COMMUNITY

Actually a great question...do you enjoy playing golf?

I have a love, love, hate relationship with this game. On one hand I relish the history of the game, which is why I choose to play 100 year old clubs over modern clubs. I do love the tradition and the rich history.

I also love playing golf (most of the time). There is a saying, your worst day on the golf course is still better than your best day at work. For me that is soooo untrue. Maybe its just hickory golf, but when I am off my game it is like I have never played the sport before. I actually have a saying about playing hickory golf, "When I am on, I can play with anyone. When I am off, it looks like I have never played." This is so true, I can go out one day and shoot even par, then the next shoot an 85. Mishits are just multiplied by a factor of 10. On those days I still love the game, but I want to walk off the course and come back tomorrow.

With any love affair I have issues with my partner (golf in this case). Even though I play 100 year old clubs I don't agree with some of the measures the USGA has taken on to curtail innovation. This is bad for the sport in my opinion. The powers that be have always wanted to preserve the tradition, but innovation is what spurs growth.

I am also not a big fan of casual dress on the golf course. I know some of you are in this category, so take it with a grain of salt, from the crazy traditionalist. I don't enjoy seeing sut off jeans and tee shirts. Golf has always been a gentlemen's game, so I dress accordingly. Don't kill me on this one.

Finally it is every player's responsibility to know the rules of the games we play...no different than playing Monopoly. If you are a terrible golfer, that is fine just be terribly fast. 10 practice swings and a skull does not make LyinLewis a happy boy.

That being said...I love golf.

I enjoy the game very much. And my wife enjoys it as much as I do. Which makes playing the game as well as watching it much more pleasurable. Almost all our vacations are planned around golf. If we are attending a wedding out of state, the first thing we do is find out about where we're going and what courses are nearby. Should we plan on staying 2 days, or a week?

She goes off for a few days each year with her friends, as I do with mine. She plays in a league, as do I. She plays women's tournaments, I play men's. So we play probably 60% of our rounds together with other couples.

Couldn't enjoy the game more.

"I love this game. Everything about it. Watching tournaments, playing casual or competitive rounds, practicing"

I agree with you 10000000% dday. I love everything there is about golf.

I watch as much of all the tournaments from every tour that I can. I love practicing, I love playing. I just love being out on the course and enjoying my time there.

I truely love the game of golf.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not making any accusations here. However, I'm not looking for the knee jerk response from this golf community. I'm sure everyone on this site enjoys the game when they play well.

For me, I need an alarm clock to get up for the daily grind. On a Sunday, when I'm playing golf, I just pop out of bed, no alarm needed. I'll have a great day playing with anyone. It doesn't really matter, it's golf.

Sure I wish I was low handicapper, but I wonder. Most of those guys take the game way to serious. I'm slowly improving and can't wait for the day when my 2 boys are old enough to enjoy it with me.

Funny thing. I never played with my dad. I just kind of stumbled upon this game. I love every chance I get to play.

This is the right attitude. Didn't play with my dad either. I picked the game up about 8 years ago. I do take it fairly seriously- I have always been extremely driven in most things I do- but not so much that I don't have fun. Like anyone I can get frustrated, but most of the time I enjoy it even when I don't play well. I'm looking forward to my children taking interest too. Throwing clubs and swearing, etc are totally ridiculous.

I do agree with LyinLewis about speed of play. Slow play is fun for no one. being away from home for 3.5- 4.5 hours is long enough. If I get behind someone who plays a 6 hour round I want to scream, esp if they don't let people play through. That is just basic etiquette. Etiquette is part of the game that makes it enjoyable too.

Yes I love playing golf. I have "FUN" wrote on my putter cover in big black letters from a Sharpie so everytime I go to the green I get a little reminder.

Just in the past 3 years I have started playing again after a 10 year absence from golf, so when I first started back I was an angry golfer. Slamming clubs, cussing, crap like that. I guess because I had it in my head I could go out there and shoot in the low 80's, high 70's like I used to.

Now I get pissed at those kind of people. Once I realized I couldn't shoot like I did back then (yet) I said to myself "there's no since in me being out there if I wasn't enjoying it" So after alot of tongue biting and arm twisting I stopped.

Now I just smile and move onto the next hole when something stupid happens. I don't get a check in the mail for this stuff, I do it because it's FUN, wether I shoot an 80 or 100. Of course an 80 is MORE FUN though!

