Ego for amateurs in golf. What are your thoughts?

[Paladin]

I honestly don't pay much attention to the clubs that people use. I could not tell you the brand or model of irons & wedges the two other guys in my threesome today were using today. I remember their drivers and putters, but that's it. As far as bad golfers dressing like pros - it doesn't bother me at all. I'd much rather see someone dressed well than wearing shredded cargo shorts, no belt, and their shirt hanging out.

QFT. Maybe it's because I spend all week wearing a combination monkey suit/pajamas:

I like nothing else better than putting on something that looks like they put some effort into it. If you're wearing plaids & stripes, at least you're trying. It's not ego, it's pride and enjoyment in the sport.

Clubs I care about for my bag, but most of my playing partners are joes like me, or retirees. Money's tight, and people like the clubs they like. I know guys that make 10 year old irons work, and a friend that puts a 3 wood made of wood into play on autopilot. My fairway woods are almost a decade old, and I feel about them the way Charlton Heston felt about his rifle. My pride kicks in when I start thinking about getting on greens a shot earlier than I need to and trying to get in scoring position with decidedly non-scoring clubs.

 

[ducmike]

I like to think I check my ego in regards to my gear and the tees I play. I know I do make some poor choices as far as club selection or the shot I want to play based on ego.

I normally play the white tees, unless it's a tourney or something like that where the tees are specified. I think that folks forget that not everyone in the group has to play the same tees. The same reason we have handicaps, to even it out so golfers of different skill levels can compete. I'm still a beginner, don't hit far, and need to play forward to enjoy the round. Now I just tell my playing partners that I'm playing from the whites, y'all do what you want.

I love playing with my wife. She sets a great example of not letting ego affect her game. All she cares about is that her score is lower than mine at the end of the round. She doesn't care how she does. If she has to hit driver where I hit 6 iron. it does not mean a thing to her.

 

[GregDan]

gregdan, I read this and instantly thought. He's talking to me! Well said buddy.

this is an awesome thread. Thanks for kicking it out there Jman, and everyone that has contributed thus far. THP for me has been just what I needed to get past a lot of the ego mess. In the end it's about posting a low number, regardless of the brand, the category or the price tag of your equipment. We all love this game, and it's a game built on integrity. So why not be true to yourself and p,ay what you play.

I know you have some great game, man. And it's cool to see you try some new things and find that it works for you. But there is also things that don't work and that's the key, find what works and doesn't work and enjoy this wonderful game.

 

[Drumdog]

I've never really had an ego problem on the course....except for one spot. The tee box. For quite awhile I was one of the longest hitters off the tee in my home area. I didn't just play with my friends and make that claim. I played a lot with total strangers and in tourneys and was consistently 10 yards longer or more then most players with the driver. I even entered a Chrysler Long Drive contest a few years ago and was beat out of the sectional qualifying by 3 yards. The guy that beat me was an ex-pro hockey player that looked like he could tear trees down with his bare hands. Even though he beat me, that just fueled my ego fire even more. It really started to become a problem, because I would go to the range and work on the driver and hit ball after ball after ball, trying to get a few more yards. I was not working at my irons much at all and it really hurt my overall game. Sure, I could bust the 300 yard drive on a regular basis and even got it out to 325 a couple of times a round. But, every other shot in my bag was purely a guessing game and not very good. Then my "Ah Ha" moment happened. I walked into the clubhouse one day and asked if they could work me out with someone and they had a 3 some that was headed for the first tee, so off I went. The threesome consisted of 3 generations of golfers from the same family. Grandpa, who was in his 70's, Dad, who was in his late 40's and son, who was in his late teens to early 20's. I was first up and bombed a perfect drive down the middle out to just short of 300 yards. The son promptly blew by me out to 325 yards and dad was right behind him by 5 or 6 yards. Grandpa steps up and smacks his drive 210 yards down the fairway. To make this short, that was the way it was on almost every tee. I was always shorter than the other 2 big hitters and Grandpa was always in the middle at about 210 yards. I couldn't hit an approach shot to save my life. Almost every par I made was a 1 putt par and of course I had no birdies. It was a similar situation for the other 2 big hitters, but not so much with Grandpa. He would hit the driver, then either a hybrid or long iron to the green and had many birdie putts (he made a few) and I think he finished 3 over par for the round. That was when I realized that not only was I not the biggest hitter in the area, but the approach shots and short game were my shortcomings. I started really working on my irons and short game. In 2 years, I dropped my handicap from a 12 down to a 7. Now with joining THP and learning more about getting fit for clubs and what to work on, my ghin is now down to 3.4, and best of all....my tee box ego is completely gone.

