[Tom Bacsanyi]

Jason, I've often said the hardest thing in sports is any task that starts with, "All I have to do is......."  I once had a fellow player tell me on the 18th tee that all I needed to shoot par was a 5.  Naturally, I made a six.

One of the more difficult things I hear from pros is the Players test. I had a friend who’d get to last couple of holes and think, All I have to do…? It took him five tries to make it. He missed it by one or two strokes all the other times.

I passed the PAT with an 8 footer for bogey on the 18th hole. I was trying to do the math in my head and I thought I had failed the PAT by missing the previous putt. So I had absolutely no pressure. Got around to adding up the scores and it turned out I had made it on the number. It's 36 holes so I got a stroke off in there somewhere in my head.


The PAT is a definite mindf--k.

[archie_struthers]

 


Being out in the fresh air with my friends....a simple pleasure

[JHoulihan]

It can change weekly based upon my location and company, but a few things I hope for are...
1) Forgetting about reality for a few hours. At work in the hospital when I make a mistake people die, but on the course the worse thing that can happen is making a bad swing or score. Here I can take risks that are usually not afforded to me.
2) Positive talk. Life is hard enough. If you make a good swing or putt and good things happen, talk yourself up like you hope a good friend/caddy would do.
3) Enjoy the scenery. Usually in the AZ desert it is hot and dry, but enjoy the grass on which you walk and putt.
4) You can enjoy a dew sweeper or sun setting round alone (personal favorite) but ask some questions to those you are playing with and you may make a lifetime friend with a common thread that may unite you for years to come.
5) Remember your best (not the worst) parts of the day. Stepping up and carrying a corner bunker, flushing an iron off the par 3 tee, or a great up and down putt to save par can be great memories both on and off the course.


Justin

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I enjoy hitting the ball solidly and with the fight I’d planned from a variety of lies to a variety of targets with a variety of challenges.

If not for the last half of that I could just go on a practice tee/range.

[Jason Thurman]

In most countries apart from America, you are only grinding to beat your buddy on that day, not to set a new personal low score.  (I’m not likely to shoot 67 again in my life; does that mean I should quit??)


Beating your buddy does not require intense focus.  There are holes where you can relax, because he’s in the trees, or because he’s six feet from birdie and you aren’t about to make par. So you relax a little before the next hole.


So you can be engaged with the architecture, but nearly everyone except an architect does that one hole at a time, and most courses have several holes that are not so engaging.

Maybe beating your buddies doesn't require intense focus. Beating my buddies requires me to focus my ass off.


I'm kidding a little... but part of what I really do love about this game is that, even though it requires a lot of focus to play well, it only requires it for a tiny fraction of the total experience of a round. And I really find a lot of peace in the whole cycle of: arrive to location of next shot > clear the head, get focused on what you need to do > execute > relax and enjoy the walk, the day, and the company > repeat.


Of course the game can be stressful too, but that's really mitigated for me by the part where there's always some space between shots to take a deep breath, look around, and appreciate how great it is to be outside playing a game. There's very little that can really truly go wrong in the grand scheme of things on a golf course...


... although we're one day away from the anniversary of the tournament last year when I skulled a wedge straight at the parking lot and narrowly dodged denting somebody's Lincoln. So like... the game is not without real world risk.

[Peter Sayegh]

Beating your buddy does not require intense focus.  There are holes where you can relax, because he’s in the trees, or because he’s six feet from birdie and you aren’t about to make par. So you relax a little before the next hole.
So you can be engaged with the architecture...

Tom, I was surprised by this post. You cite the extremes, but wouldn't you and your buddy try to "engage with the architecture (i.e. "focus") more if you were still in the battle on every hole, though in different (A,B,C,D) positions?
If I'm out to "beat my buddy" when we play, I will check his lie and his approach prospects. That's engagement, no?

[Bruce Katona]

I played yesterday with my brother, his buddy and my buddy. The day was Chamber of Commerce day - 77 degrees, bright blue sky, not a hint of humidity and a nice breeze.  Our venue was in perfect condition, the best its been in years.


