I don't get golf

[Table 5]

I don't mind playing the occasional golf game, even though its expensive and Im not very good at it, but the one thing that prevents me from playing/enjoying it more is how damn long the games are. You basically have to dedicate half a day to a game...which is something I don't really have time for very often, and frankly I get bored halfway through. It's one of the reasons I prefer only doing 9 holes over 18.

Golf on tv though, that I just don't get. It makes baseball look exciting.

[MillerTime GFG]

I enjoy the frustration, the challenge of trying to get better. I'm extremely competitive and thrive on challenge in sports. Mix that in with the beautiful outdoors and a 4 hour escape, you've got yourself a perfect combination.

Outside of your point of it being expensive, you could really say the same about any other sport.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Nope, bad comparison. Anyone can buy a cheap pair of skates and a wood stick and hit a free outdoor rink with their buddies. And it doesn't require hours and hours of practice to get past the point of numbing frustration. Ball hockey is even more accessible as you can do it anywhere with even less equipment.

That's not true though, it's only accessible in Canada and northern parts of US because of the free outdoor rinks. Golf is more accessible than ice hockey where I am. There only 1 ice rink in the city and I can't even find a decent ball hockey league here.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

I don't get it either and I play often. Golf is maddening.

You're forgetting something......

Golf and sex are the two things you don't have to be to be good at to enjoy

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Playing golf is similarly perplexing -- it's completely inaccessible, requiring a large amount of skill and practice to be even passably good at it.

You don't need to be good at it to have fun and get some exercise, nobody cares if you suck as long as you aren't holding up the course. If you get frustrated with a hole you can just pick up your ball and go to the next hole. I don't think I ever broke 110 but I liked playing anyway.

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

It's expensive and requires strict scheduling.

Some courses are expensive. I haven't played in several years but you used to be able to walk the cheap courses for less than $40, pretty cheap entertainment for 4+ hours. We used to go out to Kananaskis every year, don't remember the exact pricing but it was like $100/person with cart to play a beautiful course. You used to be able to just walk on most city courses with no appointment and get a tee time pretty quick, don't know if that has changed. Good excuse to get out with your friends and enjoy the day.


Edit: Just looked on kijiji, first page had a set of mens clubs with bag for $40, and they never need sharpening.

Cheapest city courses seem to be $16.00 for 9 hole course or $44.00 for 18 hole course.

[spetch]

I didn't realize a beginner skating for the first time was so easy. That's what I should tell the wife, just put the skates on and you're a good skater

[BsFaninCGY]

Have you played golf? How many times?

I'm by no means a golfer, but the more you open yourself to something you don't 'like' and give it an honest go, the more you learn to appreciate its intricities.

Many have weighed in here about why they enjoy the sport. It doesn't sound like you're open to accepting those reasons and are just going to argue the points made by those who do 'get it'. I don't think you get 'get' discussion boards. If you're going to start a post like this and then refute every possible other point of view, then why start it in the first place?

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Nope, bad comparison. Anyone can buy a cheap pair of skates and a wood stick and hit a free outdoor rink with their buddies. And it doesn't require hours and hours of practice to get past the point of numbing frustration. Ball hockey is even more accessible as you can do it anywhere with even less equipment.

No it isn't. Anyone can buy a cheap or used set of clubs and go to the driving range (which is inexpensive) or go to an inexpensive city owned course (Par 3 courses are particularly inexpensive).

As to playing hockey if you don't know how to skate? Talk about frustration and the amount of practice you have to put in... and then once you learn to skate they give you a stick and a round rubber puck that never seems to go where you want it to, particularly when there are others around you trying to take it away from you.

And anyone who has played organized hockey or has kids participating in organized hockey.. knows that its an expensive sport.

Yep. Good comparison.

[zyzz]

I don't get the point of this thread.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

That's basically my point though -- you listed eleven of the hundreds and hundreds of things that are also fun and challenging, yet far more accessible, cheaper, easier, and more entertaining. How does one even decide golf will be their thing when almost everything else sounds better?

That's because you are looking at things from your own point of view and your likes and dislikes.

I like golf because I get to spent upwards of 4 hours with three other good friends talking about life, ribbing eah other about their game and most of all the fresh air and exercise of walking the course.

For me personaly it's challenge. I'm not the greatest golfer and I have found it to be the most difficult sport to play and be good and consistant at. Every game is an adventure where somedays i'll play the game of my life and other times i'll toss the score card in garabage and head to the 19th hole.

Cost is a subjective thing when you're talking about doing something you love. Green fees can vary depending on where you play and the same applies to the cost of joining a club and paying annual dues. As an example, i joined the Nanton Golf Club and pay $892 a year in dues for all the golf I can play.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by zyzz

I don't get the point of this thread.