 

[EagleOne]

I just started golfing about 2 years ago. I tend to obsess over things and golf was no different. I did tons of research (on sites like this) and bought some pretty nice equipment and stuck em in a nice bag.

I started getting compliments on my gear and inadvertently felt a need to perform. I would think "These guys think I'm a stick, time to Game it up". Thoughts like this made my banana slice on the first tee much more frustrating than it should've been. I was a beginner. But I had the clothes and the gear, I HAD to be good.

This took a while for me to get over. I don't really care about "the gallery" anymore. I'm much better at focusing on my shot as opposed to what everyone around me thinks of my swing. I had no right to have any kind of ego because I had no skill, but it was still there, dancing around my head with a samurai sword.

That was also the last time I tried to hit a 3 iron. I thought strong players didn't need hybrids. Shows how little I really knew... I also began playing from the blues.

Sent from The Galaxy Note 2

 

[barryboymunro]

A few of my friends golf in Dubai and they don't really have the games to be playing at the tips or tournament tees which are between 7000 and 7700 but they play them anyways and its really an ego thing over there and that comes along with a few things over there. I am a better golfer but because courses in Scotland apart from championship courses roughly play about 6000 to 6500 I really struggle when playing them, I just don't have the distance which they really work on. So maybe having an ego in these terms actually helps you out.

 

[Badger_Golfer]

I'll admit that Ive been guilty of ego when it comes to clubs. Ive long been a believer that the best stuff in made in Japan, so for a long time Ive had a Japan-only stance on clubs and have been a big fan of forged irons because of that reason (especially in the case of Mizunos because they are forged in Japan). That caused me to play clubs that probably were a bit out of my league.
Lately, Ive kind of gotten over all that and have been able to be more open-minded and try different clubs, looking only at performance and its led me to Nike. They really do make great stuff.

 

[Outlaw]

I am sorta mad at this thread. I supplement my income by golfing with guys that have huge egos. If they ever come across this thread, they might get smart.

 

[Smallville]

Honest Question - For Ary & Anyone
Are there recommended slope / ratings or distances for those of a certain handicap? I don't know.

Next Question -
For example when courses have 4 sets of tees. General regarded as ladies / seniors / middle / championship.
Are we saying people who have a higher handicap should move up from middle or whatever to the senior or ladies until they start to score better.

This video actually makes a suggestion. According to the video, it is 142 slope minus your handicap. (About 2:20 of the video) So I would be recommended to play 128 slope or less.

It's actually a good video on pace of play. Other than the part about waving people up on Par 3's (about 2:40 of the video), I agree with a lot of what he says.

 

[dhill]

This video actually makes a suggestion. According to the video, it is 142 slope minus your handicap. (About 2:20 of the video) So I would be recommended to play 128 slope or less.

It's actually a good video on pace of play. Other than the part about waving people up on Par 3's (about 2:40 of the video), I agree with a lot of what he says.

Thanks. He did have some interesting points.

 

[Bullitt5339]

This video actually makes a suggestion. According to the video, it is 142 slope minus your handicap. (About 2:20 of the video) So I would be recommended to play 128 slope or less.

It's actually a good video on pace of play. Other than the part about waving people up on Par 3's (about 2:40 of the video), I agree with a lot of what he says.

Good video, but watching it makes me realize how spoiled I am. I went back through my scorecards on the phone that records the total time of the round and realized that I have only had one round that was over 4 hours all year, and that one was when I was walking with a guy I work with who's very out of shape and is a pretty slow player to begin with. The rest of my rounds have been 3:00 to 3:30, whether I was walking or riding.

