I’m 71. I got to a 9 and now about a 15. I still have hope that I’ll break 80 regularly. It’s a goal and that’s what keeps you going! My pro told me to enter a tournament. Me? A tournament. I did. How I did is irrelevant. But it motivated me.
I would suggest you try to find such events.
Of course, the most important thing is the friendships. All those weekends! All those golf trips. Good luck!
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I always look at the game as improving yourself in some way. Unless you’re taking up the game as a kid, where improvement can be vast and perhaps lead to a career in this sport, there are always limitations–your age, your job, your family, etc. Yet, even with those limitations, there are things we can improve.
And for those who are really good–such as a friend of a friend who was the club champion at Congressional Country Club several times and who, the first time I played with him, shot a 67 on a course in my area that I’d played fifty times and broken 80 once and that he’d never seen–there are limitations as well. That same golfer got an exemption into the Kemper Open when it was played at Congressional in the 1980s. He was in the position I was in when I first played with him–he’d played the course every week while the pros either hadn’t ever played the course or last played it a year or two before.
My friend caddied for him. He hit the first green in regulation, as he had so many times before as a member. And then from 15 feet above the hole proceeded to knock the first putt off the green, four putting there and shooting 81-83 to miss the cut.
No matter how good you get or how bad you are right now, there are plenty above and below you. As all the greats say, the only thing you can control is yourself. And you can’t even (nor can any of us, including the pros) control yourself completely from day-to-day or year-to-year. You can only try to keep trying to make yourself better.
For a high-level pro comparison, look at Jordan Spieth. Five years ago, he looked unbeatable. He hit great shots from trouble, sank a ton of critical putts.
And then it went away. I was stunned to read today that he hasn’t won in four years. I had not thought about how long it had been since he was so good. Yet, he had a great three rounds at Pebble Beach this weekend and has had some good tournaments recently. He came up short today though. I think you could ask Jordan Spieth your question and find out that complacency becomes doubt real quickly.
Yet, I don’t think Spieth will let that doubt conquer him–at least not without a fight. Same thing with complacency–don’t let it conquer you. At least not without a fight to keep getting better at something in this game, no matter what other circumstances might arise. Even as some skills related to athleticism erode, others, such as putting, short game, course management, and the mental game, can get better.
That’s why golf is the sport of a lifetime.
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I love being outdoors and the personal challenge golf. But at 55 I wasn’t happy with my consistency and length off the tee. Last year I took lessons again after several years, which led to me buying my first set of fitted irons. I’ve been to the range more than ever in the winter (DC area), finish up every trip to the range working on my chipping, and I bought the Perfect Practice putting mat because I was really inconsistent putting last year.
It started with a simple idea: take some lessons, get better. This ended up leading to many other small steps. For example, the practice of chipping 10 balls has really paid off on the course. Maybe my putting will improve likewise. If a person can find joy in small areas of practice, then it’s easy to keep improving. Take on one small thing to improve in your game and that may lead you to other areas of your game that could be tweaked.
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Two pretty different viewpoints, and each one is valid.
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I’d never disagree with playing for the pure enjoyment of the game. This really came home to me a couple of years ago when I was in Myrtle Beach on a solo trip. I was playing a course as a single when I caught a family of four ahead of me: an older man in his 70s, another who appeared to be his son who was probably in his mid-40s, and two more who appeared to be the younger man’s kids. One of the kids was maybe 8 or 9; the other an older teenager who clearly suffered from a disability but who had an ingenious device that let him hit some golf shots.
They waved me through with the older man saying, “we might be a little slow.” I was again struck by how golf can accommodate players of all ages, sizes, and various abilities while providing a great time for everybody.
Enjoyment of the game itself is fundamental. Enjoyment of improvement of the game is a subset of that.
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Interesting post. What is good enough? That could depend on so many things I suppose. When I first took up golf at 30 I just wanted to be “good enough” to play in my work league. There were a lot of hackers so that didn’t take long. I was the worst player for about 2 weeks and then I was just a hacker like the rest. Good enough for 5-10 years for me. I liked golf a lot, but didn’t really love it. I had a family and other interests.
I did get better, but just because I enjoyed beating balls on the range as therapy. No practice plan though, I just enjoyed trying to hit a good shot mindlessly and it helped my play. Then one Spring I’m unexpectedly out of work with a great severance package and no job prospects. I had slowly become hooked on golf almost without realizing and with time on my hands I started figuring out how to get better…and playing more helped too. My short game was what really improved. I went from shooting 95-105 to shooting mid 80’s and with bad putting. I even broke 80 several times…really should have worked on my putting that summer as I 3 jacked multiple times in those rounds lol. My wedge game was strong and my irons were good even though the driver and putter were still weaknesses.
Once that season was over I went back to work/life reality. I’ve shot 81 a # of times since, but I can’t seem to break 80 any more. I can easily/sadly shoot high 90’s again though. I say it’s not good enough, but it really is because I still enjoy the game and other things have priority for my time. I also know that if I practice enough to shoot mid 80’s constantly again that it won’t be good enough. I’ll want to break 80 and get a PR.
Any way I think you have to figure out where your priorities lie and what is good enough with respect to golf. There is only so much time in the day especially if you have a full time job and a family. Ultimately you will have to give up doing something so that you can practice and you have to be okay with that.
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For a couple reasons. 1. Laziness 
2. I really don’t feel the need to post because I don’t really measure my success by my handicap. Which I guess is on theme for this conversation.