We all hit a few good shots, & 1-2 stinkers.  My brother made a birdie, his buddy a sandie from a fairway bunker, I clipped the flag off the tee on a par 3 for close to an ace, & my buddy stayed hydrated with 4 Stella tall boys.


In my book, that's about as good a golf day as it comes.

[Tim Gavrich]

Joy is a fairly high standard to aspire to in a game as frustrating as golf.


Still, even while getting beaten 3 & 2 by my buddy Old Man Par today, I did glimpse joy a couple times. Most vivid was the 5 iron I hit on a par 3 that had exactly the trajectory and flew exactly the distance I wanted it to, and rolled up about 12 feet right of the cup. Never mind that I missed the putt...


I get joy from seeing other golfers pull off great shots, as long as those shots aren't taking money out of my pocket.


I get joy from seeing a ball roll towards the target, whether it's a lusty bounce forward down a fairway or taking a gathering green contour.


I get joy simply from being on a golf course, because it's usually a heck of a lot better than the alternative. If the golf course is an interesting and/or scenic one, that's even better, but it's not entirely necessary. The possibilities contained at the outset of of a round of golf are pretty damn exciting no matter what, IMO.

[Carl Johnson]

As I approach my 80th birthday, having started golf about 30 years ago, it's about getting outside, looking at the scenery on a beautiful course, getting some exercise, having social contact, having competition, testing my physical abilities.  I cannot play "by myself."  Against the golf course, the course always wins.  If I'm playing against others with fair handicaps, I have a chance -- sometimes I win, sometimes I don't.


BUT, I will tell you what I DO NOT enjoy.  Playing with guys who get mad, throw clubs, etc.  Curse me for hitting a good shot.  A "friend" I've played with for many years has fallen into this category.  Question.  Do I just give up on him, keeping in mind he sets up lots of our games?  So I'd need to find a new group. Do I speak with him about my problem, or just admit it's my problem and not his?

[Garland Bayley]

... Ostensibly, the objective of the game is to shoot as low a score as possible. ...

Not historically accurate!

[Pete_Pittock]

There was no joy in Mudville. I was benched for a number of months and my body mysteriously forgot how to play the game it knew for the last 60+ years. I am now smiling following the bouncing ball.

[Tim Gallant]

Golf as a whole is a joy for me. I love everything about it (apart from slow play ). The joy of arriving at the course early and ordering a coffee, the anticipation, the chat, the warm-up, the small talk with friends and the pros, checking in with the starter, lacing the shoes. I genuinely love it all. On the course, I love playing with friends, strangers, and even alone. I embrace the joy of playing in the sun, and the joy of the challenge of playing in trying conditions. I enjoy thinking about the architecture of a course - if it's good, thinking about what makes it good and if it's not good, what could make it better. I love seeing new (to me) courses, and seeing a course again after some years. I enjoy the challenge of the game, and always trying to hit good shots. I know I can come out after work or on the weekend, and golf is my recharge that gives me energy.

[Mike Sweeney]

Question.  Do I just give up on him, keeping in mind he sets up lots of our games?  So I'd need to find a new group. Do I speak with him about my problem, or just admit it's my problem and not his?

At almost 80 years of age, you have certainly earned your right to express how golf can be played in your group. Express it over a beer, and you may be helping your friend. My guess is - he is challenged mentally by the aging process.


I walked and carried yesterday in the heat and humidity of NYC. On the 16th hole, it hit me. I may have to move to a push cart soon.

[Kalen Braley]

I think it can and does often change from round to round:

- Sometimes I really enjoy being out there alone first thing or late in the day and just enjoying being outside and taking it all in.
- Other times it can be a total blast to play a 4 man beer scramble where the hijinks, comradery, and laughs are plentiful.
- Then every now and then when my swing doesn't resemble a folding lawn chair its a blast to focus in and shoot a great score, like my lifetime best of 77.
- And still other times I just want to play a round with my buddies, break 90, and beat my buddy, even if only by 1.