I feel sorry for the guys who have to endure 5 hour rounds every weekend.

 

[T2GRN18]

I had some interesting self talk today during my quick 9. I was finding that I was actually taking a moment to really think about the club I wanted to pull before each shot. Where as I would normally just pull a club and go with what I know. For example I was teeing off on a Par 3, 194 to the pin. I would normally just pull my typical club, and not give it any thought. Today I actually thought about what it was I was pulling, and taking into consideration the many different factors. On several shots today I actually added one club, and concentrated on just letting it happen. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked out. Granted I found that I was feeling a little less "manly" but the control of the golf ball, and the results of these decision truly paid off. I didn't score my best round, but it felt good to be able to work my way through the ego/mental side of doing what was best for my game today. Pretty cool feeling really

 

[EagleOne]

Good video, but watching it makes me realize how spoiled I am. I went back through my scorecards on the phone that records the total time of the round and realized that I have only had one round that was over 4 hours all year, and that one was when I was walking with a guy I work with who's very out of shape and is a pretty slow player to begin with. The rest of my rounds have been 3:00 to 3:30, whether I was walking or riding.

I feel sorry for the guys who have to endure 5 hour rounds every weekend.

I'm sorry but this is amazing to me. In Denver on the weekends you are guaranteed a near 5 Hour round on saturday and Sunday unless you're playing at a club. Sometimes 5+ hours. 4 hours is a dream I hold on to for weekdays or really early on weekends. It adds a whole new obstacle to overcome, standing around and waiting to take your next shot.

Sent from The Galaxy Note 2

 

[golfinFF]

Ego for amateurs in golf. What are your thoughts?

My ego got the best of me a few times yesterday, puting my ego aside did as well.

I pulled off some great risky shots, failed at a few as well. I also screwed up some lay up shots as well as some playing it smart shots.

 

[fupresti]

Speaking of egos, if we could give the cart girls a breather it would be great. They have probably heard your terrible lines before and they have no interest in you.

Ever.

 

[blugold]

Speaking of egos, if we could give the cart girls a breather it would be great. They have probably heard your terrible lines before and they have no interest in you.

Ever.

I would like to add, the cart girl at the IL invitational really liked my shirt. She went out of her way to tell me...

She wasn't farming for tips or anything.

 

[Vegan702]

I put my ego aside long time ago. I came to the realization I would never be a pro, never be an amateur and would always be a recreational golfer. Because of that I play whatever equipment I choose to play whether it fits my game perfectly or not, hit whatever ball I choose that day and wear whatever I want whether I match in nice golf clothes or I am in shredded cargo shorts with my shirt hanging out. Its a game and I treat it that way, I am out there to have fun, relax and hang with the guys and smoke some cigars and hopefully hit some good shots in the round. You are either a net player or a gross player, whether you are a 0 or a 18 its the same thing. When you can step up to the tee and play everybody straight up is when I would let my ego back into it.

 

[JBJGolf]

I don't consider having the best equipment (in your personal opinion) or dressing well having an ego. I don't try to portray myself in the way that would make people think I'm tiger Woods but I try to carry myself the way the game requires. I have some money so I bought nice gear. I don't feel that plays to ego. However. There are guys that I've played with that talk the mess and play great and some that are the opposite. In the end we are all amateurs. I try to enjoys the investment of time and money without an ego.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4

 

[kiteman]

Maybe I am in the minority, but hitting the ball long and being good at golf are two totally different things. I consider myself a long hitter, but not a good golfer. I am a 12 handicap but my average 7i is 185y.

But I lose a lot of balls on pull hooks, I don't hit many GIR, and I constantly misjudge green speed, so I end up shooting in the high 80s or 90s most of the time. My 60 degree wedge goes 110y on an easy swing, so playing shorter tees...well I just don't have enough high degree wedges for it. Longer tees suit me well.

The only ego I have in golf is really believing I should be better than I am BECAUSE of my distance. It's ego because my distance doesn't make me better.

Anyway, ego is ambiguous...different for every player. Hit what you can and enjoy the sport. Nobody is going to be Tiger Woods most of the time, and the distance they can hit the ball has very little to do with that fact.

