[lesso73]

I am 25 years old and an absolute beginner. I played sports growing up and finished my athletic "career" as a college soccer player. Have played golf here and there growing up, mostly on crappy nine hole courses with my buddies in high school, and was very unsuccessful. Started playing again about a month ago with the executives in my company. These guys are much older ( and richer) and have been playing for years. Needless to say they expected as a very successful college athlete that I will be able to at least hit the ball on the course and have some fun. This was not the case. I shot something like 135 for 18 and was frustrated throughout the whole experience. Being the competitive person I am, I decided the next day to go to Golf Galaxy and pick up a set of used irons and a driver.

Throughout the past month, I have decided that I can not self teach myself, and that it would be smart to hire an instructor to take some lessons from. After finding a qualified instructor, I have taken lessons twice a week for about the last month. Through my enthusiasm to learn I have also gotten my father back into being interested in golf. He is not very good but shoots around 90-95 and enjoys being out on the course, especially with me. About once a week I get out to the range with my dad, and we each hit a bucket of balls. Through hitting about 3000 balls over the past month, I have not gotten any better, I actually believe that I have gotten increasingly worse, and much more frustrated. I hit my driver well which I attribute to my natural athletic talents (240-265 and straight), but I have not been able to get an iron in the air.

This past week I told my instructor that I thought I was wasting my money, and that I was probably going to find someone else to help me. I went to another instructor, told him my story, and took an hour lesson where I felt I made a little improvement. This being the case I wanted to show my dad my newly acquired skills and asked him to hit the range. As per routine this Monday, we each got a bucket of balls and starting wacking away. SAME STORY. I could not get my irons in the air, and basically got to my breaking point, which consisted of me sitting down on a bench halfway through my bucket of balls and just watching others hit. After giving me a minute or two, my dad came over and asked if I was going to finish my bucket. I explained to him at this time that I was gonna finish the bucket, but that my clubs were probably going to be listed on craigslist in the next few hours and I would probably spend my money on beer instead of golf.

I kid you not, I walked up to the mat and on my next swing I flushed my 6 iron about 175 yards and dead straight . To my surprise I actually hit the ball well. I figured I would mimic exactly what I did on the swing before on the next one and the same result occured. I started pumping ball after ball dead straight with nice trajectory. Long story short I have hit about 500 balls since and I have really been hitting the ball well. I literally went from quitting to being absolutely addicted in one swing. I just figured id share this story because I am so hyped that I can actually hit a golf ball ! Thanks to my dad for not letting me quit after the past month of agony and whining.

[duribass]

Welcome to THP! that i what fathers are for! Nice story and glad to see you stuck with it! Good things will happen, I promise

[SeLvesTr]

This game is incredibly difficult, and even more frustrating at times. I've had those days where not one shot, from tee to green, was a good one. However, that one purely struck shot will keep you going for ages. Glad that you've found THP, and glad that you've stuck with it.

[XVzrlWIv]

Keep at it. You're going to have many more ups and downs as you continue. It's a very tough game.

[peemovvie]

Its a game that can lift you one moment and crush you the next, thats why so many of us love it so much.

WELCOME to THP for sure, its a terrific place!

[ENCOSEARRALIA]

Welcome to the family. Enjoy the forum. And enjoy the journey that is a golf swing.

[hHwJ229h]

Great intro, I feel like I'm already following your journey.

Welcome to THP!

[asivisepo]

Welcome!

[BipiewExifese]

Welcome to golf. Plan on changing the details but otherwise repeating the gist of your story about a million times. This game is filled with a whole bunch of us that were varying degrees of good athletes in other sports who think that athleticism should translate to golf, but it kind of doesn't. This game is damn hard and requires its own set of skills. The lows can be maddeningly low but the highs are so great we just keep on coming back. BTW, great move taking lessons. Seriously.

[xyznicks]

Welcome to THP, and the game of golf, where so much of it is in the head as well as the body. It's a funny game!

[Enjoymmsq]

Great story and an even better father. Welcome to the site and looking forward to reading about your progress.

[CialisBestPrice]

Seriously good story. I play 1x/week 52 weeks/year and practice 1-2x/week 45 weeks/year. Today at the range i went through the "quitting" phase you described. As T4k said; welcome to golf.

[Xiciljed]

Wow, awesome story. I wish my dad had been into golf. He only plays rarely. Welcome to THP and glad you're loving golf.

[lesso73]

Thanks for the outstanding feedback! I will definitely relay your kind words on to my father. As many of you speak of the challenges of golf, he has been repeating to me , " golf is the only sport where trying harder, doesn't result in playing better." Hopefully I can work smarter!

[vansVoish]

Welcome to THP dude. Welcome to the mental battleground that is golf.

[theonsushv]

Congrats bro and now that you got the fever you will just get better and better

[HarryMet]

Nice to meet you!! Good story!

[Dokescoonse]

Welcome to THP!!!! I think we all have been close or even at that same breaking point, its a great game

[XinordiX]

Congratulations on finding your swing! Welcome to THP! May you have 10,000 more great swings!

[BliliBoopsy]

Welcome to golf. Plan on changing the details but otherwise repeating the gist of your story about a million times. This game is filled with a whole bunch of us that were varying degrees of good athletes in other sports who think that athleticism should translate to golf, but it kind of doesn't. This game is damn hard and requires its own set of skills. The lows can be maddeningly low but the highs are so great we just keep on coming back. BTW, great move taking lessons. Seriously.

So true.

Whenever I find myself experiencing the exact ​same things that the original post described I just try to start enjoying the environment and the process more so than the result.