So long guys and gals - it's been a pleasure to be in here :)

[Viking Golfer]

I'm quitting the game of golf for good !

It's been great fun to be in here and probably will still visit this place from time to time - I'm still addicted to it :)

But I had surgery and before that went 4-5 months without being active - so gained almost 20 lbs weight. Now that I'm almost back to normal, I realize how time consuming this wonderfull game is - 1 hour to the course, 1 hours practice, 4 hour rounds, 1 hours in the clubshouse and 1 hour back again - that's 8 hours.

I'm not getting any younger and need to stay in shape - and realized I actualy gained weight from playing golf, even though I always walk with my standbag on my shoulders. I drink 2 draft beers in the club house, which is great and part of the game - but I feel like I should be doing somehting that keep me in great shape and I realized that I can play tennis twice a week, run 2 X 10 km a week, and go to the gym 3 times in the same 8 hours, that I spend on one round of golf - because I live next to a gym and a tennis court.

And I can't spend 2 X 8 hours each week - so had to make up my mind, and even though I will always love golf, I just can't accept spending that much of my sparetime on something that won't get me in better shape.
I may return to the game of golf, when I actually retire from work in 30-35 years time - but as it is now, I don't have the time nor patience to 4+ hour rounds in too often very crappy weather conditions, and on top of that, I actually feel like my fitness level suffers from it - compared to playing 1½ hour tennis or runnnig 10 Km or working out in the fitness-gym.

I always loved the discussions in here - and it's been a tough decision to quit golf, but it's just too damn time consuming and as I get older, I need to spend even more time on improving my fitness and lowering my body fat percentage and golf unfortunately does not help me in that area at all

I also got caught too much in the golf gear circle - had to buy new stuff constantly, like it was some kind of sickness. Never satisfied with a new driver, always on the lookoout for new stuff - it actually runied my golf game in the long run.

I will miss participating in the debate in here and I will miss a pefect hit shot with the driver and a flushed iron shot. I will also miss some of the golf gear fascination and I will miss playing a round in great weather with my father and friends.

What I won't miss is:

1. 4-5 long hour rounds
2. Playing in far too often lousy bad weather
3. Always feeling i need to practice more - and never have the time to do it
4. The stress on the golfcourse from groups behind you hitting into you and the stress of waiting on a slow group in front of you
5. 3 & 4 putts
6. The days where you hook and slice shots and can't find your game
7. The long transport to and from the golf course
8. The winter break, where I play in lousy golf simulators...
9. Not gettig into shape from spending 8 hours a week on my hobby
10. Always feeling like 1 round a week is not enough to master this game at close to scratch level

I will still log onto this great site - but it just won't be the same, when I'm not playing golf anylonger :(
My clubs are sold and my golf club membership is cancelled.

Best regards and thanks to all :wave:
Viking Golfer, who used to be ClubHoUno, who jused to be Claus from Denmark

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

What about mini-golf? :rolleyes:

[8thehardway]

Good move! Getting in shape is addictive in its own way and, unlike golf, provides uninterrupted satisfaction. In a year you'll be lean, strong, flexible and in the best shape of your life. You might wonder how the new you would... nah, I'm sure golf will never lure you back. Maybe with borrowed clubs and low expectations you'll join a friend at a nice course on a nice day - but that's it. Even if you play way better than you expect, which you will.

[Lsutiger]

Good luck! Hate to lose a brother, but I have a feeling you'll be back. Remember, always that golf is just a 4 letter word. Best of luck to you!

[Bones01gt]

You almost made me cry.

 

Sometimes I think that crazy stuff too. I just figure life is too short to give up something that fills my life with so much joy and so much pain every time I tee it up. It's not golf's fault that I'm out of shape. It's the fact that I get some kind of sick enjoyment out of eating the entire refrigerator before going to sleep at night. It's the fact that I won't get up from the couch to go run a mile or two.

 

Fact is that it only takes an hour a day 4 or 5 days a week to get in and maintain your physique and conditioning. Considering you adhere to a fairly healthy diet, which I do not.

 

Thanks, you have inspired me to make some changes in my life. But giving up golf is not one of them.

