Passion or Obsession...

[Bob_Huntley]

At a recent dinner party the question was posed, is one's attraction to the game a passion or obsession?

Does staying up after midnight, to watch Dave Ragan/Paul Harney play Arnold Palmer/Gary Player in a Challenge Match on the Golf Channel constitute an obsession?

I do know that when I have attended the Bach Festival here in Carmel, at the newly refurbished Sunset Center, and am listening to  a rather sleep inducing cantata, my mind wanders off into the round played that day, especially the wonderful pitching wedge third to the 9th green of the Dunes. Ah, such bliss, only to be rudely brought back to my senses by a nasty kick to the ankle by my dear wife.

I think I am obsessed.

[Steve Lang]

Obsession definitely..

Also note, best not to snore at those classical concerts

[Jeremy_Glenn.]

You know you are obsessed when...

- You check your swing plane in the mirror when you're alone in the elevator.

- When you look to your left before crossing the street, your right foot turns up onto its toes (reverse for left handers.)

- You've wondered at what speed your living room carpet would stimp.  Then you went out and actually checked.

- You watch the golf on TV when at a strip bar.

- ...

[Gary_Nelson]

This darn GCA thing has got me in a state of obsession.  Burning up hours at a time reading and clicking the pages.  It's like a giant encyclopedia that I'll never finish.  I couldn't be happier.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeremy,

You know you are obsessed when...

- You've wondered at what speed your living room carpet would stimp.  Then you went out and actually checked.

I must confess,

Years ago, I walked into a carpet store, armed with a
Stimpmeter.

I told them I needed carpet for my den, short nap, beige,
and it must putt at 11 or better on the stimpmeter.

They had never seen this and thought I was certifiable.

Interestingly, carpet has grain, and it stimps at two different speeds depending upon direction.

My wife has tried to replace the carpet, and I've said it's okay, as long as the new carpet stimps at 11 or better.

I think that is neither passionate or obseessive, rather prudent behavior.

It's really the love affair with the game.

[Brock Peyer]

I agree that it is a love affair with the game, from going and hitting balls before school in high school, parking that same car next to the practice green with the headlights on to have chipping contests with my friends until 10pm when most college guys would be hitting the bars, to "testing" my wife before we were engaged by taking her to a Masters practice round to naming our first daughter "Palmer".  Or when you are introduced to new people and your friend says "he's a golfer", like it is similar to saying he's a Christian or he's an American.

I have a great passion for the game but I used to be obsessed with hitting perfect shots.  

This website doesn't help much.

[Joe Hancock]

Geez, Brock....

I feel bad for only naming my Brittany Spaniel "Palmer"!

Not quite as obsessed as you,

Joe

[Brock Peyer]

I must admit that my wife decided on the name.  My Dad has a picture in his "golf room" of him and AP together at Latrobe and my wife saw that one day when she was pregnant and said that she like the name and of course I didn't disagree.  My Dad may love the game more than I do, but that is probably where I get it.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Gotta be an obsession....387 AOTDs and counting....hundreds of hours spent....won't mention # of hours spent on this heroin-like web site.


pet bird's (cockatiel) name is "Bogie", a variation of the golf
term, not Bacall's partner.

[John Foley]

It's an obsession when your 5 year old daughter yells for you to come to the TV because Bob The Builder is building a golf course (minature golf course though), just like you like to think about!

[mike_malone]

 I say "passion":my wife might say"obsession".
    Not to get clinical here(my wife is a psychotherapist),but i think obsessive behavior has little emotion involved;you do it even when you do not want to do it.Passionate behavior is done  with emotion.I do not let anything get to me like golf does.That is passion.
   

[A_Clay_Man]

If done properly, a passion. If done without Joy, an obsession. And, if continually done in the face of adverse circumstance, an addiction.

Bob, yours sounded more like the former, except for that kick in the ankle.

[David Wigler]

You know you are obsessed when...

- You check your swing plane in the mirror when you're alone in the elevator.

- When you look to your left before crossing the street, your right foot turns up onto its toes (reverse for left handers.)

- You've wondered at what speed your living room carpet would stimp.  Then you went out and actually checked.

- You watch the golf on TV when at a strip bar.

- ...

Jeremy 3 out of 4 on your list.  Here are some others that would define obsession:

You refuse to buy a house without a 9-foot basement ceiling for your indoor driving range.

You build a putting green in your basement complete with holes drilled and recemented into the foundation.

You buy a "travel putter" in case your real putter gets bent on a business trip.

You fly redeye's home from every trip so that you can sneak in a late afternoon round of golf.

You have friends named Huckster, Shooter, Quassi and Shivas.

