Question for all level of golfers (when is enough grooving and practicing enough)?

Mystery Meat

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For all levels of handicaps, when is enough is enough practice? When can you just enjoy golf for the rest of your career without constant range/putting -chipping practice? I read and observe guys~gals working obsessively on their games. But I rarely hear about anyone just playing for a few seasons or and not being practice conscious. No matter how much I play or not play consistency has been a real big issue. At times I think this lack of athletic ability and bad hand eye coordination. I've been a low handicap a few times and others I stunk, just seems like getting to a low handicap is so so much work almost like a job. Would be fun to go to a course hit a few shots before the round on the range-green and go have fun? I can play more golf if I just skipped the range and practice stuff. Seems like trying to maintain a certain style or idea of what you want out of golf is frustrating at times. Than once you get there how in the world can you keep up the maintenance part of it... Seems endless and tiresome. Just seems like you will be missing out on so many other great things in life over focusing on these things. I still think one can be a great golfer with no practice and just play and go for lowest score golf. With what you have that day

When is it time to say "this is what I got, just do it no matter what happens"?


And if you have this as your mojo , how long have you been doing this?
 
I like to think I've done both. Played just for fun and (like I am currently) working obsessively on my game. While the game is fun, playing the game better is more fun (for me). In order to play the game better I need to work on my game. Obsessively? Maybe not, but right now I have goals in mind and when I achieve those goals, I think I will look back and know it was a great time in my life. I don't see it as missing out on anything. But that's just my take on it. I'm sure other's have more important things that will bring them joy in their lives.

For me at this time in my life, playing good golf in the company of great friends is what brings me joy.
 
I'll never be as good as I was 15 years ago but if I can continue to shoot in the 70's most of the time I'm content not practicing .

The ROI of my time at this stage of life is just not worth it .


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I thinking think it depends on a persons goal. Most people who want to get better have to put in the time to work on the swing, practice short game and putting. Nothing wrong with wanting to go have fun, hit the ball around the course and have a good time and play with some friends and maybe have some small bets. I play with guys that are retired and play 2-3 times a week and do t work on their game and shoot anywhere from low 80s - mid/high 90s depending on whether things are working or not.

others have a desire to go as low as possible with their scores/hdcp and find the grind of getting better fun. For me I put in as much time as life allows and my goal is to get to single digits and stay there for as long as i can and I have no problem playing fun rounds with friend s and family and have competitive rounds with other friends and family.
 
I have accepted that my limited skill set requires maintenance. If I didn't practice at all I'd probably be a 20 - 25 instead of an 11 and I'd get so frustrated at the horrible shots - knowing I once had the capacity to be better - that golf wouldn't be as much fun. Maybe I'll always be a lower double digit guy without more practice, but I know I'll go off the deep end without putting in the time I already do.


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My mother has never taken a golf lesson in her life and at almost 80, doesn't plan to start now. She's hit on a range maybe three times in her life.

She goes out and plays and enjoys herself. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not, but she enjoys herself regardless. The one caveat is that she doesn't play in cold, extreme heat or poor weather. She's doesn't find fighting the elements fun, so she doesn't go.

So I would say when enough is enough is totally up to you.
 
For me just being able to get out and play decent and enjoy being out doors is good enough. Once your health starts to leave, you have little choice . Enjoy what you have left or quit.


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...
When is it time to say "this is what I got, just do it no matter what happens"?
...

I have felt that way twice so far in my brief two year golf career, and both times I had reached a large plateau. But for whatever reason, when I started to feel like maybe where I was at was the best I had something would click and I'd see new improvement. So at this point I'm not giving up on slow and steady gains. It's taken me 2 years to go from 36 to just over 20. My last few rounds have been low 90's and high 80's. So I think with a few more rounds I'll have my starting handicap cut in half. I'm optimistic that I can cut it in half again in another years time.

With that being said, I have a "near psychotic" love of golf and practice 3-7 times a week and always for 2 or more hours per session. Last Sunday I practiced for 5 hours, but worked on every aspect of the game and in both blocked and random practice in each area. I'm blessed to have only one child and he loves golf too. My wife works late so my son and I spend our time together on the range and/or course.

I've actually neglected my physical health some over the past two years and will be cutting practice time back some to get more gym time in. So ask me this question again in a year.
 
Good stuff ... Really good stuff. Ive learned a lot lately playing with random strangers and hitting the range at odd times. From my prospective of myself and others.(not angering any thp members here). We have a physical limit/athletic ability or just general makeup of what we can and can't do. Some of us may never break 100/90/80/70 nor be a 300 yard hitter. After our decades of dedication when is enough... Finally enough. Just swing and let it go.

