Wow what an awesome thread! @jon has done such a good job spreading the message of expectation management as evidenced by this conversation.
This is something I fight ALL the time. Like you @CoryO I’m a good player. In fact I’m very good. My current hcp is +3.7 and I’ve played in several USGA events. While it feels good to be able to say that, it leads to constantly holding myself accountable to THAT standard. At my peak I was practicing from 8am to 6pm every single day 6 days a week. And working with an instructor and doing off-course mental exercises and physical training.
And now… none of that. I play probably once every couple weeks. I shoot mid to high 70s and the reason my hcp is still so low is because I never put in my scores.
But I still really good shots that remind me of back when I could really play, just often enough to think I should be THAT player still. And it leads to a lot of frustration when I (understandably) don’t hit every shot great.
I’ve been fighting this since I “gave up” pursuing pro golf in late 2017. And 3.5 years later at STILL working on this!
So I guess all of this to say, I can relate. In my own unique way I am working on managing my expectations, finding that balance between holding myself to a standard of quality, while also being very kind to myself and accepting anything that happens. And also attempting to continue to practice and get better.
Improvement, enjoyment, playing well… they’re all very complicated. But golf is simple. It’s a game and it’s meant to be played and enjoyed. Full stop. And we’re all on a mission to find OUR way of enjoying it.
Don’t know if this is necessarily meant to help but really to try and relate my experience.