I Want To Enjoy Golf Again!

Hi,

Golf is my life and passion but lately its become real boring Im 16 and 6 handicap and I would love a career in golf but I have no one to play with at my Golf Course. I hate playing on my own its boring! the only time I enjoy playing is when im in competition, golf competition is my life I LOVE IT, when coming down the last few holes winning and stuff I just love golf competition! But now most the golf competitions have finished untill next march what can I do? I dont have much interest in Social golf unless im playing with people who want to win as much as i do, practicing on the range is ok but i soon become un interested and bored I JUST WANT TO PLAY COMPETITIVLY!

My Dad is starting to say my attitude stinks on the course when i play with him but the thing is my attitude isnt bad its just i find it so boring and it makes me look like I have attitude problem!!!

What can i do???

Rick

I'm the opposite to you. I enjoy every round of golf I play. Of course competition rounds are more important but even practise rounds are enjoyable.

What I do is a keep a database of all my golf rounds. Even when I play on my own (like today !) I hole out of every hole. This database contains driving, GIR, chipping, bunker play and putting averages. I even have a seperate database for each hole and I know which holes I am doing well on.

Each year I start a new database and my aim is improve my averages. Fairways hit, GIR, overall score etc. That is what makes my golf interesting. This year my overall score average is 74.49 at the moment which is over 1 shot better than last season. My GIR average as improved from 49% to 56%.

Maybe you could do this or something similar ?

My son is 15, also 6 hanicapp. He recently got a job at a range and enjoys it - around golfers and can hit free balls. Or a job at a golf course, in the pro shop or even caddying. It might give you some insight into the golf business. Fortunately, his school golf seaon is fall and spring so he plays with other students for 2 seasons. During the winter, he wrestles, mainly for strenght. You also might want to set some personal strength goals off season. Just some thoughts, Mike.

Yeah thats an idea. Thanks

give yourself targets every time you go to range, make it into a game, 20 balls at 150yrs and 3 have to hit the 150 target or you hit another 10 balls till you do then got for 175 or 200, have an aim before you even leave the house and dont do anything till to hit that target that your aiming for, do the same when you putt, 5 balls from 6 feet and you have to hole 3 then frm 10 foot and the same have to hole 3, then 15 foot, you get the pics.
have targets at aim at and by start of next year you be 4 shots less at least. also walk round the corse and look for the parts of the fairway that gives you the dest shot to the green, dont take clubs with you or you get distracted but hitting shots. there is so much you can work on, lee trevino use to hit 1000 balls with a wedge then a 7 and a 5 iron ever day, thes 3000 balls a day and he use to do that 7 days a week, no wonder he had such strong forarms. he allways had a aim, hit balls high, then low and try and hit them the same distance.
hard work if not always fun but if you want to be the best you have to put the work in and thats every day not just when you feel like it,
good luck
bill

Ricky,

Is there a Golf Association you can contact or access their website? If there is and if you are in a position to do so, perhaps enter tournaments in other areas. Being 16 can be a problem as in access to travel and monies to compete.

I don't know what your personality is like but from reading your contributions of late it appears that you are maturing. Having said this perhaps you can start sharing your knowledge with others, ie, members at your club and other juniors.

Can you obtain an apprenticeship and learn to become a professional golfer or greens keeper. Compile a resume' and forward it to golf courses that have a professional. If possible Ricky, go in person, be well presented and so on. Contact you local employment agencies or even put an advert in the paper.

Good luck Ricky.

Nicole

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VP

Rick,

I think you said recently you have now left school and play golf now, you also mentioned an evening job. You need to start making serious plans on a carrier now so that you have some long term aspirations.

I would imagine that you would like a career in golf somehow so you should either be looking for a job at a golf club as an assistant to a Pro or be looking at a college course in either green keeping or sports technology. I played some golf this summer with a young guy who was doing a golf scholarship at a USA university, he was playing off +1

I hope you manage to find something that gives you a great golf future Rick but never forget that to be successful will never be easy and will need you to work through a lot of hard times as well as good.

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Best Regards
Brian

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Funny o'l game!

Hi Rich,

Know how you feel on this one as the long nights and wet weather here in the uk is about to start.

One note to try to get that passion back is when out with your dad try and put some bets in the game. That way you will have somthing to play for and hopefully you will start to be more happy.

I usally with mates try to put bets on longest drives, nearest the hole, first bunker hit and a putt challange. Although the stakes are not high it dose motivate you and i always put my comp hat on when money is involved.

If you do struggle for cash then suggest something that your dad may take you up on e.g. If you loose you have to wash the dishes for a fortnight but if you win then your dad has to give you £10. Only you would know what your dad's weakness for a bet is.

Hope it helps

Cheers
Mark

some people, and I have been guilty of this before, let golf become their identity. golf is not who you are, it is what you do. focus on enjoying life

Shootin4par, you are correct and I think this is what I have done! It is my identity!

BrianW, My main aim in my life is to become a Golf Professional but with the next few years I do want to see how good I can really get, by the time im 19-20 if I think, No im never going to be able to make money in golf then ill find another career in golf but for these next few years I do want to see how good I can get so being an assistent pro wouldent suit me because id only get about 1 hour a dasy to play golf in the winter with these dark nights!!! But I will consider being a golf coach or club pro when I am around 18-19.

Thanks for the help and advice, but i think im going to go with ThePuttKing1 idea, of keeping stats and everything and I think every round this will make me want to do real well and enjoy it alot more!

Thanks.

good luck in your search ricky
neil

Im very happy today, I played in a Junior League match and I was agaisnt a Welsh International boy, I beat him at home 2&1 last week and I played him at his home course today and beat him 6&5!!

Im definatly going to Wales Boys Trials next year!

And most of all, I enjoyed it!

thanks,
ricky

Well done Rickey, thats great news.

Hey, I played a competition in your patch Saturday, it was at the Monmouth club, nice course but very steep (Guess that's Wales though), anyway I won, Yee haaa!

Another thought, Ricky, is to play a 2 ball worst ball with yourself. Hit two balls, play the worst one. See how well you can score if your 'swing is off'.

Another thing would be just practicing fun shots. You know the ones; serious fried eggs that you stick close, wrapping sharp hooks around trees, only to find the green, that kind of thing.

Ryan Moore is the only player since Tiger Woods to win the U.S. Amateur then win enough money with his PGA exemptions to keep his PGA card. Ryan (pre wrist injury) could get up and down from just about anywhere. And I mean just about anywhere. Thick rough? No problem. Fried egg? Serves up the bacon. Downhill lie to a short pin? He'll just jug it.

Can you get up and down like a mad man? The seniors who score well at your course don't do it with length, do they? They either hit greens and two putt, or they get up and down. This, too, is your answer. But you know this.

In fact, if you have the discipline, it could be a wonderful motivator, tied in with your fitness regime. Put some balls down in the practice bunker. Bury them. For each ball that doesn't get close (you define what close is, based on your bunker play), you run a quarter mile. Or a half mile. Again, you know what your fitness level is. Once you're consistently making sure you're not running, it's time to up the ante. More balls, and the definition of close has to shrink. Do it from bunkers, push balls down into the rough, stick it close from a short side.... find the toughest lies you can find, then find ways to make them mundane.

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PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

I find it very sad to hear a sixteen year old boy admit to being bored on the golf course. God knows I have been angry,frustrated,dejected, and, on the odd occasion, elated but neverever bored. I suspect you are so keen on hitting the long ball you are neglecting to refine your game. You should be learning how to work the ball, high fade, low fade, draw high ,low etc. Each time you go out alone try to improvise shots ,give yourself difficult lies etc. see each shot as a challenge.