Golf is a stupid game.





(which I say (curse) many times while I'm out on the links)

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I don't mind playing the occasional golf game, even though its expensive and Im not very good at it, but the one thing that prevents me from playing/enjoying it more is how damn long the games are. You basically have to dedicate half a day to a game...which is something I don't really have time for very often, and frankly I get bored halfway through. It's one of the reasons I prefer only doing 9 holes over 18.

Golf on tv though, that I just don't get. It makes baseball look exciting.

In the words of the great and immortal George Carlin:

"Watching Golf is like watching flies fornicate."

Granted, he was a tad more vulgar than that.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by BsFaninCGY

Many have weighed in here about why they enjoy the sport. It doesn't sound like you're open to accepting those reasons and are just going to argue the points made by those who do 'get it'. I don't think you get 'get' discussion boards. If you're going to start a post like this and then refute every possible other point of view, then why start it in the first place?

I knew what golf supporters were going to say -- you can drink while you do it, get outside, etc. It wasn't a thread about explaining why golf is good to someone who has never heard of golf before. I've tried golf -- I've been to a driving range over a half dozen times with people who were teaching me and even played a couple games. It was miserable.

No one has been able to explain the appeal of watching it on TV to me yet though. That was part (in fact the bigger part) of the confusion surrounding it too.

[spetch]

Also now that they are shipping (finally) try out a golf board. Driving/riding between shots looks to be a lot more fun.

[Rerun]

I occasionally watch a big tournament golf game on tv and I particularly enjoy watching the pros slice a ball into the woods or the drink.

It makes me feel better about my game.

Schadenfreude.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Dion

That's because you are looking at things from your own point of view and your likes and dislikes.

I like golf because I get to spent upwards of 4 hours with three other good friends talking about life, ribbing eah other about their game and most of all the fresh air and exercise of walking the course.

For me personaly it's challenge. I'm not the greatest golfer and I have found it to be the most difficult sport to play and be good and consistant at. Every game is an adventure where somedays i'll play the game of my life and other times i'll toss the score card in garabage and head to the 19th hole.

Cost is a subjective thing when you're talking about doing something you love. Green fees can vary depending on where you play and the same applies to the cost of joining a club and paying annual dues. As an example, i joined the Nanton Golf Club and pay $892 a year in dues for all the golf I can play.

I appreciate this response versus the wanna-be comedians.

I guess the part I don't get is that everything about golf should be things I like -- as in the big 5 things that were listed:

1. Some people enjoy drinking
2. Some people enjoy being competitive
3. Some people enjoy light exercise
4. Some people enjoy challenges
5. Some people like the outdoors

I like all these things. But I hate golf.

[Kipper is King]

I know I'm terrible at golf. However, I enjoy being outside with my friends. When I do manage to hit a good shot, I enjoy that, and I like the challenge of golf as a whole. Each shot, it feels like a chess game, thinking "If I hit that shot, what would come next? What could go wrong if I miss-hit it?" I like that strategy.

Can golf be frustrating? You bet. That's why I despise the driving range, where I make the same mistakes over and over. However, it's a necessary evil to practise. I like being out on the course much more.

[Bunk]

I love golf - playing and watching.

It is expensive, time consuming and challenging to be sure, which is why it's understandable the game is seeing fewer and fewer participants.

As many have said, the game can be quite addictive. Strike a perfect shot and it really is a great feeling one wants to replicate as much as possible. It's also a very social game, which is appealing for a lot of people. Golf is also a game someone can improve at and/or thrive at for a long period of their life and enjoy with the company of family or friends of all sorts of ability levels. That's a big advantage over a lot of other sports where it is only fun with people of similar ability (hockey, basketball, skiing, squash, tennis, etc). Personally, I also enjoy the beauty of golf courses.

As for watching, I watch because I admire the immense skill of professional players. Being perhaps the most difficult game to truly master, it's equally impressive to watch those at the top of the sport. I also really enjoy the drama of a close tournament.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

I appreciate this response versus the wanna-be comedians.

I guess the part I don't get is that everything about golf should be things I like -- as in the big 5 things that were listed:

1. Some people enjoy drinking
2. Some people enjoy being competitive
3. Some people enjoy light exercise
4. Some people enjoy challenges
5. Some people like the outdoors

I like all these things. But I hate golf.

Then you need to find a sport that incorporates the things you like to do.

[Regular_John]

I don't golf, but I am personally of the opinion that all my hobbies are a much better use of my time and money then the hobbies you choose to spend your time and money on.

In fact your hobbies are so wasteful that I would have to be paid a large sum of money to partake in whatever it is your hobbies happen to be. You would be better off getting a part time job to fill your spare time, rather than spend your time partaking in your hobbies.