[Jason Thurman]

Golf as a whole is a joy for me. I love everything about it (apart from slow play ). The joy of arriving at the course early and ordering a coffee, the anticipation, the chat, the warm-up, the small talk with friends and the pros, checking in with the starter, lacing the shoes. I genuinely love it all. On the course, I love playing with friends, strangers, and even alone. I embrace the joy of playing in the sun, and the joy of the challenge of playing in trying conditions. I enjoy thinking about the architecture of a course - if it's good, thinking about what makes it good and if it's not good, what could make it better. I love seeing new (to me) courses, and seeing a course again after some years. I enjoy the challenge of the game, and always trying to hit good shots. I know I can come out after work or on the weekend, and golf is my recharge that gives me energy.

Literally all of this.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Yesterday on Father's Day, I recalled one of my Dad's most memorable sayings (usually after a topped or muffed shot)....."Golf should be fun.....dammit."

[Brad Lawrence]

As I approach my 80th birthday, having started golf about 30 years ago, it's about getting outside, looking at the scenery on a beautiful course, getting some exercise, having social contact, having competition, testing my physical abilities.  I cannot play "by myself."  Against the golf course, the course always wins.  If I'm playing against others with fair handicaps, I have a chance -- sometimes I win, sometimes I don't.


BUT, I will tell you what I DO NOT enjoy.  Playing with guys who get mad, throw clubs, etc.  Curse me for hitting a good shot.  A "friend" I've played with for many years has fallen into this category.  Question.  Do I just give up on him, keeping in mind he sets up lots of our games?  So I'd need to find a new group. Do I speak with him about my problem, or just admit it's my problem and not his?

Haha.  I spent many years being that guy. The first half of my golfing life was only about the competition and winning. It wasn’t fun unless every shot felt like life and death. The golf course was where I went to get stress rather than the place to get free from it.  I didn’t care about fresh air, the camaraderie or the vistas.  The foursome member I didn’t like was the one who seemed just happy to be out there. 


You have two choices. You can accept the challenge that golf presents of drowning out what you can’t control and overcoming it or you can take control of your surroundings and play with people who have the same agenda on the course that you do.  He will understand; I certainly would have when I was a raged maniac out there.

[Dan Kelly]

Yesterday, I putted from 105 yards to Jim Urbina and Joe Hancock's marvelous new green on No. 1 at Midland Hills. Ended up hole-high, about 10 feet left.


That brought me joy -- even though it was an experimental, second ball after a more-standard wedge.


My home course brings me joy every time I play it, even when I play it badly, because so many "creative" shots are possible to pull off, and because the recent restoration/renovation has amped up the fun factor to 11.


That's far from the only thing that can bring joy on the golf course (the evening shadows on a fine summer day are really hard to beat, especially if I'm playing with my daughter), but the potential for creative shotmaking is very, very high on the list.


A great score gives me pleasure, but not joy.


Winning a match comes closer.


 

[Jason Thurman]

Carl, if you're good friends, you might just tell him that you're thinking about leaving his group because it doesn't even seem like he enjoys it himself, and you definitely don't. There's a Right Way to present that where it works out better for him too. It's a hard game and part of what it teaches you is that if you can accept and forgive your mistakes, you have a chance of overcoming them and enjoying things in spite of them when you don't.


Dan, that sounds awesome. I 100% agree with you on Midland. I love the topography, love the shot challenges, and really love the approach to 1 since I'm 2/2 on birdie conversions lifetime. Your home course is better than mine, but the joy of the creative recovery thrives at both.


And I suspect your daughter appreciates the hell out of those rounds too. I played with my mother today. Her chemo was kicking her ass (which is a long story but more blessing than bad news) but she played 17 of 18 holes in under 4 hours, miraculously. And she even made a birdie on 15 from the sort of makeshift tee that she used to have me play from. And I pulled off the fourth par-or-better nine of my life on the back which really got her excited. It was probably sorta like when your daughter shoots 29 or whatever.

[Jeff Shelman]

Thurm,


As I have gotten older, I find more joy in the people and how the names on the scorecard are more important than the name on the front of the card.