Ive taken so many lessons/ read so many books and watched so many videos and played a ton of golf in my lifetime. There has to be a point where this is it.

for example / today I would do a practice swing with an alignment stick before every shot. From someone else's standpoint it looked foolish and just stupid. The ball would go goofy directions at times no matter what I did or did in the past. What is different from what I did today versus what I did 20 years ago with the results being the same. The results would be a good or a stinker .. Just weird, but maybe after all this time of hacking away at this I'm asking myself "why more?"..

Thanks for replies.. Nice stuff
 
My practice sessions just end up with me frustrated and it doesnt ever translate to the course, so I practice less and play more 9 hole rounds to prepare.
 
My practice sessions just end up with me frustrated and it doesnt ever translate to the course, so I practice less and play more 9 hole rounds to prepare.

Range time does me more harm than good sometimes. I've been known to hosel, top, and blade more than a few range balls, but luckily never take it on the course with me. It's weird. 9 hole rounds and dropping an extra ball or two down on certain shots help me more than a large bucket of range balls.
 
My last add . In 37 years I either will over hook it/pull it/semi fat it/or hit a weak push as a (bad one) (and I don't slice anymore..or shank). No matter what I do those are how it is ; I just hope if/when I do it isn't at a bad time or the hole isn't super penal.

(and that is just the long game) . Short game has been a mixed bag too at times

Now watch next time I go out I will be punished with slices and shanks....
 
One more thought:

Natural talent enters into it, but so does perseverance. No simply being determined won't make you shoot in the 60's, but you can darn well bet the majority of the people who shoot in the 60's have one thing in common: they never quit. Music, art, pretty much every endeavor, what separates the good from the bad is the good kept working through their disappointments. Sure, there are those to whom it came easier, but if you want to be anything above mediocre, never stopping working is the only way to get there.

I certainly understand your frustration. I've been there before and likely will again. I think I should be a much better golfer than I am with all the work I've put in. But the one thing I know is that if I quit working, it's only going to get worse.
 
My practice sessions just end up with me frustrated and it doesnt ever translate to the course, so I practice less and play more 9 hole rounds to prepare.
I always get more out of 9 hole rounds than 100 range balls. It's really underrated
 
I've known players who just have natural ability coming out of their pores and don't have to practice to shoot in the 70's, but I'm not one of them.

I enjoy practicing, always have, and it's a regular part of my weekly golfing routine. I'm always trying to improve some aspect of my game and practice - whether on the range, putting green, chipping green or course - is how I do it. There's also the maintenance factor/basic upkeep to think about. I can't rest on my laurels and am never as good as I want to be, that's just the nature of golf and one of the reasons I love it.
 
I'm curious to see the responses in this thread. I've never been a fan of practice and even with playing little golf, or staying away from it for a long time, shooting level par rounds comes easy. After more than 5 years away from golf I took it up again and my first 2 rounds back were 88 & 91, next round was a 74.
I couldn't imagine practicing hard out and not seeing gains. I'd give it up really quickly and just go about enjoying being in the course. Easy to say when I'm not in the boat though!?
 
For all levels of handicaps, when is enough is enough practice? When can you just enjoy golf for the rest of your career without constant range/putting -chipping practice? I read and observe guys~gals working obsessively on their games. But I rarely hear about anyone just playing for a few seasons or and not being practice conscious. No matter how much I play or not play consistency has been a real big issue. At times I think this lack of athletic ability and bad hand eye coordination. I've been a low handicap a few times and others I stunk, just seems like getting to a low handicap is so so much work almost like a job. Would be fun to go to a course hit a few shots before the round on the range-green and go have fun? I can play more golf if I just skipped the range and practice stuff. Seems like trying to maintain a certain style or idea of what you want out of golf is frustrating at times. Than once you get there how in the world can you keep up the maintenance part of it... Seems endless and tiresome. Just seems like you will be missing out on so many other great things in life over focusing on these things. I still think one can be a great golfer with no practice and just play and go for lowest score golf. With what you have that day

When is it time to say "this is what I got, just do it no matter what happens"?


And if you have this as your mojo , how long have you been doing this?

