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Battling ADHD and golf

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Mystery Meat

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Didn't see this thread thru a search so I thought I would post. This is something I have been battling for almost a decade now. It is just one of those diseases that is tough to beat at times and requires a lot of preparation before taking on tasks. Golf has actually helped me with this quite a bit really. It actually keeps me relaxed and makes me focus on tasks on hand. I've become very regimen in my playing and practice habits which have carried over to my everyday life as well. I've read online where golf can be tough with people that have this. But the opposite has happened for me

anyone else have this on here? How has golf helped you?
 
Mystery Meat said:
Didn't see this thread thru a search so I thought I would post. This is something I have been battling for almost a decade now. It is just one of those diseases that is tough to beat at times and requires a lot of preparation before taking on tasks. Golf has actually helped me with this quite a bit really. It actually keeps me relaxed and makes me focus on tasks on hand. I've become very regimen in my playing and practice habits which have carried over to my everyday life as well. I've read online where golf can be tough with people that have this. But the opposite has happened for me

anyone else have this on here? How has golf helped you?
Click to expand...
I'm with you, but I tend to hyper focus which is bad too. Need to learn to focus and release. But at 50+ yrs old...it's just part of life and who I am.
 
Mystery Meat said:
Didn't see this thread thru a search so I thought I would post. This is something I have been battling for almost a decade now. It is just one of those diseases that is tough to beat at times and requires a lot of preparation before taking on tasks. Golf has actually helped me with this quite a bit really. It actually keeps me relaxed and makes me focus on tasks on hand. I've become very regimen in my playing and practice habits which have carried over to my everyday life as well. I've read online where golf can be tough with people that have this. But the opposite has happened for me

anyone else have this on here? How has golf helped you?
Click to expand...

It can be a blessing and a curse. I legitimately think it gives me an edge because its easier to hyper focus on important shots, and easier to forget a bad shot. By this point in my life I've had to spend so much time controlling the mental aspect of every facet of my life that controlling the mental part of golf comes naturally.

It's not helpful when you look up and are suddenly 3 holes ahead of where you last had a complete thought and have ruined your round in the meantime. I also really struggle with it when I'm having to do a lot of waiting in between shots.

What helped me 'beat' ADD was an unwavering committal to structure, organization, and absolutes which I try to integrate into my golf game as much as possible. This is handy when I'm hitting bad shot after bad shot, because I'm used to sticking to a plan even when it is failing terribly but I can also chase a crazy tangent when necessary.
 
Bucketsofjoy said:
It can be a blessing and a curse. I legitimately think it gives me an edge because its easier to hyper focus on important shots, and easier to forget a bad shot. By this point in my life I've had to spend so much time controlling the mental aspect of every facet of my life that controlling the mental part of golf comes naturally.

It's not helpful when you look up and are suddenly 3 holes ahead of where you last had a complete thought and have ruined your round in the meantime. I also really struggle with it when I'm having to do a lot of waiting in between shots.

What helped me 'beat' ADD was an unwavering committal to structure, organization, and absolutes which I try to integrate into my golf game as much as possible. This is handy when I'm hitting bad shot after bad shot, because I'm used to sticking to a plan even when it is failing terribly but I can also chase a crazy tangent when necessary.
Click to expand...
Strictly repetition for me, everything is repetition. When I waiver I run into some major problems at times and have to stop myself and go back to square one. The iPhone has been my savior as well, I take pictures of what I need to accomplish that day or the next (either for shopping or just tasks that have to be done at work). Once completed I than delete it. The reminder option on the phone is a blessing as well. The older I get the tougher it is getting , but I am making it through it.

For golf, I have had the same pre shot routine for quite a while. I even practice and setup my golf work stations the same everytime. That has really helped me enjoy golf and allows me to just focus on enjoying the great game we all love.
 
Routine would help every golfer to get better. I'm glad you're undeterred and found more motivation to get better at it. My brother has ADD and I wondered if he'd be into golf once we have time or he'd just find it a hassle.
 
T2GRN18 said:
I'm with you, but I tend to hyper focus which is bad too. Need to learn to focus and release. But at 50+ yrs old...it's just part of life and who I am.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat, couldn't agree more.
 
Golf is a great game for those with ADD because you can never own it. imo I use hyper-focusing to learn a lot about what makes my swing tick, clubs, launch conditions, develop purity of technique, and just overall keep me out there banging away. I can keep myself entertained for hours just hitting balls, except that now being older I can't do that as much as I used to.
I read an article a few years back about golf and ADD that was really eye opening to me, I posted about it on here.
 
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