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Are you competitive?

I'm always trying to shoot a lower score than the people I'm playing with. I do my best to try and not make it obvious by giving plenty of complements when they hit good shots or make a tough putt. On the inside though, I'm hoping they will choke at some point in the round. That being said, I really enjoy playing with people that are better than me. I don't get much satisfaction out of beating someone that can't break 90.
 
Playing baseball and fast pitch softball I would tear your heart out to beat you and your team. Playing golf I was competitive, but not tournament wise. I would play match play and play for a few bucks in a fun game. But I have never been as competitive as I was when I was younger and played ball. My wife on the other hand is a whole different story. She won her club Championship six times.
 
i am overly competitive to a fault. i have, embarrassingly, broken clubs over bad shots. as the years have gone by i have calmed some but still just can't seem to help myself when i get out on the course or on the lake fishing. i have to win.....it gets annoying
 
In golf, no. I've never been good enough for that. Other than a couple of THP events and a scramble here and there, I've not really played competitive golf.

But in darts and bowling where my skill level is/was considerably higher, then yes, I am extremely competitive.
 
I try to remain emotionally level on the outside but internally I despise losing at anything. If I can't do it we'll I'd rather not do it at all. The older I get the more I'm able to let the experience and fun be part of my golf life. I can now enjoy the between shots, social time. In the past I've had friends tell me I look mad when I play, even when I was just having fun.
 
When your 67 yrs old, being competitive doesn't have the same meaning anymore. It usually just means you buy the first round in the 19th hole. :drinks:
 
DG_1234 said:
Do you "enjoy" shooting a high score while chatting, socializing, goofing on the golf course more so than shooting a low score with less socializing ?
For me I have the most fun, get the most enjoyment out of my golf, when I strike my best shots and shoot my lowest scores.
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I don't relate being competitive to scoring well. It does not take a competition to shoot a low score, and you can shoot a low score while still not competing (that relates to both in a game and outside a game).

Also, I haven't met many golfers who enjoy the game when they are playing like a garbage can. That seems to be pretty rare.
 
I played like semi-hot garbage yesterday, and if I hadn't sprinkled in just enough really good shots to win most of the bets I don't think I would feel nearly as okay about it. I don't know if competition helped on those because they were mostly on holes/shots where I could actually see what I was aiming at for a change, but it sure didn't hurt. I get what Mclovin was saying too though. If I played like that AND lost everything, it'd feel like a double kick to the nuts.
 
I played match play for the first and only time against a friend of mine who is easily 10 strokes better even though he is 8 or so years older. The bet was for a $1 per hole and without any regard to handicap. I figured the worst that could happen was that I'd lose $18.

The first time through my 9 hole course we played from whites and I ended up 2 strokes ahead. I suggested we move back to the blue tees for the second 9. Those tees require very accurate drives which played to his strength as he rarely misses the fairway, while my driver game is more "spray and pray" with a two-way miss.

We ended up tying after 18 and may have been the best golf I've ever played. It was only the 2nd time I've played competitive golf.

So the moral of the story is that while competition may bring out better concentration, if winning the bet was the only thing that mattered I wouldn't have made the suggestion to change tees.
 
Second place is first loser.


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When I was younger I was insanely competitive. But now pushing 50 not so much. I still want to win but it isn’t the worst thing if I don’t.


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I'm competitive in as much that "I can" score better than most of people I play golf with.

When I play with others, I always put forth my best effort against the course we are playing. Like everything else, some days are better than others.

I also like playing with golfers who are much better than I am. I like watching good golf shots, up close, and personal. I don't mind my score card losing to their score card.
 
I’m only competitive at things I can actually compete in, and golf doesn’t qualify.
 
fairwaynut said:
When your 67 yrs old, being competitive doesn't have the same meaning anymore. It usually just means you buy the first round in the 19th hole. :drinks:
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AHHH COME NOW!!! I PLAY WITH 2 GUYS THAT ARE 73 AND 75 YEARS OLD AND PLAY FOR MONEY 6 DAYS A WEEK!!!! LOL
 
Yes I am and in everything I do. My whole life I’ve been involved in competition of one sort of another. Bicycle racing, fishing and team sports. I rarely dabble in anything, I’m either all in or not at all. This was from earlier this year and something I had put a lot of time and effort into learning that lake BF11E3EF-4992-47D1-81CD-96ED2D757CA7.jpeg
Win 10K plus on that lake the past couple years.
 
The older I get, the less competitive I become.

For example, I played like absolute trash at the THP Bridgestone Championship last July. Had I done that 20 years ago it would have ruined the event for me.

Fast forward 20 years and I had the time of my life. I mainly felt bad for letting my partner down. I just accepted that my game was totally off and otherwise enjoyed the time with great people on a great course.
 
I think there's a time to be competitive and a time to not take it so serious. I love competition, whether it's tournaments or league play with buddies. But there are times I also enjoy just being outside, being with good company, and enjoying the day. I just don't think it's an either/or proposition.
 
i'm gonna amend my previous answer with, I just don't wanna be the worst player if i'm in a group...
 
I'm very competitive internally, outwardly no one can tell. I want to beat an opponent but although winning is the goal, I really just use the competition to make myself stay sharp and focused.

When I lose, I'm not happy about it because there's always some personal failings to point to. But I'm never upset and losing will never ruin my day.


...Except when it's my Rams in the SB. That ruined the early part of 2019 for me.
 
links_slayer said:
i hate losing more than i enjoy winning....by a mile.
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Oh man, nailed it!!!

In pretty much everything I do - but as I get older
The process and journey has brought me more happiness than it used to.
 
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