It's completely dependant on what's acceptable to the golfer I think. For me I can't ever practice enough, I love the sound of a well struck ball and will chase it as long as I'm able to physically, the game and practice have slowed to once a week for me the past several months due to work but once it slows down I'll be back at it 5 days a week. Some is the quest for better ball striking but it's mostly because I love to go to the range and practicing
 
I'm curious to see the responses in this thread. I've never been a fan of practice and even with playing little golf, or staying away from it for a long time, shooting level par rounds comes easy. After more than 5 years away from golf I took it up again and my first 2 rounds back were 88 & 91, next round was a 74.
I couldn't imagine practicing hard out and not seeing gains. I'd give it up really quickly and just go about enjoying being in the course. Easy to say when I'm not in the boat though!?

I love ya brother but I hate ya .


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Any of you do the obsessive video that I do all the time? I even video on the course? I'm big on the position look thing, in hopes that this produces desired ball flight and results
 
For all levels of handicaps, when is enough is enough practice? When can you just enjoy golf for the rest of your career without constant range/putting -chipping practice? I read and observe guys~gals working obsessively on their games. But I rarely hear about anyone just playing for a few seasons or and not being practice conscious. No matter how much I play or not play consistency has been a real big issue. At times I think this lack of athletic ability and bad hand eye coordination. I've been a low handicap a few times and others I stunk, just seems like getting to a low handicap is so so much work almost like a job. Would be fun to go to a course hit a few shots before the round on the range-green and go have fun? I can play more golf if I just skipped the range and practice stuff. Seems like trying to maintain a certain style or idea of what you want out of golf is frustrating at times. Than once you get there how in the world can you keep up the maintenance part of it... Seems endless and tiresome. Just seems like you will be missing out on so many other great things in life over focusing on these things. I still think one can be a great golfer with no practice and just play and go for lowest score golf. With what you have that day

When is it time to say "this is what I got, just do it no matter what happens"?


And if you have this as your mojo , how long have you been doing this?

It took me until year 34 of 38 years of golf to figure this out. If I go grind on the range, I usually wind up reinforcing bad habits. I'm much better off "finding it" in the first couple of holes, and learning to play with whatever I have going on that particular day. I've got a decent swing, and a lot of "Band-Aid" fixes for the few faults that creep into my game.

That said, I think I would benefit tremendously from extended short game practice sessions.
 
Any of you do the obsessive video that I do all the time? I even video on the course? I'm big on the position look thing, in hopes that this produces desired ball flight and results

Nope. I feel like based on ball flight and sound/feel I can tell what I did wrong and have drills that I use while practicing to get the right feel back. It doesn't always work and when I feel things are way off and I can't get back to where I need to be I schedule a lesson if not already having one on the books.

edit: I prefer to have a professional look at it than me over analyze it and make the wrong change.
 
That is another issue (short game practice) . Once you have the stroke down you should have the basics. One season I practiced incredibly hard on chipping/ pitching/ putting and bunker play on the same practice area. Worked great there as I had the speed / grass length and sand makeup mastered. But guess what ... When I traveled and practiced it felt like I was back at step one. So I kinda think excessive short game practice only benefits the area you practice on. Course conditions are unique per course or on some municipals per hole at times
 
I'll never be as good as I was 15 years ago but if I can continue to shoot in the 70's most of the time I'm content not practicing .

The ROI of my time at this stage of life is just not worth it .


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Nailed it.

My time is so limited right now, that what small amount of time I do get to devote to golf, I am going to spend it playing.
 
That is another issue (short game practice) . Once you have the stroke down you should have the basics. One season I practiced incredibly hard on chipping/ pitching/ putting and bunker play on the same practice area. Worked great there as I had the speed / grass length and sand makeup mastered. But guess what ... When I traveled and practiced it felt like I was back at step one. So I kinda think excessive short game practice only benefits the area you practice on. Course conditions are unique per course or on some municipals per hole at times


Sounds like it's not the time spent practicing, but what you are doing that time.

You sound like Tiger. So worried about making the perfect swing rather than playing golf.
 
I don't practice anymore, rarely ever warm up before a round, and have learned to just enjoy the game. As a result, my handicap has climbed but that's okay. I have two very small grandchildren 15 minutes from me that I adore, a house and garden that I'm constantly working on, and after two surgeries on my spine, I'm learning moderation. I realize that could all change and i could get back into the serious side of golf again, but I don't have that desire right now and I really enjoy the once or twice a week I hit the course.

My son doesn't practice because he has a busy job and two very small children. He usually only gets to play once a week and carries a 2 handicap. He LOVES the game and knows how to relax and have fun. I think he cherishes every chance he gets to play and has a great group of friends that he plays with every week. I really don't know if he'd be better if he practiced. His relaxed demeanor along with his athletic ability works well for him. If he got serious, the tension might show up and wreak havoc on his game. Who knows?
 
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