 

I hate to see you go, but at some point a man must draw a line in the sand and step across it and not look back. Just run as far away as fast as you can and forget the game. I know it is easier said than done, but I wish you luck.

 

And if you have any equipment just send it to me, I will give it a warm, loving home!!!

[78blades]

Well, life goes on and as long as that happens there are still possibilities that you will return; much more lean and in better health of course. Good luck.

[Bomb and Gouge]

Wah!

[profsmitty]

It's amazing what conclusions you can arrive at depending on your beginning assumptions.

 

Your logic seems impeccable if you assume your assumptions are absolute. Another might argue that:

1. Drinking beer isn't a necessary part of the game
   
2. You aren't required to hang around in the clubhouse for an hour or more after the round is over
   
3. That your social behavior may not be drastically different in another venue (ie. tennis, working out, etc) than it is in golf
   
4. That there are benefits of golf that are not merely physical
   
5. That you might face frustrations in other venues similar to those you currently experience in golf
   

You might want to read a couple of books before, during, or after your sabbatical from the sport: Golf in the Kingdom and Extraordinary Golf. They may give you a perspective that you hadn't thought about. Golf offers a huge dividend when approached from a perspective that includes the mental, physical, and spiritual perspectives that isn't present in every sport, IMO.

 

As the months go by, try changing your assumptions and see if the results of your deliberations still leads to the same conclusion.

 

Good Luck.

[whatsamatta]

Bye!! Maybe you'll change you mind soon. :)

[oldmannoodles]

I'll give you 2 months.

[varsityhacker]

I respect your decision to quit golf and I am sure you will be back before you know it. But, you can still stay in shape and play golf. I workout 5 days a week and still play every weekend and practice almost every day. Go to the gym before work and get it done in the morning like I do that way you will feel good when you get to your job and your workout will be done for the day. Life is about balance and enjoying it. I find people that complain about time are generally poor at staying organized, maybe that is not you and you are super busy with your family and career but, there are 168 hours in a week I think that if you really love golf you can find time the time.

 

By the way if you spent 8 hours a week on golf that would be only 416 hours a year. A year has a total of 8,736 hours which means that you would spend approximately 5% of your time on something you love.

 

Crap I just realized that I spend more than 8 hours a week on this site, add in practice/lessons and playing plus thinking about golf all day. Maybe I need to quit too and spend the time to cure cancer or something..... Then again I can't between the time I was pondering quitting I was also thinking about my new irons I just bought and the new driver I want.

[sleepy_augusto]

Speed golf, my friend.

Or play nine at a closer course, stop hanging out, commit to your current clubs and get a bowflex.

 

Your best bet is to do what you have a passion for and somehow work out the rest. Take care.

[Brucie]

bye

[dlygrisse]

It's amazing what conclusions you can arrive at depending on your beginning assumptions.

 

Your logic seems impeccable if you assume your assumptions are absolute. Another might argue that:

1. Drinking beer is a necessary part of the game
   
2. You must hang around in the clubhouse for an hour after the round is over
   
3. That your social behavior will be different in another venue (ie. tennis, working out, etc) than it is in golf
   
4. That the only benefits of golf are physical
   
5. That you will not face similar frustrations in other venues that you experience in golf
   

 

You might want to read a couple of books before, during, or after your sabbatical from the sport: Golf in the Kingdom and Extraordinary Golf. They may give you a perspective that you hadn't thought about. Golf offers a huge dividend when approached from a perspective that includes the mental, physical, and spiritual perspectives that isn't present in every sport, IMO.

 

As the months go by, try changing your assumptions and see if the results of your deliberations still leads to the same conclusion.

 

Good Luck.

 

+1

 

Dont practice so much, take a lesson or two and just work on a few fundamentals, practice your short game every now and then, a recreational golfer needs to practice smart not long.

 

Play a quick 9 every now and then, is there not a course closeer to your house than an hour away?

 

no one is forcing you to drink while playing, no one is forcing you to stay afterwards.

 

If it is really that easy to quit, then it must not have meant that much to you in the first place, so maybe you are making the right decision.

[Golffabrik]

Sorry that we lost another one.

