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Can you Accept Good, Not Great?

Yes, I can. I think there's another level I could reach but I don't have the time required to put in the work to get there. So if I merely play good for me golf I can mostly be happy.
 
Can I accept "good"? Well, I'm trying to simply get there, so I say yes. Being the level that I am, I can still find joy in a well-struck shot.
 
Well I wouldn't quite call myself good yet so I still have a ways to go. I think consistency is what i aspire to and regression is what I am afraid of and can't accept
 
OITW said:
Well I wouldn't quite call myself good yet so I still have a ways to go. I think consistency is what i aspire to and regression is what I am afraid of and can't accept
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I totally agree with this. ^^^^^
 
Honestly, I'm happy where I am and actually wouldn't mind if I had a handicap a few strokes higher. I accept that because of the time I have for the game - once a week, playing anywhere - limitations will be inherent in my game.

That said, I played my best when I wasn't fiddling all the time with different clubs and swings. I had a real good, solid swing last year but placed only once in a tournament because I kept changing drivers. I actually placed 3 times in 2014, playing less often and with a swing that wasn't quite there yet.

A lot of guys here are right, knowing how to score is something to be learned, it doesn't just come. Just yesterday I played with a guy with the ugliest swing I ever saw, playing with a slipped disc and scoring 3 strokes only above his tourney handicap. His technique? Fairways and greens all the time. He found those more often than the rest of us with the more "correct" swings.
 
Interesting topic because there are two questions two questions to answer for me,

1. Am I at my peak ability with my current play?

2. Am I willing to accept being good, not great.

For me I feel like I haven't peaked simply because I don't have the time to dedicate to my game like I would like. I'm still an inconsistent ball striker with my irons and that limits me from shooting in the 70's.

I'm not one to accept current state, regardless of my talent level, because I want to constantly push myself and reach for the next goal. I may not be "great" per se, but I know I can be better than what I'm currently playing at.
 
Did I try my best? If the answer is yes then I have no issue with the results. I have been known to make some bad decisions on the course and those are what gets me.

My skill level is what it is. I'm getting better but someday I'll hit my ceiling. Whatever that is though it has no bearing on my decision making. So I am much harder on myself for mental mistakes.
 
Good is about 8 levels higher than where I am now.
 
I'm learning to accept good.
 
I am very frustrated with my game right now.....2 years ago I was very close to breaking into single digits and now some days I struggle to break 100.

I seem to work hard on the aspect of my game that is hurting the most and when I just about feel like I have got it solve, then something else goes away.
 
I think everyone has a different idea of what good is. For me if I am not putting a 110 percent into something I wont do it.
 
We all, no matter what hcap we play off, feel we could and should do better. That is the fundamental reason we come back for more week in week out. Don't fall into the trap of equating how often you play to how good you can be, and neither is it about how good your good game is.

How good you can get is determined by minimising the damage from poor shots and getting to grips with the mental aspects.

Golf is a game of mistakes or misjudgements. Simple as that. Everyone has moments when they play well but the score and overall feeling isn't reflected in how good we hit the ball.

After all ,if it were easy to keep improving many of us would be swanning around playing golf for a living rather than having a real job.

Enjoy it for what it is. Good, bad or ugly, it is a hobby. Bloody frustrating, but a hobby.

Sent from my HTC One mini using Tapatalk
 
I think anyone under a 5 index is a great golfer, if I remember correctly a 5 and under are in the top 5% of golfers worldwide and that's quite an achievement.


Can I accept good and not great? I'm struggling with it honestly, it's something I never want to succumb to while I'm able to do better. I have always been a scrapper and I just love the fight to be the best I can be, I try to practice that in all my affairs.
 
My current job/family/life situation doesn't allow the time required for me to be 'great' so as long as I'm making progress towards lowering my index I'm fine with that. I suspect it's a little different when you have a single digit index, but I know I will never be playing the game for a living and I'm alright with that. The life-like challenges that golf provides are enough for me and I will continue to work towards my goals all while enjoying the game!
 
