Peaceful vs Frustrating?

I have spent that last few years trying to get away from being frustrated by my golf ability. Sometimes frustration rears its head, and that's fine. It usually happens if I'm not properly fed, or I have been drinking.

But these days I have taught myself that if my game isn't performing as expected, and I find my self building frustration, to stop what I am doing. If I'm trying to play to a certain score, I stop and play multiple balls. If I'm having distance issues or missing balls off the tee, I'll move up a box. If I'm with a group and my game goes to hell, those aren't really options, so I will do everything I can to laugh at my misfortune (alcohol helps in this case.)

I love golf, and the thought of being on a golf course to ever let it get to me enough that I would want to leave (the course or the game.) A few years ago may have been different.
 
When I'm playing bad and don't feel like I know what to do to fix it I get that frustration, but when I'm playing well, or I can get in a mindset of I don't care how I'm playing, the peaceful is certainly there.
 
Peace and Health - I am always wanting to get outside, whether it's a walk or a good walk spoiled.

Balance - Playing golf, I take a moment to figure out where I am mentally beforehand. If I'm tense/stressed, I'll tell myself to just enjoy the round, don't take the score seriously, or don't even keep one if I'm really uptight, or if I just had another lesson - but mostly, accept that I'm human. I'm outside, enjoying a great game, and that sometimes, it's natural to be "off" when you haven't hit a ball in a week or more. Accceptance. I think it helps to put away expectations, but it is difficult. Just enjoy the scene and play like a champion - have a great mental frame of mind - let the shots fall where they may.
 
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I agree with your friend 100%. I love being out on the course, but it definitely can cause it's frustration.
 
I approach every round I play with the same mindset.... no expectations. If I shoot 100, so what? Time to get to the range and put in some work. If I shot to my cap or better, we're having a great day. I've found that if I go in expecting nothing, I'm able to enjoy things so much more.

Not gonna pretend a bit of frustration doesn't kick in after an errant tee shot, or a chunked wedge but again I know I'm not Tiger Woods...and that helps me reset my expectations.
 
Peaceful because I love being outside. Stressful because my swing with any club other than wedges and a putter is so inconsistent. Yesterday, I drove the ball well, used my wedges well, and putted decent, but everything in-between was a mess.
 
Sure, like others have said...golf is both peaceful and frustrating at times.
Being outside, fresh air, blue skies(usually), friends and/or family, playing a game I absolutely love is very peaceful.
Then, when I am not playing well, the frustration can start.
 
I’ve never found golf to be remotely peaceful. If things are going well it is exciting, and when things are poor it is frustration (the far more common of the two). If I wanted peaceful I’d go for a hike or something.
 
this applies to me when Im playing a lot and really looking for results. Lately I havent been playing a ton so it takes a lot to frustrate me on the course
 
As much as some frown on music, it has been a big contributor to my perception of the game, especially if I don't have my "A" game with me.

There's something about it that can set the tone regardless of what kind of golf is being played. Fun.
 
Being on the course is one of the only places I feel like myself and I am in complete control of things. That being said I took a break from the game because it went from being a place of confidence to a place of intense anxiety and pain.
 
I am at peace 98% of the time, a few times a year I freak out throw a few clubs and hit golf balls onto the course across the river then I am back in my happy place.
 
As much as some frown on music, it has been a big contributor to my perception of the game, especially if I don't have my "A" game with me.

There's something about it that can set the tone regardless of what kind of golf is being played. Fun.
Having just switched to the "pro music on the course camp", I completely agree.

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Having just switched to the "pro music on the course camp", I completely agree.

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Just need you to play more reggae and we be grooving mon!

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Definitely some of both for me. I do find myself getting a little less frustrated than I used to though. Took me 35 or so years of playing to realize that I wasn't going to hit every shot perfect so no sense in getting too worked up about it.
 
Both for me as well, but no matter how frustrated I get or how bad he round goes as soon as I get off the course I want to play again. I do find it far more peaceful to walk though since you have time to walk it off in between shots.
 
For me, its peaceful. The golf course is my retreat, my refuge, my zen space among the chaos and stresses of life. I dont know what there would ever be to get stressed out about with golf, unless you play for a living and a bad shot can cost you tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
 
Peace. All of the peace. Oddly enough I feel just as at peace laying a check on someone in a game of hockey. Not sure what that says about me as a person...

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Peaceful my worst day on the golf course is better than my best day at work
 
Someone in our golf league today asked me how I was playing this year. I honestly replied that I was "just happy to be out on the course." 24 months removed from spine surgery, which included 12 months of no golf at all, I am peaceful on the course.
 
I'm at peace on the course, if I ever get frustrated that's when I know to take a break.

Hasn't happened often at all but golf would offer zero allure for me if it were an exercise in frustration.
 
Playing well on course = Peace
Playing poorly = Frustration = time away
 
A few reactions to what I've read here:

As somebody said, a bad day on the course is better than a good day in many other places.

I'm watching my son go through a period of intense frustration. He's a new dad and has an overflowing plate at work. I fully expect he will take some time off and come back.

OTOH, my late father-in-law was a pretty tightly wound guy who was very demanding of himself and had quite the temper at times. But I never saw him frustrated or upset on the course. Ever. In fact, the worse the shot (and he quite frankly was not that good), the more uproarious the laughter. One of the speakers at his memorial service played golf with him often and made those observations - including what I said about his skillset. I think I'd rather be remembered as someone who loved life and loved the game as opposed to a really good golfer (with the volatility on course not spoken of but also not forgotten.)

I have gotten frustrated at times, but I play so infrequently that it is a treat.

I observed some very general trends in the posts here. (All generalities are false, including this one.) What do you think?

- Golf frustration decreases with age
- Golf frustration decreases with parenthood
- The lower the handicap, the more likely/often a golfer is frustrated

Some of this is chicken and egg stuff. Some high cappers may stick with the game into later life because they love it/are not frustrated by it.

And finally - "farty pants"??? Really? I haven't spoken like that since I first read Ball Four (independently) in high school. :D
 
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I definitely find myself at peace on the course these days.
When I'm in the middle of a very frustrating swing issue it does get frustrating, but it never overshadows the overall peace and enjoyment of being out on the course.

I have pretty much arrived at this point as well.
 
I played a phenomenal course on Tuesday and loved it, even as I pretty much just slapped the ball around to finish in the middle of the pack. If I'm at my usual course, I'm only annoyed if it's spectacularly bad. This wasn't a good playing/scoring year at all.

if i've said it once i've said it 1,000 times: i'm not good enough to get mad. there is no better perspective in golf than that.

I'm all in on this.
 
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