Today was the day I officially found the strength to walk away.

generally john · May 20, 2016

Maybe you have you friends is cause you wine and cry for attention. People are sick and dying and your on a golf fourm looking to be coddled. Just quit and walk away, no need to make a big post about it. You have your health...be grateful

David69 · May 20, 2016

Maybe you have you friends is cause you wine and cry for attention. People are sick and dying and your on a golf fourm looking to be coddled. Just quit and walk away, no need to make a big post about it. You have your health...be grateful

This exactly. Go visit a children's hospital and donate your time.

Sean2 · May 20, 2016

I picked up the game at 50, am 61 now. I work very, very hard at the game and am really not all that good. Sure I'll break 80 occasionally, but for the most part my inconsistency is breathtaking. I too get frustrated given how much I put into it, and how little I get back...at least as far as the scorecard goes.

I have asked myself why I continue to play, and for me I stay with it because of that pure shot, that 73, the comradery. Without golf I would be an introverted shut in. And that would not be a good thing.

I am also required to get sunshine, fresh air, and exercise on a regular basis. Golf meets all three criteria.

As far as the depression goes, I echo what others have said. It might behoove you to seek some professional help. Mental illness doesn't run in my family, it gallups. Suicides, manic-depression, PTSD, mental institutions, and the like on both sides of the family.

While there is still a bit of a stigma attached to any kind of mental illness, seeking help for what IS a possibly serious illness is nothing to be ashamed of.

The mind can be an insidious thing, whether through cognitive distortions and/or an imbalanced neurochemistry, one can create a negative "reality" that is wildly out of proportion to what really is. Though what the person is feeling at that time is very real and genuine to him. Which is why one seeks the counsel of a professional.

Whichever road you ultimately take, I wish you contentment and peace of mind.

shortstop20 · May 20, 2016

Today I concluded that I need to quit golf. I don't want to quit but I need to. I've suspected this for the last couple seasons. I don't know when it stopped being fun, but my golf game, if it were a person, would be depressed and suicidal.

The problem for me is that I'm 30 years old, single and work as an engineer. My foremost hobby is guitar. I aspire to write music because that's what I'm actually good at. Instead of fostering that ability I've chased this golf thing for the last 7 years and I'm left to face the reality that I have absolutely nothing to show for it and that not a single person I know is even remotely interested in it. My goal over the next 5 years is to be more social but I doubt I'll meet anyone my age who's into golf. In fact, I strongly suspect that golf undermines my chances at meeting people or being more able to converse on real topics. I'm beginning to believe that golf stands in the way of work, relationships and pretty much any alternative aspiration I might have in other areas.

For the last 5 years I've treated golf like a wife, but the truth is, it's more like heroin. Golf has really just been a distraction. There's no reason for it to be there in my life and it's brought on some really dark thoughts. As I hit 30, I don't see a future with golf. I just don't understand why a sane person would continue down this path. Over the last couple seasons, my analytical side has taken over and the endless waves of self-hate and rage have become too much too ignore. I'd say I leave the golf course angry about 50% of the time and the other 50% I'm just apathetic despite shooting a lousy number.

I don't know why I'm posting this.

Interesting post........I'm just shy of 30, also single and also work as an Engineer of sorts(Network Engineer). I played this game only here and there as a kid, got the golf bug around the age of 21. Was probably a 30 handicap at that time. Like many, I've seen some ups and downs with this game. Back in 2010(when I was 23) I had a case of the shanks that was so bad it would have made damn near anyone quit for good. I hit thousands of balls that year just to get to the point where I could play golf somewhat respectably again.

I was lazy during my teenage years and early 20's. I used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, I used to have a really bad temper. I'm no longer lazy, I no longer smoke, my temper is very much controlled compared to the past. Golf taught me the virtues of hard work, dedication, perseverance, patience and how to keep one's cool. Golf has helped change my entire outlook on life, for the better.

We're all different of course, but I'd encourage you to take a break for a while, reconsider and analyze what you could be doing differently to have better results.