What has golf given back to you?

[SixtySomePing]

If you've been playing golf any length of time at all, then you've probably made some monetary investment as well as a good amount of your time. Have you received satisfaction back from golf in some form or another, for what you've invested so far? I totally understand paying it forward, and helping others with the game, which is terrific to do, any time you can. However, what has golf given back to you?

[jimb6golf]

Depending on how I play it can be very peaceful, with great comradery and a great walk. It can also be a stress release especially when hitting balls on the range. Better stress release when hitting the ball well though.

[BicknellCC]

jimb6golf said:

Depending on how I play it can be very peaceful, with great comradery and a great walk. It can also be a stress release especially when hitting balls on the range. Better stress release when hitting the ball well though.

I can agree with this, and add it also fills a need I seem to have to compete. I'm not fast or quick enough these days to play the sports I did when I was younger. 

 

[Conrad1953]

Golf has given me some pretty cool friends.....some of them right here at WRX!

[tgoodspe1991]

I have been playing golf since I was 3-years-old. At different times in my life, golf has spanned a spectrum of daycare to therapy and everything in between. As cheesy as it sounds, I have given much of my life to golf and as a result it has defined much of my life. I am very much who I am today because of this game.

 

Oh, and occasional back pain, that too. 

[scomac2002]

Conrad1953 said:

Golf has given me some pretty cool friends.....some of them right here at WRX!

Ain't that the truth!  I always figured that the greatest gift this game gives is the relationships that are created from being a participant.

[gioguy21]

memories, time with my grandfather and my dad, trips, up and downs emotionally, hit to the wallet (would gladly pay again), and a better outlook in my daily life. 

[NJpatbee]

Relaxation, focus, challenge, sense of accomplishment, and great times with my friends and family (And I am 16 HCP!).

[dropkicked]

Golf has given me the greatest gift any person would want.. Time.

Time spent with my friends and family.. Most importantly it allowed me to spend time with the man who introduced me to the game, my father. I hope to pass on this tradition with my children.

[Carl Spackler3]

The best days of my relationship with my father, it has replaced the competition of my youth from other sports, the people I have met all over the world playing

[JonnyKrasnodar]

Satisfaction is the main thing for me. Taking it up in my late 20s, I was shooting sky high first couple of years. Then it clicked through lessons and hard work. Halved my HCP in the last 18 months, won a handful of tournaments and after more work over the winter I'm now keeping up with the big boys and confident I can go lower. Proved to myself I can do it. So that's the main thing. No one likes to suck at anything but it didn't come naturally and I thought about chucking it a few times. So that's given me satisfaction, a reasonable amount of money back from wins/betting and a whole new set of friends, social excursions and memories to last a lifetime.

 

Golf isn't half bad.

[CaddiesFault]

A career

[IamMarkMac]

Golf has given me time with my dad and time without my wife.

[MattM97]

I golfed when I was younger but stopped for 2 reasons. A serious injury I dealt with and focus on another sport which I was quite successful in. 2 years ago I stopped competing in that sport for various reasons, I had a large void with no sport in my life and kinda fell into a depression. My friends got me back into golf after asking me to play in a charity tournament last year since then I caught the bug.

 

Golf filled the void for me in the need for a sport. Although it's a stark contrast in my old sport and will take a while for me to adapt I enjoy the challenge and growth that I'll see over the next few years. Will see if I can get down to scratch if not keep in single digits handicap.

 

On top of filling in a void I just enjoy being out there, the peace and quiet at times, the challenge. I wish I didn't stop playing years ago but I won't stop now for a while.

[cardoustie]

Stress relief time, buddy time, outdoor time, mental battle with yourself and the elements

 

Negatives ,,, back, hands, elbows

[FlyingLaw1]

Golf has given me so much. It's led to jobs. It helps me network... I go to a conference every year that used to have a golf outing associated with it... People I haven't seen in several years still remember me because of the golf outings (I've own every one of them I participated in). It gives me something to always work toward. Gets me outside. Many of my closest friends I met because of golf. I met my closest mentor through golf.

