I’m excited to run this new essay from @Ebs02 - who is a really talented writer. He explores his transition from a collegiate golfer to a competitive mid-am after a long hiatus from the game. I think you’ll enjoy this piece as all of us who have been playing over the past few decades have seen how much golf has changed.
Give it a read, and let me know your thoughts on what you have seen change over the years as a golfer - it could be any topic (equipment, strategy, etc.)
Great read and very accurate. I was never collegiate player, and never took time away from playing, but can certainly see the difference now to 15 years ago.
In fact, I spent the other day on google maps going over the courses I grew up on and thought through if I would be playing them differently if I went there today.
Best line of the write up: “It’s depressing to think that even highly talented athletes who dedicate their entire professional life to the game still basically suck a significant portion of the time”
Just like baseball players!
I’ve been thinking about this myself a lot lately. There are about 4-5 public courses around the town I grew up that I haven’t played since I was learning the game. I need to get back on them to see how different it will feel!
Great essay @Ebs02. While I was never a competitive golfer, I had a similar layoff, then return to the game. As I transition into “middle aged” myself, I think that growth mindset of being an a explorer is essential. Side note - big fan of HBR, use the articles all the time in our leadership development programs.
I learned to play at 18. I stopped playing at 21. Then I restarted playing at 44. The biggest change was in driver size. My driver had a very small head compared to the giant heads everyone uses now. Also found out that current golf balls are too hard for my old persimmon driver.
What a good article and perspective from a guy who was at the top of his game. Having only started playing at 41 I know one hung for sure, golf is hard. I really have nothing to compare it to, except that I had a set of clubs back when I joined the Army. I don’t know that I would really know the difference of those clubs compared to today’s because I wasn’t at that level. I do remover they all had graphite shafts. I think I played a total of 10 times during my career in the Army most of those 10 times between 2000 and 2008. Having picked up the game in my middle aged years, I’m learning that golf is indeed hard, yet hey, I will conquer it, to my satisfaction, at some point.
I love this article and can identify with a lot of it. Though I’ve never been better than a slightly better than average golfer, I have tried just as hard and have gotten just as frustrated as the author. The biggest takeaway for me and what has continued to allow me to enjoy the game that I can never conquer is to have realistic expectations. Expecting perfection in golf will always lead to disappointment.
It’s been 40 years since I’ve played the two courses I learned to play the game on, but I can still see and feel every shot in those courses. My bucket list now is two items longer. I’ve got to play them again.
Thank you CoryO. Well done you for spotting the Carol Dweck hat tip! This piece we published on post-traumatic growth also resonated with me, particularly the line about how “it’s just a cold dark night on Everest.” Golf is hard, but few things worth having come easy! https://hbr.org/2015/09/stress-can-be-a-good-thing-if-you-know-how-to-use-it
Fun fact the authors of that HBR article are the father and sister of Eri Crum, who was the captain of the Stanford golf team when Tiger was there and more recently the world speed golf champion.
Totally agree @Wasa–and once you truly internalize the ShotLink data, suddenly all the golfers throwing tantrums and self-immolating (which happens at all levels of the game) seem totally absurd.
Great point @okiwiz…I’m old enough to know what “he hit it right on the screws” actually means!
I go back and play our home course we played for high school once a year. My best score in high school was a 68 twice (it’s a par 70).
This year I shot 64 and had a couple putts dropped instead of lipped it could have been lower.
I had to laugh because my old coach is still the head pro there and he asked me if I could compete with the kids on the team these days, so I handed him my scorecard and he said, “Damn where was this 18 years ago?”
It’s funny because when you’re 18 you feel like you’re at the peak of your game and I’ve learned since then that I wasn’t even close.
Age, knowledge, and experience make you a better golfer. I love knowing 36 year old me could absolutely railroad 18 year old me. I would just swim in 18 year old me’s head all day.
One of the many things that makes this game so great.
64? 64! Congratulations. I think I’m in the wrong forum.
Most of the pressure in golf is that which we unnecessarily put on ourselves.
Short course. Easy greens. Keep it in the fairway and you can go super low.
Ahh, the fairway. I’m going to give that a try. 
Some courses it’s a very overrated piece of land.
I guess I was already, uhh, middle-aged when I took up golf at 53 (and a half 
); so my retrospective period is short and I cannot really describe the same kinds of changes, but - w/r/t myself I’ve seen … and am continuing to see … improvements in my game.
Going back to the same course is a regular thing for me, yet each time one goal is to meet or beat my prior score on that course. No, doesn’t always happen but the longer-term trend is favorable 
Great article @Ebs02. This eloquently states how I’ve felt the last 15 years since I graduated.
I wasn’t a great college player, and my coach said I was ‘uncoachable’. He spent time trying to ‘fix’ my swing which had better results before the fix, and he taught old school strategy and taught a tactical approach vs the grip it and rip it of my youth. It wasn’t all bad coaching, as I was pretty stubborn and thought I knew more than I did.
I remember being shocked around 2013 when a young kid with a more modern driver was smoking it past my R7 Quad, which was by far the longest driver I’d had up to that point but had become ancient.
I’ve worked to get more fit in my 30’s, and now at 37 hit it as long as I ever have. I know that club technology is a huge part of it, but understanding optimal launch conditions has made my swing better too. And the shot link data, along with being a dad and playing only a few weekends a month have helped me temper my expectations and keep my emotions in check. I SEND IT every chance I get and still play aggressively, but with understanding shot patterns and dispersion, I’m much better at picking targets.
While some of the old wisdom is getting debunked by data, I still think there is a great benefit to reading guys like Penick, who have seen massive changes to the game in their time. I’m a better player now than I ever was, but I’m still trying to get better and learn more about the game. Maybe when I’m 50 or 60 I’ll be longer than I am now. Maybe not, but I’ll keep striving.