Love of the Game?

[George Pazin]

One thing my son has shown me is that I don't love golf nearly as much as I thought I did.

Having said that, I have a feeling that when he starts being able to join me teeing it up, that love will increase many times over.

I always liked that commercial where Steve Elkington was shown playing golf for fun - it was for some investment company, saying that when he retires, he'll be able to do what he's always wanted, play golf.

[Tom Huckaby]

George:

Interesting.  I consider myself a pretty devoted parent, but my three kids - and the absence from golf that having them has required - has worked the opposite for me - it's shown me that I really do love golf with a crazy passion, as I miss playing it desparately.  And I say this with full realization that the time spent with the family is pretty damn good as well.

I'm pretty sure I felt as you did when I just had one... those first three years I didn't miss golf all that much.

Going on 12 years now not playing nearly as much as I used to and feel like I want to, and with one child who has no desire to play the game, and two that are still far too young to be a valued partner, well.....

It's a matter of perspective.  

But anyway, great example re Elkington.  I wonder how many successful PGA pros are like him, and how many are like Hoch?

TH

[Kalen Braley]

Hey Huck,

You are definitly onto something hear for the middle aged guys here who still have young-uns at home.  Playing 2-4 times per month for is a real treat and it does make me savor the golf that much more.

I take my kids to the range, but they don't have any real interest in it as far as I can tell. In the end you are right, you only get 1 chance at raising your kids, you have your whole life for golf...

[Doug Siebert]

Has anyone else noted that getting "bored" with the game is much more common among good players than among the guys with 9 to 20 handicaps?

Some of us hackers will get frustrated and quit, but bored? NEVER!

I've known a few guys who could shoot around par without any difficulty, but who got little pleasure out of playing.

Maybe if it's too easy, people lose interest.

Maybe those who think rolling back technology would drive people away from the game have it exactly backwards.

K

I think you are 100% correct.  I actually get kind of bored when I play "Hogan style" for very long, you know, fairway, green, two putt par.

I've always known I concentrate a lot more on a shot the more difficult it is and the more skill it requires to pull off.  Give me a shot from the wrong fairway or over a bunch of tall trees and its got my full attention.  Maybe I'm just a show off at heart.  Of course I don't pull it off everytime, but then I'm not a machine like Tiger.  But I do it a lot more often than you'd expect a 5 handicap to, and a lot better than many scratch golfers who typically aren't as used to putting themselves so badly out of position.  But give me a smooth 9 from right next to the 150 plate, and I'll miss the green a lot more often than I should because I'm often not really thinking about the shot, more just going through the motions like I'm stoned or something.

I'll miss the shot and then think to myself how stupid I am for not paying attention, and resolve to always think about what I want to do before every shot, even the easy ones.  That usually lasts about a hole or two before I forget and go back to being spacey when I'm hitting those shots.  Maybe if I had a Steve Williams to tell me to wake up before each shot I might do better, who knows...

I'm not saying I wouldn't be thrilled to be able to shoot in the 60s, but if I was able to do it fairly regularly, I'm sure I'd become less interested in the game because it would be a lot less challenging.  I'd have fewer really difficult shots that would engage my interest, and room for improvement would be pretty hard to find.

I never really connected it with my dislike of how much skill the new drivers and balls have removed from the game, but maybe the connection you imply is there.  The number of possible ways to screw up a tee shot with a driver have certainly decreased quite a lot since I first started playing right before the appearance of metal woods.