Can you Accept Good, Not Great?

fupresti

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I'm frustrated by my game to be honest. It seems like every time I take a step forward, I take 2 steps back. It has made me wonder if I'll just never get to where I think I want to be.

Now I know woe is me because I know at my current level I'm a good golfer so even at my current level I can shoot consistently in the 70s but I'm always wanting more and better and I'm starting to wonder if this is a peak and if I can accept it.
 
I can accept it, because I love the game from a social aspect.
But I also wonder if your game is not the problem but learning to score. The reason I say that is because you are a tremendous ball striker, long off the tee, have a good short game.
 
It's a solid question and one I struggle with too. I feel in my heart that I should be able to be a 5 handicap and shoot 70's most of the time but I just continually find new ways to not achieve that. I've started to justify it and convince myself that unless I golf 3 times per week it's impossible but the truth is that I just don't have the fundamentals or the talent to get where I think I should be.

I'm still going to strive for improvement and continue to love the game but lately I feel like my potential is slipping away year by year.
 
IMO not accepting good is the correct mental attitude to have if want to get to great. Problem with golf is once you get to a certain point in the game, it takes a tremendous amount of time and dedication to get over that low cap hump. Just my two cents as I don't know your game. Attack the 120 and in part of the game. That is where you really score in this great game of golf. Good luck on getting there
 
I've been to the edge of where I thought I should be, but due to life I wasn't able to try and take it to the next level. I'm no longer at that peak, far from it. It can be frustrating since I know I've been a scratch golfer at one point. I've accepted it as a "for now" situation in my life. I think, given a chance in the future I'd like to see if I can get back there or better than I was. I know SO much more NOW than I did then, that my mind tells me I have a shot, but only time will tell.

For now, I get a rush out of shooting in the middle to low 70's. I know my game is a middle, low 80's to upper 70's level and for now, that's ok. I won't stop trying to improve, as I know I can get back there though.
 
I am in the same boat; I truly feel like I can play better golf and I see the flashes of brilliance but I don't seem to be able to put it all together. My short game has gotten horrible in my opinion and I think I am trying too many things which is creating a vicious circle. Overall I am happy, but not satisfied. I wish I had more time to go practice. While I would like golf to be a top priority, work and family are what has to come first.
 
I've accepted that shooting in the 70s is okay for me and my game. I love golf and when I play it I couldn't care less about what I shoot but I know I am able to turn on the serious face when needed when playing. So yes I accept being good but not great
 
I get where you are coming from ... but for me, in golf, the game has always been social ... I am grateful to be alive and playing a wonderful game with my buddies.

Having had the privilege of teeing it up with you, I have to echo JB ... you hit the ball very well ...
 
I think for me, regarding the game, I can accept good "for what it is" but not "worse" for whatever that may be. I desire to be a better golfer but many things in my life come before golf in which I desire to be great or better than good. I'm not a great golfer... but I think I'm a good golfer. My focus this year is #Own125 and that will make me a better golfer!

edit: If I ever shoot in the 70's... I'LL THINK I'M GREAT!
 
No matter how long I play, I'm really always playing against the same person, ME. This mean I will never be satisfied but that I can still have a lot of fun playing game and enjoying the other people involved!
 
Can you Accept Good, Not Great?

Nope, have never been able to and its led me to waste many years from age 20-30 not playing the game.

Since being scratch at age 19 and 20, I've had exactly one year where I've played more than a couple rounds. Most rounds in the other years were only played bc I was traveling with friends and they wanted to play, or for bachelor parties that happened to be golf trips. The one year I came back, I came back to achieve some goals I had set regarding qualifying for the US Amateur...I never got my game fully back, and the next season I quit again. I had plenty of low rounds, but there was a lack of consistency and I knew I'd lost a step.

This year I'm back and I'm determined to enjoy the game for its social aspect, and realize that good is good enough.

Take it from me, you don't want to waste years not playing bc you've burnt yourself out always trying to take the next step.
 
I think I have to. I don't think I'm talented enough, and I know I don't have the time, to be as great as I want to be.


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I can accept it, but more because I can't put in the time/money/effort that I think I need to put in to be great.

I wish I was great, I hope to be better, I work at it to be good, and am tired of being "ok".
 
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Probably not I just want to get better. That means this year getting to scratch that travels and shooting decent numbers in some tournaments.
 
I have more Han excepted my level of play. I know if I practice and grind a little I can go low. If I maintain, I'm a 70s shooter and if I do nothing low 80s.

Fupy you have a solid game and swing. I think you can get to a point of scratch or plus with some little tweaks.
 
I think I could accept good. I'm trying to break into the 70s which is good in my eyes so id be happy with that.
 
I can accept it. Honestly I don't play golf to shoot par. I always want to be better but I know that it is a fun hobby I don't want to grind so hard I lose focus of that.

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I can accept it. I play golf to have fun and hang with some good people. I always want to be better and I work at regularly. I just want a little more consistency
 
I can accept it. I don't put in (or have) enough time to be great. Maybe someday, but right now I'm happy just to get out and work on improving as much as time allows. Hoping to drop a few strokes off the handicap this year.
 
This is an excellent point for all amateur golfers, and one I have recently struggled with. I picked up the sport less than a year ago and now shoot in the mid 90s. I know that the potential is there to score much better, not just marginal improvements over the next few years but can I justify the time investment required for 'great' scores? I love playing this sport, however work and family are much higher on my list of priorities and will most likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

As a result of the realities of life and my own reluctance to transform my involvement in this sport into something more obligatory than an enjoyable hobby, I believe I have already accepted becoming a weekend bogey golfer. Moving into any serious involvement would most likely transform into an obligation and knowing myself, would suck the enjoyment out of any round or practice session that was less than stellar.
 
As much as I want to just enjoy and have fun, I just can't settle... when I broke 90 for the first time I immediately wanted 80s. Then 70s... some days I feel so close to achieving the next step then next day it's like I forgot everything. Frustrating but the journey itself is one I enjoy at times.
 
Now that I've re-joined the game...AGAIN...I think I'm ok with good being good enough...I hope.

On a side note, I always had an un-natural fear of going low. Shot 2 under a couple of times, once by birdieing the last 5 holes. If that would have happened early in the round, I would have screwed the pooch I'm afraid.

If I make 5 pars in a row now, it gets me out of my comfort zone:disapointed:
 
It completely depends how much time I invest in golf.

I know I have the ability to have a single figure handicap if I can practice and play more. But the reality is that between my daughter, job and other ventures, I simply don't have the time to achieve it. So for now, I'm happy at the level I'm playing at, and enjoy the social aspect of the game, along with the occasional round where everything seems to fall in to place.

It would be a different story if I was playing golf 3 times a week. I would demand a certain level of play from myself, and would be highly disappointed if I didn't reach it in a certain amount of time.
 
absolutely I can. Last year I gave up practicing as much as I used to, stopped taking lessons too. Did it hurt my scores, yup. However during that time I fell in love with the game all over again and just started having fun. It was quite refreshing.
 
I've accepted it too long. Trying to change that this year, I'm sick of just getting by and playing streaky golf.
 
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