We've launched the new forums! Read more here

ADD and golf

A couple thoughts about ADD and my golf game. I find that over the years of dealing with it, developing coping strategies, and finding ways to stay collected for a round of golf. One thing I've noticed is that I have learned ways to hyper-focus on playing. It's the compulsive side of ADD. One of the draw backs though is that I become a little less social. Not to the point where I'm a dick, but not real talkative. Over the past couple years I've been working on turning it on and off. I've talked with some other THP'ers about it. I find that when I walk and play it's much easier to turn it on and off. There is enough time for my mind to go in to orbit between shots, and recover when walking lol.

ADD in general is over diagnosed IMO these days. It's a label society uses to find a way to excuse behavioral problems in primary schools and home. Our daughter has ADD pretty bad, but we taught her from the beginning that it doesn't mean that is an excuse for poor behavior.
 
T2GRN18 said:
A couple thoughts about ADD and my golf game. I find that over the years of dealing with it, developing coping strategies, and finding ways to stay collected for a round of golf. One thing I've noticed is that I have learned ways to hyper-focus on playing. It's the compulsive side of ADD. One of the draw backs though is that I become a little less social. Not to the point where I'm a dick, but not real talkative. Over the past couple years I've been working on turning it on and off. I've talked with some other THP'ers about it. I find that when I walk and play it's much easier to turn it on and off. There is enough time for my mind to go in to orbit between shots, and recover when walking lol.

ADD in general is over diagnosed IMO these days. It's a label society uses to find a way to excuse behavioral problems in primary schools and home. Our daughter has ADD pretty bad, but we taught her from the beginning that it doesn't mean that is an excuse for poor behavior.
Click to expand...

Same for me on the course, I'm not trying to be unsociable and often get accused of it, it's just that I'm unable to do both. If there's a phone, music, or really chatty people while playing it absolutely kills me, it's too much for me. The hyper focus is me too.
 
Trout Bum said:
Same here, I've always embraced it but when the stress piles on lol it's unmanageable, this morning I was talking to my wife about fishing and in the middle switched up to an I wonder how the greens are to I want a burger in less than 30 second lol, it's got to be frustrating for her. What were we talking about?
Click to expand...

Yeah the mrs' s deserves alot for having to connect the dots at times.

Also agree, I have a tendancy to either have a blast or shoot good golf. For one to work I usualy have to sacrifice the other. Prime example, went out the other day as a single. Was 1 over after nine, made the turn and couldnt find my phone. After 15 minutes of looking decided it was at the house. knew it was at the house however constantly thought about it during my round and shot 7 over on the back...

Playing with adam and the captain in atlanta. Started off strong. As the round got further and we started laughing and having a great time, I quickly went down...

So its good to know that when we are playing each other when we arent really talking its not personal :)
 
Most athletes are. I know I have some serious Add ocd tendencies with borderline bipolar disorder. I get moody. I've never been diagnosed but I know the signs. I'm a former major league pitcher and I it goes without saying. ?..I've come across some characters in my time in the bigs.
 
I was diagnosed with ADD in high school and have battled it since. I find that on the course my mind will start to wonder and race when standing over a shot from time to time. Usually when this happens I will hit the worst shots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I myself have had ADD for the majority of my life. I took Ritalin till I was about 16 years old but stopped because if the way it made me feel when I was on it (antisocial, never had an appetite) and on the weekends I wouldn't take it and felt like myself.

I have learned to live with it and now I must say that things I really take interest in (golf, cars, reading, exercising, most sports) I focus on so much more. This article gives me an idea and explanation why I take to golf.

Very interesting read.
 
I finally made it through the whole article, still got distracted a dozen times lol, this really hit's home..

"A lot of them have a nice ability to be very visual and creative," Rotella says. "And a lot of them seem to be able to keep the game simple from a technical standpoint. They don't listen to everyone else's opinion about everything, which is a big problem out here. In today's world there's so much information about how to hit a golf shot, and I don't see them getting lost in it."

I've always found it a hinderance in everyday life because of the constant bouncing off walls, but golf and fly fishing are the only two sports that completely draw me in and get 150% of my attention, they are the only places where my mind is quiet.
 
Me - ADD, no. But OCD, most likely...
 
Interesting article!
 
Was diagnosed with ADHD in law school after my wife made me get tested. I was actually tested twice; my scores were so bad (toward ADHD), the Dr. thought I was purposely trying to flunk the first test to get the meds. When I took it again, I did even worse...lol.

I've always hyper-focused on sports and due to pretty good hand-eye coordination, I succeeded quickly. Thus, I would lose interest after I became competent. Golf, however, is so difficult that it is a perfect outlet for my hyper-focus (obsession). Each day that I think "I got it," the golf gods remind me the next day that no, I really don't...
 
Dr RosenRosen said:
Was diagnosed with ADHD in law school after my wife made me get tested. I was actually tested twice; my scores were so bad (toward ADHD), the Dr. thought I was purposely trying to flunk the first test to get the meds. When I took it again, I did even worse...lol.

I've always hyper-focused on sports and due to pretty good hand-eye coordination, I succeeded quickly. Thus, I would lose interest after I became competent. Golf, however, is so difficult that it is a perfect outlet for my hyper-focus (obsession). Each day that I think "I got it," the golf gods remind me the next day that no, I really don't...
Click to expand...

Exactly the same thing I go through.
 
Very good article. I have family members with ADD.


I found it amusing that in the first paragraph, the auther talks about Jim Ahern not being able to read a book. Yet, this article is probably too long for someone on ADD to read in one sitting.
 
“Yeah, I always felt a man's grip on his club just like a man's grip on his world”....Bagger Vance.

I've been through some pretty extreme grips in recent years, but I'm back to neutral, down the middle again...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top