You own seven or more paintings of golf holes

You own 20 or more golf books

You can name and discuss the playing characteristics of five or more types of grass.

You have golfed in 30 or more states and at least five countries.

The only friend’s wives names that you can remember are those named Sandy.

You have two or more golf rooms in your house.

You have more pictures of golf holes than of your children.

[Dave_Miller]

Bob:
I say both.  Is there really a difference To make that wedge shot on 9 at the Dunes I would be obsessed to make it happen and passionate to do it again
Cheers,
Dave

[Mike Benham]

Interestingly, carpet has grain, and it stimps at two different speeds depending upon direction.

My mother-in-law gave my wife a very large (and expensive I assume) persian rug for our living room and it has the strong grain I have every seen.  In fact, I talked my wife into turning it 180 degrees so that the grain faced west ...

[JohnV]

David, I'm pretty good at remembering wives named Heather also.

[david h. carroll]

JFoley--scary thing is, I've seen that Bob the Builder also, and under the same context--at the behest of my nearly 4 yr old:)

[MargaretC]

Ah, for me it's definitely passion and I enjoy the bawdy banter with my husband when we play.      

[Scott_Burroughs]

you fly redeye's home from every trip so that you can sneak in a late afternoon round of golf.

While I hate redeyes, you consider only being able to get in 18 in a day a disappointment on those business/pleasure trips.

You own seven or more paintings of golf holes

 5, I think, 4 of which are Mark King's (poor man's Michael Miller)

You own 20 or more golf books

probably 15-20

You have golfed in 30 or more states and at least five countries.

 golfed in something like 20 of the 33 states I've been in.  (states I've never been in include yours - Wigler, and Daley's, Macwood's, Moore's, Baker's, Fleisher's, & Clayman's)

You have friends named Huckster, Shooter, Quassi and Shivas

 and Turboe, Gyro, Mayday....

[Texas_Three_Putt]

Does it count when you have it in your will that you'll be buried with your golf shoes on?

My brother has it in his will that he is to be buried with his putter. I told him that's the last thing I went going with me as that's probably what killed me.

Good friend of mine named his son Seve  

[Evan Fleisher]

GOLF...I love obsessing about my passion...does that count?  

[golfnooch]

my twins, if they were boys, were to be named walker and ryder, after the cups.

I won this only if i let my wife choose the names if they were girls.

They ended up being girls...i think i was set up.

not to threadjack...but does your sigificant other use your obsession to their advantage, i.e. blackmail? motiviation? manipulation?

[guesst]

...does your sigificant other use your obsession to their advantage, i.e. blackmail? motiviation? manipulation?

Surely there's nothing wrong with a little, ". . . if you'll do this one little ol' thing for me,  . . . "?  

Conversely, if you could convince your significant other to SHARE your passion, turn about would be fair play.  

"I'll let you go to Scotland with me this spring if you don't make me go to the Baroque music series this fall . . . "  

Sounds good, anyway.

Back on topic, I'm with you, MargaretC!  I think golf and golf architecture are passions, but this board is an obsession that is rapidly turning into an addiction.  

I'd make the resolution to "play more, write less," but there's no place around here to play at 2 am.  Back to the boards.

[ForkaB]

golfnooch

You are damned lucky that your wife is not a golfer.  I'm not sure that your twin girls would want to go through life with names like Curtis and Solheim........

[Darren_Kilfara]

Here's a question: if you consider yourself to have an obsession or an addiction to golf (or GCA.com), what attitude do you take towards it?

a) I continue to indulge myself with regards to GCA/golf, and not worry about the effects it may have upon other parts of my life.

b) I occasionally think I spend too much time on it, but gosh, GCA/golf is so much fun!

c) I'm worried about how much time I'm spending on GCA/golf, and I'm trying to cut down, but I just can't help myself!

d) I'm on the verge of, or seriously considering, going cold turkey - there really are more important things in life than GCA/golf!

Bonus question: if you answered c) or d), are you worried that the residents of this fine discussion group are encouraging or enhancing your obsession/addiction and making it difficult for you to cease and desist to where you have things under control?

(I ask these questions not to be judgmental - I'm mostly a "passion" and not "obsession" guy when it comes to golf, although occasionally I become a category c) obsessive, and I used to be a category b) - but rather to add something of a moral reference point to the discussion. Because threads like this can be dangerous, in that they can not only welcome obsessive behavior, but also encourage it - or "enable" it, to use a bit of Twelve-Step jargon. And if you are clinically obsessed about ANYTHING, be it golf or GolfClubAtlas or alcohol or binge eating or whatever it is, the last thing you really need is someone egging you along...)

Cheers,
Darren