We discovered one other in style golf query making the rounds on Reddit: Why is golf so arduous? Is it the swing? The psychological sport? The chaos of making an attempt to hit an ideal shot on imperfect floor? Lots of of golfers weighed in with their takes. Some have been humorous, some brutally trustworthy, and lots of painfully relatable. Beneath, we’ve pulled collectively the commonest causes individuals say golf is so tough. What did they miss?
What Reddit needed to say about why golf is so arduous
The psychological sport breaks you
Golf isn’t just about making an attempt to not hit unhealthy photographs. The unhealthy photographs are coming. It’s the way you deal with them and what it does to your mindset. Redditors identified that the majority gamers flip one unhealthy swing right into a catastrophe gap or a catastrophe spherical.
Dangerous follow habits (Or no follow in any respect)
One of many greatest points that makes golf so difficult is that the typical golfer doesn’t follow recurrently. After they do, they follow the fallacious issues. Gamers hit 40 drives and name {that a} follow session as a substitute of including stress and creating sensible on-course circumstances.
One remark was:
“They hit 15 vary balls, then shove down a scorching canine and a beer on the flip, and marvel why they’re not breaking 90.”
The swing feels utterly unnatural
It takes a few years to groove a golf swing that feels pure.
Not like different sports activities, there’s nothing intuitive a couple of golf swing. Even athletes from different backgrounds (like baseball or tennis) mentioned they needed to unlearn actions to make progress in golf.
Horrible recommendation is in all places
From outdated clichés to fashionable YouTube fads, Redditors warned that unhealthy data is rampant. Golfers who need to enhance and get higher should be careful about the information they take in. Many gamers construct their whole swing on flawed fundamentals like “maintain your head down” or “simply swing slower.”
Most individuals by no means be taught the proper strategy to swing.
Gamers simply need to smash it
Put a stick in somebody’s fingers and a ball on the bottom, and the intuition is easy: swing arduous, make it go far.
That mindset is likely one of the extra pure issues concerning the sport however it doesn’t all the time work. In case you begin chasing speed and power earlier than you’ve constructed any fundamentals, issues unravel quick.
Distance is nice, however not if it comes with a snap hook, a misplaced ball or an enormous slice into one other fairway. Most gamers could be higher off studying management, contact and course administration first, however that’s a tricky factor to just accept.
Golf is a brutal sport to be taught as an grownup
This remark got here up many times. Most individuals begin taking part in golf later in life as a result of they’ve the monetary means and leisure time to take action. The issue is the time and the athletic capability wanted to be taught one thing new.
One remark that ought to encourage any father or mother to place a membership of their youngsters’ fingers was, “Everybody I do know who performed as a child is at the very least half-decent. Everybody else? Struggles.”
It’s a precision sport with no margin for error
In golf, small issues aren’t small. A barely open clubface, a tiny shift in ball place or a fractionally off swing airplane might be the distinction between taking pictures a 95 or an 85. The margins are razor-thin and every part from setup to swing path to spin must be dialed in. That’s what makes golf so arduous.
Expectations are method out of whack
This was one in every of my favourite responses. A number of individuals mentioned that golf seems straightforward and that’s precisely what makes it so tough. The ball isn’t transferring. The grass is minimize. The tee is there that can assist you.
But most individuals do not know how a lot time, teaching and cash it takes to be good. The frustration will increase rapidly and unadjusted expectations solely make the sport tougher.
My take
Reddit coated a whole lot of floor. I agreed with a lot of the feedback and I additionally assume that what makes golf arduous for one individual might be solely completely different for one more. Right here are some things I’d add.
Golf doesn’t match right into a fast-results world
We stay in a world of same-day transport, prompt streaming and five-minute tutorials. Golf doesn’t care how briskly you need outcomes.
Even in case you have cash, athleticism and entry to teaching, you continue to have to put within the time.
Actual enchancment takes disciplined follow and persistence. These are two issues that don’t come commonplace in a society constructed on velocity. I feel that the mismatch alone makes golf particularly arduous for most individuals.
Physique consciousness is a serious barrier
Some gamers really don’t know what their our bodies are doing. I’ve taught individuals who swore they made a full flip and their hips didn’t transfer in any respect. Feeling one thing and doing it are two very various things. With out strong physique consciousness, the golf swing turns into very tough to troubleshoot.
Enjoying properly might be simply as arduous as taking part in poorly
This one’s private. After I was youthful, I’d make a couple of birdies in a row in match play after which begin worrying that I used to be taking part in too properly.
The psychological sport in golf isn’t nearly recovering from errors. It’s about staying grounded when issues go proper. That’s a a lot more durable steadiness than individuals understand.
Ultimate ideas
Golf is difficult for lots of causes. The swing feels unnatural, the atmosphere is unpredictable, the expectations are sometimes unrealistic and the psychological sport by no means offers you a break. The one comforting fact is that everybody struggles with it. Even the perfect gamers on this planet.
So for those who’re pissed off, you’re in good firm.
Your flip: Why do you assume golf is so arduous? Let me know within the feedback.