 

I don't see the problem. Try thinking about it this way:

 

You can quit playing golf every night when you go to sleep.

 

Golf is keeping you in shape...it's just not making you noticeably lose weight or build big muscles.

 

Time spent going to and from the course is time that you could use chatting with your friends on the phone, then you don't have to

meet them anymore.

 

Skip the practice hour. If you're thinking about quitting anyway, what difference does it matter how good you are?

 

Don't play in those simulators during those long Danish winters...they're comparable to having a good time with yourself. Do some charity work or something else for your soul!

 

Two drafts in the clubhouse is much more productive than having a six pack on the sofa in front of the tube.

 

Think about what your about to commit yourself to. You're going to look back in 5 years and ask yourself something like "Man, just how good would I be now if I hadn't stopped playing?" Your going to get on your wives nerves sitting around bitching for those 8 hours that you normally would have been out on the course, and she going to hate always having to set your head right.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Asleep]

Not tennis......anything but tennis! :lol:

 

 

I'm guessing we'll see you on the links again.

[iteachgolf]

I don't understand this. Why would you quit something you love? And why do you play a course that is an hour away? Obviously have chosen to make it more time consuming than it needs to be. If my foursome goes off early in the morning I can get around in under 3 hours and then maybe grad some lunch afterwards. 8 hours is ridiculous and I'm sure you could play earlier and close by and cut that down to 4-5 hours easy. I would consider myself in pretty good shape. I work 45-55 hours a week teaching play golf once a week and workout 3 times a week and still have time to take care of everything I need to get done.

[cigarnut81]

Your choice is strange, but I do not look down on you for it. Best of luck with this new path you have chosen.

[Viking Golfer]

Good move! Getting in shape is addictive in its own way and, unlike golf, provides uninterrupted satisfaction. In a year you'll be lean, strong, flexible and in the best shape of your life. You might wonder how the new you would... nah, I'm sure golf will never lure you back. Maybe with borrowed clubs and low expectations you'll join a friend at a nice course on a nice day - but that's it. Even if you play way better than you expect, which you will.

 

Problem is a lot of the friends I currently see, all have given up golf, because of some of the same reasons I have - too damnd time consuming and too damn hard to master at a decent level without practice and rounds at least 2 times a week :)

 

So won't be tempted that easily....

 

 

Good luck! Hate to lose a brother, but I have a feeling you'll be back. Remember, always that golf is just a 4 letter word. Best of luck to you!

 

Thanks for your kind words :)

 

You almost made me cry.

 

Sometimes I think that crazy stuff too. I just figure life is too short to give up something that fills my life with so much joy and so much pain every time I tee it up. It's not golf's fault that I'm out of shape. It's the fact that I get some kind of sick enjoyment out of eating the entire refrigerator before going to sleep at night. It's the fact that I won't get up from the couch to go run a mile or two.

 

Fact is that it only takes an hour a day 4 or 5 days a week to get in and maintain your physique and conditioning. Considering you adhere to a fairly healthy diet, which I do not.

 

Thanks, you have inspired me to make some changes in my life. But giving up golf is not one of them.

 

I hate to see you go, but at some point a man must draw a line in the sand and step across it and not look back. Just run as far away as fast as you can and forget the game. I know it is easier said than done, but I wish you luck.

 

And if you have any equipment just send it to me, I will give it a warm, loving home!!!

 

Don't know if your post is a bit ironic or serious ?

 

But I agree, that each and every time I tee it up on the 1.st tee, I'm full of both painful thoughts and at the same time full of hope, that I will bomb it with a slight draw or fade 300 yards down the fairway - just hate, when I bomb it 300 yards pretty straight, play by myself or in a group - and the ball is now where to be found, meaning I have to take a drop and a penalty stroke - don't know how often this has happened, but too damn often :vava:

 

Well, life goes on and as long as that happens there are still possibilities that you will return; much more lean and in better health of course. Good luck.

 

Thanks - I'll still lurk a bit in here......not so much more though :vava:

[LSeca]

You will always be CHU to me and I hope to see you back from time to time, always enjoyed your posts. I thank you for showing those great Bettinardi pics way back and getting me hooked on them. Take care.