But that brings to light the question of “how do I measure success?” And honestly right now I don’t know. Probably somewhere in the realm of just wanting to hit shots that feel good, shots that go where I want, winning the inner battle with my mind, and I still like shooting good scores. But the grind of seeing my handicap progress isn’t what drives me right now.
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You’re exactly right! Like I said to @BarryGoldberg I don’t have a strong desire to post my scores. I shoot in the mid to high 70s pretty much every time so you’re exactly right I am NOT truly a +3.7. But however inaccurate that is what my handicap says.
Regardless, you reached an incredibly high level of golf. I was being a bit of an a** hole/smart a**. I can’t really help it. It is my nature.
My goal is to get to scratch and currently playing off 7 after getting to 5.5 last year.
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Josh is being somewhat modest about his “USGA tournament experience.” He reached the finals of the 2017 US Mid Am (a tournament I am just trying to qualify for in general) and was ousted by Matt Parziale.
If you remember, Matt was a pretty big story at The Masters the next year because he was a fireman at the time, and he did make the cut at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock. So I think Josh was in pretty good company in that final!
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That is very cool. Us mid am is a goal of mine
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Strange day today. I had a furlough day from work so I went to a local golf course that has GCQuad monitors and spent an hour hitting balls. Mostly just wanted to see how my off-season speed training was going, but decided to test it through the bag.
Most of my session was not very good. I didn’t notice any big gains with my irons and frankly had fallen back into some old habits. But then I hit driver and was consistently above 100 mph clubhead speed and I hit some really good shots.
It was in interesting session as I reflected on this thread. When I was hitting my irons poorly I was wishing I had been more complacent this winter and kept expectations lower. I was really disappointed to see poor results. But then I had the positive experience with the driver and found myself gratified that I hadn’t been complacent this winter.
At the end I decided I just can’t wait for a warm-up and to get back outside. I have way too much time to think right now.
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Thanks for sharing your story! Really goes to show that the high level of golf you achieved requires constant maintenance. The fact that your “floor” is still solid single digits is somewhere I’d definitely like to get to.
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Too much thinking (on and off the course) is the greatest enemy of enjoying golf IMO 
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I wish I could like this more than once. 
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No no! You were holding me accountable. Something I majorly lack now that I’m not a very disciplined golfer. I’ve replaced it with discipline in other areas (marriage, home, work, general adulting) so my own golf accountability has gotten very cold on the back burner over the last few years. So thank you!
I think you’re goal is great and honestly very doable! I’m sure you’ve heard of Sean Denning’s ([at] par_machine on twitter) journey to get down to scratch. And he’s continuing on to go lower and attempt to play in a US Mid-Am as well! So a long as you go about it the right way I definitely believe in you to reach your goal.
Yeah it was easily the best golf experience of my life. And then got to follow it up the next year with an exemption into the 2018 US Am at Pebble! To say playing in a US Mid-Am is a worthy goal is a total understatement.
No thank you! I couldn’t read yours without wanting to tell mine. But yes high level golf requires a ton of maintenance. I’m not sure how I’m able to still shoot the scores I do and hit some of the shots I do. I guess there’s still something left in there. But I think a large part of it is between my ears. Getting better and better at just going out to enjoy it relieves a lot of the pressure of trying to be perfect. And therefore leads to more freedom in the swing and stroke. And who doesn’t play better when they’re more free!
But you can get there for sure.
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Yeah I won’t lie watching that Masters was at the same time super cool and also very depressing 
But Matt was easily one of the best competitors I’ve played with or against. As the commentators on tv would say he’s truly a class act
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He’s quite good. I played with him a couple of times down at a tournament in Bermuda. I knew exactly who he was the second I heard him hit an iron shot on the range. Nobody else’s shots were making that sound. Great guy!
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The sound of his iron shots is still burned into my mind
Sorry, Cory, but from what I’ve read in all your posts I won’t believe you’re being “complacent”. I might believe … due to work/family/etc time constraints … you’ve decided not to spend 6-8 hours 6-7 days a week practicing and honing golf-specific skills…
Yet there’s always something to focus on in this game; eg. chipping it closer, making more 4-5 foot putts, whatever – some small, discrete thing one call orient their golf energy towards.
Within the last few seasons I was feeling like I was at a certain level with my game, and was struggling to make more progress. A side bit of background, I started golfing later in life … at 53 … and while reasonably athletic and fit had never really played much ball sports as a kid. So I thought maybe where I was, was where I was…
But…
…that wasn’t good enough. When I pick something up I want to be at least “competent” in it, and while I never ever never even dream of appearing on the Golf Channel on a Sunday afternoon … I do very much want to be a better golfer…
…which to me means many things, including: chipping it closer, making more 4-5 foot putts, …, hitting more greens on my intended approach, hitting my irons more solidly (and further would be nice), …, etc, etc.
So I committed to a series of lessons, and concomitantly (yeah, I know, big word) committed to putting my trust in my instructor to make all the changes necessary to improve my ball striking.
These lessons … obviously … are a whole, completely different story vs learning how to play the game better (but then that’s what this forum is for!).
Anyway, kinda droning on here but - and NOT to get sidetracked - but given I’m retired, along with the current environment, working to get “better” at golf had been a huge benefit for me over the past year.
So, yeah, it’s still very personal as to what do you want from golf / playing golf / your golf game …???
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