Podcast 2 -- Is golf "a good walk spoiled"?

   Do you think this Mark Twain quote was an accurate description of golf?  
An outsider observing our forum for the first time would likely come away thinking that just about everyone taking part in these discussions must love golf to spend so much time talking about it and dissecting it.

Heck, I did all I could to get out of my cushy corporate job and find a way to get into the golf industry because I spend so much time thinking about, talking about, practicing, and playing golf.  But I'll be the first to admit I normally don't enjoy playing the game.

Based on all my experiences playing with others, I don't remember too many people really enjoying their play either.  (Maybe I ruin everyone's party!)  

SO, WHY DO WE PLAY?  IS GOLF EVEN FUN? 

This will be the topic of a discussion segment during our next podcast.  Chuck and I plan to give our thoughts, but we'd also like to get your opinions and share some of those during our discussion.

Feel free to share what you love (or hate!) about the game, any good stories demonstrating your feelings about the game, etc.

I'll leave you with one last quote from Raymond Floyd..."They call it golf because all of the other four-letter words were taken."

(I found these and a bunch of other good golf quotes here:  http://www.quotegarden.com/golf.html.)

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stepfret Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Rotary Swing Business Mgr. Joined: 01 August 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 102	Post Options Post Reply Quote stepfret Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Podcast 2 -- Is golf "a good walk spoiled"? Posted: 07 March 2010 at 10:47am
	Do you think this Mark Twain quote was an accurate description of golf? An outsider observing our forum for the first time would likely come away thinking that just about everyone taking part in these discussions must love golf to spend so much time talking about it and dissecting it. Heck, I did all I could to get out of my cushy corporate job and find a way to get into the golf industry because I spend so much time thinking about, talking about, practicing, and playing golf. But I'll be the first to admit I normally don't enjoy playing the game. Based on all my experiences playing with others, I don't remember too many people really enjoying their play either. (Maybe I ruin everyone's party!) SO, WHY DO WE PLAY? IS GOLF EVEN FUN? This will be the topic of a discussion segment during our next podcast. Chuck and I plan to give our thoughts, but we'd also like to get your opinions and share some of those during our discussion. Feel free to share what you love (or hate!) about the game, any good stories demonstrating your feelings about the game, etc. I'll leave you with one last quote from Raymond Floyd..."They call it golf because all of the other four-letter words were taken." (I found these and a bunch of other good golf quotes here: http://www.quotegarden.com/golf.html.)
	Online Learning Groups: Like a golf forum on steroids. Unlimited lessons each month from a Certified Instructor. One low price. http://www.rotaryswing.com/online-golf-lessons/learning-groups-home.php



Matt1960 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Members Vault Member Joined: 28 December 2008 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 674	Post Options Post Reply Quote Matt1960 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 11:37am
	For me, its all about having the knowledge to and using that knowledge to improve my swing. I played golf to junior county level as a teenager, and spent a year at age 17, practicing to try to get better. I failed, because I never knew what, or how to practice. I gave up golf for 25 years because I had had put the effort into improving, but in fact got worse. I decided to take it up again a few years ago, and although I have not improved much, I can see light at the end of the tunnel. This is what I need to keep going. My scores do not bother me much, its the hitting of pure shots with a decent swing that drives me. The problem is that I may only hit one or two pure shots in a round. Matt

mship Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Members Vault Member Joined: 09 May 2008 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 1129	Post Options Post Reply Quote mship Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 12:48pm
	Golf to me is much more than I game. I love golf. I love talking about it, I love helping others with the game, but most of all I love playing. I have more hope for my game than the average guy on this forum as I hope to be good enough to go to q school for the senior tour when I am 50 but as a 9 handicap I have a long way to go. A round of golf, for me, can never be spoiled. God has blessed us with this wonderful game and nothing beats the smell of a freshly mowed fairway and bright blue skies and weather I am shooting lights out or having a bad round I just look up in the sky and thank God for blessing me so with such a wonderful game and the opportunity to play it.
	2 Timothy 1:7 "A bad attitude is a bigger handicap than a bad swing" - Payne Stewart

DRThumper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Members Vault Member Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Florida Online Status: Offline Posts: 84	Post Options Post Reply Quote DRThumper Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 7:35pm
	I have not been able to find the podcast of Ricky Fowler swing or did I misunderstand - the putter segment was great