[Viking Golfer]

It's amazing what conclusions you can arrive at depending on your beginning assumptions.

 

Your logic seems impeccable if you assume your assumptions are absolute. Another might argue that:

1. Drinking beer isn't a necessary part of the game
   
2. You aren't required to hang around in the clubhouse for an hour or more after the round is over
   
3. That your social behavior may not be drastically different in another venue (ie. tennis, working out, etc) than it is in golf
   
4. That there are benefits of golf that are not merely physical
   
5. That you might face frustrations in other venues similar to those you currently experience in golf
   

You might want to read a couple of books before, during, or after your sabbatical from the sport: Golf in the Kingdom and Extraordinary Golf. They may give you a perspective that you hadn't thought about. Golf offers a huge dividend when approached from a perspective that includes the mental, physical, and spiritual perspectives that isn't present in every sport, IMO.

 

As the months go by, try changing your assumptions and see if the results of your deliberations still leads to the same conclusion.

 

Good Luck.

 

I agree with you some how, but:

 

1. I always end up drinking a beer in the club house - I need to cool down mentally after a round
   
2. Same argument as in 1.
   
3. It's not that 2 draft beers makes me fat, it's that the time I spend on this hobby doesn't make one tiny bit fitter and in better shape.
   
4. To this I do agree. I'm a guy with a temper - and this is also what makes golf such a challenge, and golf has made me better at controlling my temper, but it certainly also has ruined many days for me because of my bad temper :shout:
   
5. I also agree - tennis is also very technical and challenging - but I can play it well, even though I scream on the court and I can vent my bad temper out on the court, which I can't on a golf course. I literally have to put a lid on my head on a golf course, to avoid my bad temper from taking over. This means I'm often VERY frustrated, when I have played golf and not happy at all. Tennis is not quite like this, because you better can let your frustrations out on the court
   

Bye!! Maybe you'll change you mind soon. :)

 

Thanks - I know I'll still enjoy reading in here a bit. Maybe this can give me new inspiration and inspire me to pick up a club again....you just never know :)

 

 

I'll give you 2 months.

 

ha...ha.... :drinks:

 

I respect your decision to quit golf and I am sure you will be back before you know it. But, you can still stay in shape and play golf. I workout 5 days a week and still play every weekend and practice almost every day. Go to the gym before work and get it done in the morning like I do that way you will feel good when you get to your job and your workout will be done for the day. Life is about balance and enjoying it. I find people that complain about time are generally poor at staying organized, maybe that is not you and you are super busy with your family and career but, there are 168 hours in a week I think that if you really love golf you can find time the time.

 

By the way if you spent 8 hours a week on golf that would be only 416 hours a year. A year has a total of 8,736 hours which means that you would spend approximately 5% of your time on something you love.

 

Crap I just realized that I spend more than 8 hours a week on this site, add in practice/lessons and playing plus thinking about golf all day. Maybe I need to quit too and spend the time to cure cancer or something..... Then again I can't between the time I was pondering quitting I was also thinking about my new irons I just bought and the new driver I want.

 

It's just that I constantly feel bad about not practicing enough golf, and each time I'm out there, I get frustated if I don't score up to my best.

Golf is really a frustrating game - and for the last year hasn't brought me much joy quite frankly. I'm always in kind of a bad mood after my round, not happy at all.

 

When the day is over, I think about golf again in a positive way - but when the day comes, and I play a round again and also after the round, I just hate golf - I basically am only satisfied, if I make birdie on every hole.

I've tried anger management, but golf is the only thing that gives me this kind of bad mood during a round and just after the round.

 

The things that makes me come back and play golf again is mostly golf gear related - I love the thought of new golf gear and the thought of playing pure golf more than the golf game itself.

 

I used to play to a 4 before my surgery, and was still not happy there.

 

Now after suregery and recovery time, I'm even more frustrated with the state of my game.

 

This made me think and I realized that I have never really enjoyed an entire round of golf in my life to be totally honest. I almost always end up being in a bad mood after the round or during the round, sort of like grumpy Colin Montgomery, who is a nice person off the court but a grumpy mad golfer, when on the golf course - I'm like that unfortunately. The next day, I have forgotten yet another crappy day at the course and think about playing again.