 

[bobgeorge]

Interesting topic. I have a friend that works in Golfsmith and I asked him about people buying blades that really don't have the game for them. He said he provides recommendations on what irons might work for an individual based on their swing and launch numbers. He said in the end a lot of people buy blades when clearly they aren't hitting them well, but they say they just like how they look.

What tees people use is interesting too. A few weeks ago I played with a guy from the tees that are around 6,700 yards. Normally I play from 6,300 or shorter but he wanted to play from the further back tees. Clearly there were some par 4s that he couldn't reach in too. Finally I asked him about that. He said there are four par 4s that he cannot reach in two shots. I asked why he didn't move up to the shorter tees & he said he liked the challenge. Didn't make sense to me, but I guess if you are paying the $$$ you can play from whatever tees you like as long as you are not slowing up the course.

 

[gingerista]

What tees people use is interesting too. A few weeks ago I played with a guy from the tees that are around 6,700 yards. Normally I play from 6,300 or shorter but he wanted to play from the further back tees. Clearly there were some par 4s that he couldn't reach in too. Finally I asked him about that. He said there are four par 4s that he cannot reach in two shots. I asked why he didn't move up to the shorter tees & he said he liked the challenge. Didn't make sense to me, but I guess if you are paying the $$$ you can play from whatever tees you like as long as you are not slowing up the course.

i used to play a lot with an acquaintance who was a +1. He suggested I play back as far as I was comfortable because when I'd play in tournaments or for money, I'd be loving the shorter distances. I'm a woman who drives long and pretty accurate, usually hitting all but one or two fairways a round. Unless its a competition or casual money round, I always play from the whites. It does feed the ego to be playing with (some) of the guys. I've found that playing the forward tees, I don't get into the game as much and don't play as well. I'll play with my women's league and never score as well as when I'm playing with the guys and from further back. It does feed my ego, I'm not holding anyone back and I paid my greens fees. So, why not?

 

[dhill]

The flip side of the coin.
The bruised ego. Defined by trying to play smart, like taking a hybo off a tee when you want to play driver but have had bad drives and missing right is penal.

Then not committing to said shot and chunking it.

That's bad for the ole ego too.

(this story may have been taken from recent personal experience)

 

[JLit]

The flip side of the coin.
The bruised ego. Defined by trying to play smart, like taking a hybo off a tee when you want to play driver but have had bad drives and missing right is penal.

Then not committing to said shot and chunking it.

That's bad for the ole ego too.

(this story may have been taken from recent personal experience)

I absolutely hate this. Nothing worse than making the smart play and not executing the shots.

 

[BamBooBender]

Ego is a funny thing. My ego seems to flare up over distance, rather than what clubs I'm playing with. My new irons are two clubs longer than my old ones.

My ego gets stoked more from hitting my new pitching wedge from 140 than it does my old 8 iron. I guess I get sucked into the whole distance (and marketing) thing more than I like to admit. If I'm being honest I do get some sort of thrill hitting a PW where others are hitting an 8 or 9, even though I know the reason behind it.

 

[Canio]

Age. Great ego buster. I still think that I can drive those 310 and 330 par 4s. Not going to happen any more. My fitting for the Amp Cell clubs:

1. Amp Cell Driver with a Graphic Design 40 shaft. RH, Reg flex, loft 11.5*, 45.25" length with a midsize grip.
2. Amp Cell 3-4 FW, with a Reg flex Fuel shaft, set on 4W setting, with a midsize grip.
3. Amp Cell Hybrid 3-4, with a Reg flex Fuel shaft, set on 4H, with a midsize grip.
4. Amp Cell irons 4-GW, with KBS Tour 90 shaft in Reg flex, 1* FLAT LIE, std length with midsize grips.
5. Wedges 54* & 58* with Dyn Gold Spinner shafts, 1* FLAT LIE, std length with midsize grips.

No more stiff shafts ANYWHERE. I now have a driver SS between 92-96. Not 105 anymore. Top drive now is 260. Average 220-240.

I've had to really re-adjust my distances. 6i used to be 181. Now, 5i. And so forth. I'm starting to get used to my new distances.

Ego is long gone!