DRThumper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Members Vault Member Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Florida Online Status: Offline Posts: 84	Post Options Post Reply Quote DRThumper Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 7:38pm
	My brother has a saying golf is the game I LOVE TO HATE -

jkpassage Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 07 March 2010 Location: Noblesville, IN Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote jkpassage Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 8:16pm
	I would like golf a lot better if I could play better. It's no fun shooting 100+ every round. There has to be a better way to learn a repeatable golf swing than the way the big dogs teach.
	Jeffery Passage, CPA, CPCU

stepfret Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Rotary Swing Business Mgr. Joined: 01 August 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 102	Post Options Post Reply Quote stepfret Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 8:29pm
	I certainly understand that shooting better is what most of us are after -- but what happens if you start shooting in the 90s every round and then struggle to break into the 80s? Does it ever end??? Maybe some guys that are around scratch can chime in and let me know if the frustration level diminishes. (I'd like to personally find out one day!) Tiger certainly seems more frustrated than happy on the course, and I am pretty sure most of us would trade our golfing ability with his... Edited by stepfret - 07 March 2010 at 8:30pm
	Online Learning Groups: Like a golf forum on steroids. Unlimited lessons each month from a Certified Instructor. One low price. http://www.rotaryswing.com/online-golf-lessons/learning-groups-home.php

jkpassage Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 07 March 2010 Location: Noblesville, IN Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote jkpassage Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 8:37pm
	After 42 years of 100+ scores (broken 100 only twice in my lifetime), shooting in the 90's regularly would be a dream. Don't think I'll be around for the next 42 years to break into the 80's. But it is pretty sad when my 81 year old dad and 79 year old stepmother can outdrive me and outscore me.
	Jeffery Passage, CPA, CPCU

stepfret Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Rotary Swing Business Mgr. Joined: 01 August 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 102	Post Options Post Reply Quote stepfret Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 March 2010 at 10:15pm
	Certainly a fair point, jkpassage. I don't want you to think I'm just being a pessimist -- I'm kinda playing devil's advocate to stir up the conversation and see what insights I can glean from the discussion. I think that no matter what level I reach, I'll be frustrated I can't be better; maybe there's something I can learn from others and learn to enjoy the game in a different way. Stick with Chuck's teachings, and I'm sure you'll get closer to your goals. I know that after I had my first lesson with Chuck, I got my first glimpse of hope in a loooong time. I think some good golf is around the corner for me, which will be fun...for a while...
	Online Learning Groups: Like a golf forum on steroids. Unlimited lessons each month from a Certified Instructor. One low price. http://www.rotaryswing.com/online-golf-lessons/learning-groups-home.php

colin.earl Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Members Vault Member Joined: 13 June 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 305	Post Options Post Reply Quote colin.earl Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 08 March 2010 at 9:21am
	Speaking as someone who can shoot under par when I'm playing/practising regularly I've found that as I've gotten better I actually get more frustrated playing nowadays than when I was shooting 5 or 10 over par when I was younger..Because I can control the ball fairly consistently, if I try to hit a low draw under the wind I expect to be able to do it..If I hit a straight push instead which ends up costing me a shot i'm not pleased 'cos I know I'm perfectly capable of hitting that shot most of the time and the lower you shoot the more impact an individual mistake makes..If I made the same mistake when playing off 10 I still had another 9 shots left so only mildly disappointing, and if I managed to hit the low draw I'd be all pleased with myself and probably tell my dad about what a great shot I hit when I got home..The joy of hitting a good shot isn't the same now because I expect to do it more often and do do it more often and whenever something in life that was once special and kind of unusual becomes the norm it no longer has that same effect on you..However, I still enjoy playing golf regardless of how well I play..I get more enjoyment out of the score I shoot these days rather than the number of good shots I hit.I get the same joy out of a good putt or chip that I do out of hitting a 300 yard draw down a dogleg left hole. As an example..Last year I played at a course that holds one of the European Tour events..I lost 4 balls in the first 5 holes, then shot 4 under from there on..At dinner the guys I played with(15 'cappers) were telling everyone how far I hit my drives, how I hit an 8 iron into a par 5, how I lost my drive on another par 5, got an eagle with the next ball, etc and how they would love to be able to hit a ball like me..I wasn't bothered about those shots I was just pleased that I had lost all those balls but hadn't given up, although I felt like it and had managed to shoot 4 under on a championship course that I'd never played before. Edited by colin.earl - 08 March 2010 at 9:41am