 

This is also the thing that makes me want to skip golf entirely.

 

Speed golf, my friend.

Or play nine at a closer course, stop hanging out, commit to your current clubs and get a bowflex.

 

Your best bet is to do what you have a passion for and somehow work out the rest. Take care.

 

Maybe I should try that......hmmmmm......just maybe.

 

Btw what's a bowflex ?

 

bye

 

See yaa' :wave:

[Viking Golfer]

It's amazing what conclusions you can arrive at depending on your beginning assumptions.

 

Your logic seems impeccable if you assume your assumptions are absolute. Another might argue that:

1. Drinking beer is a necessary part of the game
   
2. You must hang around in the clubhouse for an hour after the round is over
   
3. That your social behavior will be different in another venue (ie. tennis, working out, etc) than it is in golf
   
4. That the only benefits of golf are physical
   
5. That you will not face similar frustrations in other venues that you experience in golf
   

 

You might want to read a couple of books before, during, or after your sabbatical from the sport: Golf in the Kingdom and Extraordinary Golf. They may give you a perspective that you hadn't thought about. Golf offers a huge dividend when approached from a perspective that includes the mental, physical, and spiritual perspectives that isn't present in every sport, IMO.

 

As the months go by, try changing your assumptions and see if the results of your deliberations still leads to the same conclusion.

 

Good Luck.

 

+1

 

Dont practice so much, take a lesson or two and just work on a few fundamentals, practice your short game every now and then, a recreational golfer needs to practice smart not long.

 

Play a quick 9 every now and then, is there not a course closeer to your house than an hour away?

 

no one is forcing you to drink while playing, no one is forcing you to stay afterwards.

 

If it is really that easy to quit, then it must not have meant that much to you in the first place, so maybe you are making the right decision.

 

 

 

Closest course with potential membership is 45 minutes away.

 

 

As I mention in another post, I just realized I love the very thought of playing golf and the club ho experience of buying new golf golf gear constantly much more than playing the game of golf itself. So yes, maybe I'm making the right decision. No other game has made me as frustrated as golf - I'm like a Colin Montgomery out there - grumpy and mad on the course, while super nice off the course.

 

Sorry that we lost another one.

 

I don't see the problem. Try thinking about it this way:

 

You can quit playing golf every night when you go to sleep.

 

Golf is keeping you in shape...it's just not making you noticeably lose weight or build big muscles.

 

Time spent going to and from the course is time that you could use chatting with your friends on the phone, then you don't have to

meet them anymore.

 

Skip the practice hour. If you're thinking about quitting anyway, what difference does it matter how good you are?

 

Don't play in those simulators during those long Danish winters...they're comparable to having a good time with yourself. Do some charity work or something else for your soul!

 

Two drafts in the clubhouse is much more productive than having a six pack on the sofa in front of the tube.

 

Think about what your about to commit yourself to. You're going to look back in 5 years and ask yourself something like "Man, just how good would I be now if I hadn't stopped playing?" Your going to get on your wives nerves sitting around bitching for those 8 hours that you normally would have been out on the course, and she going to hate always having to set your head right.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

It's just that I'm a bit of a perfectionist - and golf is not funny, when only played twice a month - it's too hard to master to be fun playing so rarely.

Then I end up even more fruistrated :diablo:

 

Not tennis......anything but tennis! :lol:

 

 

I'm guessing we'll see you on the links again.

 

I love tennis - and have played tennis since I was a kid.

Tennis takes half the time a golf round takes and you get in excellent shape from playing it - and it's damn funny, when you master it at a certain level.

[Viking Golfer]

You will always be CHU to me and I hope to see you back from time to time, always enjoyed your posts. I thank you for showing those great Bettinardi pics way back and getting me hooked on them. Take care.

 

Thanks for your kind words :)

[Golffabrik]

Well I'm sorry that I can't change your decision. I made the same mistake as a younger man and have regreted it for a long time, as I had to quit (military) at the time I was playing my best. Good luck to you and maybe you can post once and awhile how life is on the other side. Cheers.

