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Why is it so hard to be satisfied with our golf games?

B

BigE

Tryin' to get better....
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Rochester NY
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I was a 20+ handicap that realized my life long goal of getting to single digits the last few years (although this summer has been tough - I'm now at 11).
Yet I'm still willing to dump my swing for the latest golf guru guarantee of a better way to hit the ball.
I've gone down that rabbit hole a couple of times this summer.
And I'm amazed to see really low single digit handicappers - handicaps I'd give my right arm for - VERY unhappy with their game too and willing to totally rework their swings.
Maybe Tiger Woods is the poster child for this.
What is it with the game of golf that we're never satisfied?
 
I like to get better obviously, but I really just love playing the game. I think most people's frustration with golf comes from a bad perspective on their scoring. We all have a trend line for how we are playing, it's called our handicap. It rises and falls slowly and our scores oscillate around it. For me I am a an 18.9 right now. My last 2 rounds were 90 and 98. Over the summer I have shot an 83 and a 102.

People overestimate the long term implications of their most recent round IMO. Most people after a good round think they have everything figured out and expect to shoot that score forevermore. They also mistakenly believe after a bad round that their entire world is crumbling and they need to buy new clubs, scrap their swing, and maybe quit the game. Both are equally wrong and they feed off each other to mess with a golfers mind.

Once you come to terms with the fact that you are going to hit good and bad shots at about the rate your handicap implies and sometimes both types will come in bunches then you can have a healthier relationship with your score and set better expectations.
 
That's a good question. Human nature I assume. If other people can get to scratch, why can't I get to single digits? It's strange that someone can be so good at this game and not be satisfied. I think the smart golfers are the ones who realize there isn't enough talent and/or time and accept their fate.

For some of us though, the question is more - if half the population can get to bogey golf, why can't I? I wonder what exactly is so wrong with me that makes such a low bar impossible to reach. Is my problem physical...mental? Am I that much of a spazz? (Rhetorical question, the answer is yes of course.)

As far as changing swings, like every one else, I've been through that for years. But while I can understand my swing flaws keeping me from single-digits, there are all kinds of folks out there with really ugly swings who make it work enough to shoot in the teens.
 
As long as we leave shots out on the course, it seems we are never satisfied. This applies to pretty much every round I have played in my life. The more and better desire also factors heavily in this.
 
I can only think of 2 golf partners that i rarely see get disappointed while playing or about their golf game. I would say personally I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between "oh well" and "I quit". I currently have 2 partners that want to quit the game because of their disappointment in their play. Not playing to my expectations is what bring me disappointment. The sooner I realize and accept that I enjoy golf for a number of reason beside playing well, the sooner I can experience less disappointment.
 
because we know in our minds it’s not a game of perfection, but we refuse to accept that


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Because we feel we can always do better every time out. My last 5 round have been very consistent, but I know they could have been better with minor adjustments.
 
It's the variance between the potential (and we know it's there because we've all hit perfect shots) and what happens during the round... I'm actually happy when my "bad" shots are "ok".
 
“Looking for perfection is the only way to motivate yourself”

-Ronnie O’Sullivan


This game we love can’t be perfected, which why it is a life long struggle.


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As in any aspect in life, they're are those better than us. There's always another level in this game for us to strive for. For some, it's breaking 90. For others, it's breaking 70. That's the allure of it. You never have to settle, you can always strive to beat your old records.

I think I fall in the never satisfied category in the sense that if I shoot a low score or achieve a goal, it opens the door to the next level of progression.

Now, I'm realistic in the sense that I know I'm not going to be turning pro anytime soon :)

But, I don't want that to stop me from continuing to improve, or at least trying.

On the flip side, I'm not unsatisfied overall. Even in my worst days, I'm still fortunate enough to be playing. So, there's solice in the fact that I'm going to enjoy my time out no matter what.
 
I think that every time you go out on the course, there will always be that 1 shot that you feel could have turned out better than it did, and a lot of people focus on that instance knowing that there was the potential for your score to be better
 
I think the main reason for me is that it only takes one or two bad swings to derail an otherwise great round. I can always fall down the hole of “what if those never happened” and then think of how good it should have been (but only in my mind).

It also could be an unwillingness to accept that this game of millimeters sometimes doesn’t work out for a round or two. If I “waste” two straight rounds, I will retool something. That will likely set me back further in the short term.
 
Golf is strange because we cannot win. I played yesterday by myself, and I didn't win or lose. Its tough to explain. Sometimes I feel like I am working towards an unachievable goal, you know?
 
The joke between me and my buddies is that the definition of Golf is "The futile pursuit of mediocrity"
 
TheDoctor;n8893217 said:
I think that every time you go out on the course, there will always be that 1 shot that you feel could have turned out better than it did, and a lot of people focus on that instance knowing that there was the potential for your score to be better
Click to expand...

Agreed, no matter how well I play, there's a shot I cant believe I missed that round
 
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