I love golf. I love watching it, teaching it, playing it, practicing it, talking about it, everything that has to do with golf I love.

It's a tried and true saying that "A bad day of golf, beats a good day of work". I too find myself wondering sometimes as I listen to someone complain on the course or go off on a rage over a missed putt, what the heck are you doing out here?? I have never played a "Bad" round of golf. I have shot some horrible scores, but it was never a bad day!

I like everything about golf. Players of all different abilities can commiserate on their bad shots and relish the good ones.

I like the difficulty of the game, no other sport is as difficult to master.

I love debating and arguing about all the different players past and present.

Most of all I really do like to play. There are times when it is frustrating but I can't seem to remember those times, but I do remember bombed drives or long putts that find the hole. Golf is basically the best way to use my time playing, practicing, reading the histories, or looking at all the new stuff there is to buy.

Love to play. Live and breath it, watch it, always trying to better my game. Even my own business is golf related.

But there are some things about the game that I just hate. Not so much slow play, but stupid play. Like:

Hitting into water then breaking out your ball retriever while the next group waits and waits...

Playing a par 5 of 495 yards, hitting driver off the tee 220 yards then waiting for the green to clear for the shot that will NEVER reach the green from 275. LAY UP STUPID!

I wouldn't call these 2 things "petty" as you put it dday. These 2 things as well as dozens of others that could be mentioned are just plain "stupid" play. It always seems that these people show up at the course on weekends during prime tee times too.

Not so long ago I had trouble enjoying poor rounds. I've broken a few clubs, almost come to tears and walked off the course once.

But over the last three years, I've worked real hard on enjoying bad golf, and it's funny how great an effect your disposition can have on your final score. I've rallied a bunch of times for some really solid back-nine scores after sucking big time on the front this year, and it's directly related to my attitude. The less I care about my score and the harder I try to just have fun, the better I play.

So, yes, I enjoy playing golf, and I fight all negative thoughts as if they were cancer. That includes slow play, bothersome playing partners, people hitting into me, whatever. If I get angry, I get angry for a moment then let it go and refocus on having fun. It's not easy, but it works if you can do it.

I definitley enjoy golf and only wish I could play more. I think the threads on her asking how to score something are fine as there are so many rules to playing a "legit" round of golf that why not ask if you arent sure. if you are trying to keep a real handicap then you need to score properly and honestly so ask away if not sure.

I can't believe I'm saying this; but I agree dday..lol....I love playing golf; the only thing I like more than playing golf is playing more golf!!!!! Do I get frustrated when I do something stupid...yes...because I am always trying to get better; but only for a second; I pretty much try and keep my frustration to myself and just take note of what I should of did....I never let it ruin my day or the people who I'm playing withs day.....nothing worst than playing with a frustrated golfer; especially when they are not that good and get pissed everytime they hit a bad shot...Like they never do it!!!! Funny....How about the guy who just misses a 20 foot put; and leaves it for a tap in...instead of being happy he lagged it up nice he blows his top because he missed it...Like he makes 20 footers every time!!!! geeez.....I have to admit I used to let slow play bother me; but not anymore...I just enjoy being out there and having fun with freinds......

I guess golf is like a marriage for most. You love it to death but that does not mean you ALWAYS like it....

How many people on here complain about their spouse from time to time but would never leave them? (This is assuming your spouse does not come between you and golf)

I love to play. Do the little things get to me from time to time? Sure...
I can hate the stupid stuff people do but still enjoy and like the game.
I am sure some people post about the little things just to rant and get it out of their systems...

No need to fear that dday. It doesn't HAVE to be that way. About 6 years ago I became 'one of those'--a low handicapper. Never had so much fun! Got a little 'Bubba' in me in that I love to shape shots, and when I get into trouble I take it as a challenge and let my imagination go, then try to pull off the shot as I envision it.

The hardest thing for me was I figured out real quick that I no longer had permission to complain about my game anymore--under any conditions. No one wants to hear it when the guy talking is shooting around par and hitting shots the rest of the foursome can only dream of hitting. [I know. I won't get any sympathy here either!]

I learned to remind myself of that fact when something goes awry and let it put a smile on my face. I really do consider myself blessed that I get to play this game and can play it reasonably well.

But I'm with most of you. I absolutely LOVE everything about this game! The servers that host this site don't have the terabytes to hold a full description of everything we love about this game.