[Pure745]

Agh man Claus.. this sucks. I hate to read this post because I've come to know what an obsessive compulsive fanatic about the game you are!! And like me.. also the same about tennis and pretty much any other sport/hobby I'm into.

 

I think you should step away from the game but dont rule it out. Change your attitude and outlook on the game, I pretty much had to do this and now I'm addicted to the game. I just love golf.. Before when I played competitive, I used to beat myself up for no reason and psych myself out over nonsense.. now I just go out and swing.. I'm still competitive but not 10% of how I used to be.

 

Work you golfing and workout schedules differently.. balance eachother out.. the more I workout and lift and exercise, the better I play and more easily I feel I can swing..

 

I hope you can enjoy the game once again, tennis is much harder on your body and injuries will make you gain weight and get out of shape just as easily.

 

I wish you the best for sure.

[Viking Golfer]

Agh man Claus.. this sucks. I hate to read this post because I've come to know what an obsessive compulsive fanatic about the game you are!! And like me.. also the same about tennis and pretty much any other sport/hobby I'm into.

 

I think you should step away from the game but dont rule it out. Change your attitude and outlook on the game, I pretty much had to do this and now I'm addicted to the game. I just love golf.. Before when I played competitive, I used to beat myself up for no reason and psych myself out over nonsense.. now I just go out and swing.. I'm still competitive but not 10% of how I used to be.

 

Work you golfing and workout schedules differently.. balance eachother out.. the more I workout and lift and exercise, the better I play and more easily I feel I can swing..

 

I hope you can enjoy the game once again, tennis is much harder on your body and injuries will make you gain weight and get out of shape just as easily.

 

I wish you the best for sure.

 

Thanks Tai,

 

Maybe I'll return to the game in a couple of years time with low expectations and a bag full of super game improvement clubs and a cooler temper - I think this is my only chance to really get to enjoy the game of golf played, and not just be in love with the thought of the perfect round and the thought of buying new golf equipment, which frankly has been the only 2 things that kept me in the game for the last year.

 

Hard court tennis may be harder on the body, but I play on soft red clay, and this is not so tough on the body. But of course harder on the body than golf.

 

I will miss the discussions in here for sure - I can still log on, but when I don't buy golf gear, it will not be the same of course :)

 

Just sad to say that I loved buying and dreaming about new golf gear more than I loved actually playing the game

[JanKo]

That´s too bad, Claus. I bet this was a hard decision and you thought carefully about it. I hope you will be back. :)

 

But I assume there is no golf trip to Germany in your plans anymore, right? I still was looking forward to it .

 

If you are somewhere in the north of Germany, just tell me - I always have some clubs laying around you could use and would be happy to invite you to a round of golf. :)

 

I´m still hooked by the Bettinardi pics you posted long ago, since then I didn´t forget your name and the Bettinardis. If you want to get rid of some of your golf gear / putters just let me know.

 

 

Cheers

Jan

[Viking Golfer]

That´s too bad, Claus. I bet this was a hard decision and you thought carefully about it. I hope you will be back. :)

 

But I assume there is no golf trip to Germany in your plans anymore, right? I still was looking forward to it .

 

If you are somewhere in the north of Germany, just tell me - I always have some clubs laying around you could use and would be happy to invite you to a round of golf. :)

 

I´m still hooked by the Bettinardi pics you posted long ago, since then I didn´t forget your name and the Bettinardis. If you want to get rid of some of your golf gear / putters just let me know.

 

 

Cheers

Jan

 

Thanks Jan :)

 

Golf trip is cancelled - now I'm going to Spain and Florida on two tennis trips instead.

Love going on a vacation and instead of coming home in same shape or worse shape, like I did with golf trips, I'l come home in better shape than ever before.

Will play in two 30-40 league tennis tourneys - and practice hard 4 hours every day under the sun :D

[kamtile]

Best of luck and I hereby reserve in your name, the right to change your mind at any time.

[mesegrn]

This is like the people that tell you they are going to kill themselves for attention and never do. The people that are serious about it never say a word and just do it.