorcycle and now my hobby is my Z4 :thumbsup:

I now relax and enjoy my long walks with my Dogs not walking round looking for a little white ball and getting frustrated.
 
If it's a good walk around with some good company then it doesn't really matter how many shots you take,
 
Hope you've got your special clothing laid out ready . . . . . . :lol:

Good luck with your game tomorrow :thumbsup:
 
Well - managed to score 11 points :oops: an improvement on the previous 5 points - did 27 holes over the day - and I'm knackered :cry:

Reckon the only time I will ever get my hands on my trophy is when I present it to someone else :rofl:
 
Doesn't matter what age you are golf is a difficult game.

If you enjoy getting out with friends and the food and drinks after then it's a great day out.
If you actually want to improve your golf then highly recommend some lessons, some basic lessons go a long way but frequent practice is the key, and not everyone has time for that...

I get out maybe once/twice a year normally score about 100 a round but lose about 15balls in the process, the most frustrating thing is losing £20 worth of balls every time I do get out :)

It's still a great day out though :thumbsup:
 
I am not a golfist in any sense of the word, but I have toddled round playing against my son. It seems to me the biggest obstacle to overcome is yourself. One bad shot ( and they mostly are ) you try harder next time, bad shot frustration, anxiety ( esp when playing against someone half decent ) more effort calamity , in my experience. Easy to say but relax, enjoy and adopt a what the hell attitude, but true for most sports really. Cheers, Steve
 
Top tip - don't try to hit the ball hard - try to hit it straight :thumbsup:

If only I could listen to my own advice - nothing beats melting a perfect drive - Even if it's only once every 4 rounds :D
 
All good advice guys - thanks !

Next outing 1st June - reckon I might even dust off the zed to arrive in style at Osborne GC ( in the grounds of Osborne House :D )

This might help my image - on the 3 occasions previously I have turned up in my VW Campervan and apparently have earned the nickname " Swampy" :rofl:

One of the Island courses ( probably best not to name it ) is particularly snobbish - we are playing there later in June - I will make a point of taking our flowery campervan and hopefully find a parking spot right outside the clubhouse :P
 
Hi Gov, I'm a keen golfer and can only agree with that people have said above regarding the frustration factor and the need to hit it straight over hard (women understand this better than men for some reason - :D ) And the better you get, the better you want to be (or think you are) so the frustration never gets much better.

I'd encourage you to keep it up, take a few lessons and enjoy it. If you catch the bug then it's a ticket (excuse) for numerous holidays around the world visiting some of the most beautiful places on earth. And keeps you fit in retirement.

Good luck. Any advice needed, always feel free to bend my ear.

And btw the Z4 is the perfect car for golf clubs, have you noticed they just drop straight in :thumbsup:
 
AndyJ said:
Hi Gov, I'm a keen golfer and can only agree with that people have said above regarding the frustration factor and the need to hit it straight over hard (women understand this better than men for some reason - :D ) And the better you get, the better you want to be (or think you are) so the frustration never gets much better.

I'd encourage you to keep it up, take a few lessons and enjoy it. If you catch the bug then it's a ticket (excuse) for numerous holidays around the world visiting some of the most beautiful places on earth. And keeps you fit in retirement.

Good luck. Any advice needed, always feel free to bend my ear.

And btw the Z4 is the perfect car for golf clubs, have you noticed they just drop straight in :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy - I shall continue as I'm a stubborn old bugger ! Despite feeling knackered after Monday's outing it has done me good :D I did hit two or 3 good shots - one went further than the 2 experienced guys in my team - all I have to do is keep doing whatever it was I did with those shots :o
 
Its a very frustrating game indeed. Some lessons will help give you an idea of any bad habits you might have picked up and will give you something to concentrate on, as lets face it there plenty to think/worry about.

I’ve currently got the bug where i keep buying new things subconsciously thinking its going to make me play like Rory. I purchased a new driver shaft the other day despite me being fairly consistence/confident with my driver already, just thinking it would make me even better. Popped it in and found myself pushing everything out right (which i wasn’t before). Just needed to try it.

Like most things practise is key but no matter how much you practise you are always going to have bad/off days. There’s just too many variables that can cause you problems.
 
NathanZ4C said:
There’s just too many variables that can cause you problems.
Click to expand...
This being the main one ...

brain.jpg
 
Like most things in life - the more you practice the luckier (better) you get . . . was that a Nick Faldo quote?
 
gov said:
All good advice guys - thanks !

Next outing 1st June - reckon I might even dust off the zed to arrive in style at Osborne GC ( in the grounds of Osborne House :D )

This might help my image - on the 3 occasions previously I have turned up in my VW Campervan and apparently have earned the nickname " Swampy" :rofl:

One of the Island courses ( probably best not to name it ) is particularly snobbish - we are playing there later in June - I will make a point of taking our flowery campervan and hopefully find a parking spot right outside the clubhouse :P
Click to expand...

Yes but a golf ball sized dent in yr bonnet may not do much for your state of mind and definately convince you to hang up yr clubs !! :thumbsup:
 
I share the frustration - I used to be a pretty handy single figure handicap golfer. My best ever round is 1-under par gross. But once I got married I started playing a lot less and when I got divorced I hoped my game would improve but it didn't. It's now got to the point where I've effectively packed it in. I was coming home in a foul mood all the time because I could never play to handicap, even when that handicap was getting worse. I haven't played for 6 months and don't miss it at all. The only thing I do miss is the company and banter with the mates I used to play with.

Who knows, maybe I'll start again sometime, but I'm not going to start on a course if I do. I'll get a few lessons in and some driving range sessions under my belt first.

I'm glad you're getting some enjoyment out of it. It's a great sport in my opinion.
 
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