Comments on Grouchy Golf Blog: Viewer Mail: Intlvagabond Writes...

Intlvagabond's post speaks more than golf or stock...

2005-11-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Intlvagabond's post speaks more than golf or stocks. It speaks to a very real human condition. For me, it's a familiar sense of what to do after attaining that next level....the one you experimented with, practiced, and made work through commitment and desire.

I've come back to golf after years of grinding the job, being fair to my wife and nuturing my kids. And the desire to do better, each time at practice or at play is the dilemma. And it's a scary thought because I've gotten better.I've reached a level where it's a whole new ballgame in where I want to go.

Now is when success demands more work, more commitment. While my clubs gathered dust for 15 or so years, I was involved in staying close to home. I got lucky at stocks and even sold a few oil paintings. I found that I could sense the crowd with stocks and understand complimentary colors in painting. Like you Intlvagabond, I reached a level.The stocks started to stag and the last painting was a portrait of my late young sister, five years ago, and felt I couldn't top it. So I quit, not consciously,... the landscapes and still lifes and the everything I was enjoying and advancing in just left.

The burning question is, did I hit the wall or did I erect it?

Now I know the last post to this thread was a few months ago, but if you found this blog recently, like I did, I'd love to hear thoughts on sticking to and attaining that 'next level'.

Mr. Grouchy...thanks for an enjoyable site. Cheers to all.

The fundamental problem all us golfers have is tha...

2005-08-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

The fundamental problem all us golfers have is that we truly believe we can tame this beast. It is untameable. Always has been, always will be regardless of your skill level. Just look at Goosen in the US Open.

The best thing you can do is just enjoy it when you truly hit the perfect shot. Of course, Hogan said that he only hit one perfect shot a round so I have no idea where that leaves us.

Poor guy.

I don't buy it though. Golf is ju...

2005-07-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

Poor guy.

I don't buy it though. Golf is just like anything in life, the more time you put into it, the better at it you will get. You can't buy a golf swing. The only way you can learn how to hit a golf ball is by hitting balls. (Sure, a little guidance helps too)

Every time I play, I try to reflect on my round and learn something. Even during my round, good or bad. A rarely go to the range. You can hit buckets upon buckets on the range until you pure every shot, but you can never truly simulate the situational golf shot on the range.

The best practice is to play, and to look at it that way, as practice. Every shot is experience, good or bad. Par 3 courses are perfect for this. I haven't been hitting it well lately, especially my driver, bad. On Saturday, I played a 9-hole par 3 course, not using my driver once. Just tempo and touch. The next day, I played a 6400 yd course and hit 12 of 14 fairways. Crushing it 275 all day.

Why? Confidence.

My game has been steadily improving for the last year and half, ever since I got serious about it. I may be a little more athletic than most, or have above average hand-eye coordination, but golf is a mental game first and foremost. The day you don't believe in yourself you are done.

I know I will break par one day, and when that happens, I will try to get better in my mind. Not by buying a new putter.

I think I've just had one of these realizations, a...

2005-07-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

I think I've just had one of these realizations, also about 10 years after taking up the game and shooting one of the worst scores I have in YEARS after thinking I've improved (at the range).

Maybe I should just go out there and play for the love of the game and not for a score?

This viewer sounds so much like a guy I work with ...

2005-07-26T14:15:00.000-07:00