I like hitting good shots.
I like making a putt with a bunch of break.
I like the days when I shoot a good score.
I have grown to like making a net birdie to beat one of my low handicap friends.
I like racing the sun after work and forgetting whatever had irritated me during the day.
I like perfect weather days.
I like days when I sneak out of the office and play
I like getting and giving shit to my buddies.
I like great green complexes and holes that make me think.
I like helping someone see a cool course they have never seen before.

[/size]I like it all. [size=78%][/size][size=78%] [/size]

[Mark Kiely]

This question is interesting to me because I consider myself to be passionate about golf, yet I have practically no desire to play unless I'm going to complete an entire round. And I'm not at all a hyper-competitive person. Furthermore, the visual beauty of the game is one of the biggest draws to me, so that should endure regardless of how many holes I'm playing. I suppose things might be different if I was a member of a club or lived on a course and could jump out for a few holes after work, but making plans, driving to a course and paying a green fee holds virtually no appeal unless I'm highly likely to finish 18 holes. It might be because I view each round as an opportunity to possibly shoot a personal best score, and if I'm not going to finish, that possibility becomes impossible -- and if I were to play exceptionally well in that situation, it would just be frustrating to me, wondering "what if." Can anyone else relate to this?

[Scott Warren]

It varies enormously for me.


Last year I played 60-odd rounds, shot under par for the first time and got my handicap down to 1.2 (lifelong 6-8 marker with a previous low of 3.3).


This year, I’ve managed 11 18-hole rounds in six months and aside from a 75 around RM East have played like shit.


Last year, my enjoyment was very significantly tied to my performance.


Today, I played my first 18 holes since April, enjoyed a walk along the seaside in 19°C with with two really good blokes I’d never met before, had seven double bogeys en route to a high-80s score and could not have enjoyed myself more.


One of the things that I love most about golf is that whatever it is I’m in need of when I walk onto the first tee, the game seems reliably able to provide it.

[Peter Sayegh]

As my game declines, and my understanding of golf architecture (hopefully) improves, I get giddy getting to my ball's position and thinking there's NO WAY that Old Tom/Ross/Tillie/Jones/Muirhead/Engh/Strantz, et al could have anticipated it.

[Jeff_Brauer]

This question is interesting to me because I consider myself to be passionate about golf, yet I have practically no desire to play unless I'm going to complete an entire round.

.....Can anyone else relate to this?

Mark, as I age, no!  My wife enjoys playing, but many times, we get to about the 12-14th hole and mutually decide to quit for the day. 


I laugh because I recall a story from way back when from an old guy who explained how golf and retirement work.  He said in his 60's he started playing 12 holes, and then went home to nap, followed by drinking the rest of the day.   In his 70's, he cut it to 9 holes, nap, drinking.  At about 80, it was 6 holes, nap, drinking.[size=78%]   [/size]By about 90, it was 3 holes, nap, drinking[/size], [size=78%]followed by quitting the game altogether, because, well, only 3 holes wasn't worth playing.


BTW, while I am happy to play less than 18, my drinking life is pretty minimal, so I don't relate entirely.

[Dan Kelly]

Dan, that sounds awesome. I 100% agree with you on Midland. I love the topography, love the shot challenges, and really love the approach to 1 since I'm 2/2 on birdie conversions lifetime. Your home course is better than mine, but the joy of the creative recovery thrives at both.


And I suspect your daughter appreciates the hell out of those rounds too. I played with my mother today. Her chemo was kicking her ass (which is a long story but more blessing than bad news) but she played 17 of 18 holes in under 4 hours, miraculously. And she even made a birdie on 15 from the sort of makeshift tee that she used to have me play from. And I pulled off the fourth par-or-better nine of my life on the back which really got her excited. It was probably sorta like when your daughter shoots 29 or whatever.

Jason --


Tried to PM you, but it didn't work.


I assure you that Rose treasures those rounds, too. She joined the club last fall, so now those rounds are unlimited.


Thanks for telling us about that round with your mother. My wife knows about chemo kicking her own ass; we both know that a *long* story can be more blessing than curse.


Be sure to holler if you are ever out this way. You need to see if you can go 1-for-1 on the brand-new No. 1 green. It's a beauty!


Dan

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