 

I could go on and on. Simply put... golf is a huge part of my life and I love it!

[LeftDaddy]

I’ve been thinking about this topic lately ?

 

I’d say it has given me time with friends, “me” time, time outdoors, a pursuit of excellence in something that I had no skill in when I started, a recreational outlet, and finally in the few instances where I’ve succeeded in accomplishing a goal...the satisfaction of doing something that is really hard well.

 

The more cynical version of this answer, but also somewhat realistic, is that it has given me a place to spend a lot of discretionary money (I mean I do start to wonder what else am I going to do with it at times), a place to steal my time away from work, and a ton of frustration. I just realized yesterday that golf is the only pursuit that causes me to take the Lord’s name in vain with quite a bit of regularity. ?

 

I try to focus more on the positive first paragraph, but the second one can be true at times too.

 

I’ll close with another similar example in my life: college football. I graduated from a D1 school that has had some success in football, but is by no means a regular national power. So with that comes more wins than losses, but plenty of both. For a while I somewhat lived and died by these wins and losses, but as I aged started to realize that about the only real stressor I had in life was whether a group of 18-22 year olds won a silly game. I realized how stupid that was, and did my best to distance myself from the “living and dying” by it part. I still watch. I still want my team to win. I’ve scaled back on traveling to games. And I try not to revolve my Fall weekends around it anymore. Anyway, golf may need to occupy a similar spot in my life. Important, still enjoyable, but not to be taken so seriously.

[3jacker]

Torn rotator cuff

Periods despair and discouragement

Many great memories

[wmblake2000]

> @SixtySomePing said:

> If you've been playing golf any length of time at all, then you've probably made some monetary investment as well as a good amount of your time. Have you received satisfaction back from golf in some form or another, for what you've invested so far? I totally understand paying it forward, and helping others with the game, which is terrific to do, any time you can. However, what has golf given back to you?

That's easy to answer: Decades of enjoyment. Someone recently described it as 'athletic jigsaw puzzle' except you never really get the picture fully put together for very long.

 

 

[MountainGoat]

Credit card receipts.

 

[QuigleyDU]

Anything that golf has "given" me, I have paid for multiple times over.

[billh17]

It has given me many friendships thru the years. Many hours of quiet time on the course

in the late afternoon and early evenings,and most of all,it is a game that i got my granddaughter

started in,with her walking along with me,and then having her tiny first set of clubs. Today she

will out drive me often and we spend more time together because of golf. That is about the

best thing golf could ever give me.

[tannyhoban]

Enjoyment. Solo or with friends. I enjoy every aspect of the game. Priceless.

[disco111]

What has golf given me............Hmmm, lets see

A Bad back

Bad knees

Bad shoulder

Fits of anger

And an empty wallet !!

But, it has also given me at times a few glorious memories, such as my first birdie, a hole in one, an albatross, the excitement of the Masters, which is the un-official / official start of the real golf season, the camaraderie of those considered friends and last but not least, on a nice evening with the course to myself and the sun beginning to set, the tranquility of spending time with the creator in quiet contemplation of thank fullness and hope for the future.............

[Reasonability]

An opportunity. To be a respectful son, brother, husband, father, student, friend, fan, coworker, neighbor, and club tinkerer. To embark on a journey that hopefully never ends. Other than all that, not much. ⛳️

[third-times-a-charm]

After making a nice 4 putt yesterday and spinning my club around in the air, I think golf has given me the ability to be a really great baton twirler.

[Grizz06]

A ton of great stories, even more memories, and a wife...

It has taken from me the thought that I can be good at anything...

[Hanlpa01]

> @jimb6golf said:

> Depending on how I play it can be very peaceful, with great comradery and a great walk. It can also be a stress release especially when hitting balls on the range. Better stress release when hitting the ball well though.

 

Perfectly said. It’s given me a getaway from the nonsense of work and other responsibility while having a chance to always be improving.

[rainkingjr]

Credit card debt.

[blues72]

The motivation to get better, humility and hope that the work shows itself.