This is actually a pretty important question, as recently the amount of time I have available to spend with my family has dwindled considerably, which means the amount of time I have to play golf has gone down even more. Today I got a little obsessive about fixing a pretty big swing flaw off the tee and vastly overstayed how long I said I'd be at the range. So now I'm sitting here with a torn open callous on my hand and a pretty frustrated wife. I deserve them both.

The thing is, what does "good" look like? Great, to me, is tournament winning. Like, if I started playing straight up unconscious golf, and I'm good, I can reach "great" and win. But I'd have to get to good first, and I don't think I'm even close to good at this point. So I either need to move my goalposts, or I need to improve. But circumstances make improvement difficult.

So to me, I know it's just a little at a time. Hit good shots. Eventually get to where I hit enough good shots in a row to have good holes. From there, have a good side. Eventually, have good rounds.

I've been reading Bob Rotella's book, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, and he points out that the proper mindset for golf is one where you believe you will have fun and fully mentally commit yourself to each shot. I think if I do that, I'll be playing great golf, even if I'm not playing good golf. That's where I'm trying to get, I just haven't gotten there yet.
 
I'd gladly accept good. Heck...I'd take mediocre. Really anything other than God awful would thrill me.
 
kc720 said:
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.
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Came here to post the same thing. I always want more.
 
I definitely could accept being in single digits with my handicap. I just want to get to the point where I can consistently shoot in the mid to low 80s. Unless I retire I don't think I could spend enough time to do much better than that.
 
I'd just like to be good right now, great isn't even on the radar at this point in time. What I can't accept is being mediocre or bad. All that being said, I can't really say if I don't mind not being great. That's several goals away from the current state of my game.
 
No. I think I am mostly playing good golf, at least I would consider good shooting around 80 when 3 years ago 100 was the norm. I still think I can improve quite a bit and be in the 70s regularly. I need to putt better and improve consistency on approach shots.
 
I accept I'm a bogey golfer in a short time but considering the only REAL work I put in to it was just getting out there a good amount. I have moved my 2016 target to betterment and know I need to work on my iron game to shave off more strokes. The enjoyment will be still there for me.
 
fupresti said:
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.
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Good is relative. I was happy to play to a 10-12 handicap for my best 15 years of golf. I had neither the time nor the interest to put in the effort that would have been required to know if I was capable of better.

Others would be happy with less than that, and some aren't even happy to play scratch. As far as I'm concerned, any one who cries about playing to a mid single digit handicap (comment not aimed at the OP - I've known a couple of these guys in real life) doesn't have a firm grip on reality. Improvement beyond that point is usually slow if it happens, and requires dedicated effort.
 
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For playing different courses each weekend during the season I'm happy to be high 70's low 80's shooter. When I go back to a course I always try to shoot better at that course than I did the last time. Of course things change. Weather, pin positions, tee placement etc. Sometimes I succeed other times I suck worse.

Now if if I played the same course all the time and know the in's and outs of that course then I'd expect to be a getting better and be a great golfer.......at that course.

I know many of golfers over the years that shoot great at their home course/country club but get them to another course and they shoot what I'm shooting.
 
fupresti said:
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.
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I saw this question last night and it started a serious ponder. Before I left golf the first time, I could not accept good (at my level) and wanted to be great (at my level). The trouble was that I never put in the real work required, took myself too seriously and was, more often than not, frustrated. When I fast forward to present THP and returning to golf, I have found that golf has been so much more rewarding. When I put in the requisite practice for the MC, there was a marked improvement in my game and I was producing the best consistent golf of my life. Lately though, there has been a lot going on and the practice time is just not there. The game suffers and the frustration level goes up.

Recently I find myself taking me and my game/ability too seriously. Far too seriously...... Yesterday I had a really bad day off the tee box and really had a talking to myself because I could see myself slipping into a bad mood. I was with friends, the weather was decent, we were playing golf for crying out loud and there were still lots of good shots happening. I'll take "good" golf at my level and be happy with it, because unless I become independently wealthy any time soon, I won't be great. The great friends, great times, great places golf takes me and the great shots I am able to pull off from time to time will just have to do :act-up:. And I'm cool with that. Thanks for the kick in the pants Fuppy! May not have been your intention, but it's just what the doctor ordered.

JM
 
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