Accept Where You Are in Golf – And Fall in Love with the Game Again

bryantmailme
Nov 6
2 min read

Golf has a way of humbling even the most confident among us. One week you stripe it down the middle; the next, you’re searching for balls in the woods wondering why you even bothered showing up. The difference between misery and joy on the course often isn’t talent—it’s expectation.

The Beginner’s Trap

If you’re new to golf, congratulations: you’ve chosen one of the most rewarding (and frustrating) pursuits on earth. But here’s the first rule: your scorecard should reflect your experience, not your ego.

A 120-shooter who expects to break 90 is setting themselves up for rage-quitting. Instead, celebrate the small wins:

Hitting the fairway once
Two-putting from 30 feet
Making contact with the ball at all

These aren’t consolation prizes—they’re progress.

The Cost of Getting Better (It’s Not Just Money)

Want to improve? Great. But understand the price tag isn’t just green fees and range balls. It’s time, deliberate practice, and sometimes professional guidance.

Lessons: Yes, they cost money. Golf’s already expensive, so not everyone can swing weekly sessions. But even one lesson with a good instructor can reveal flaws you’d never spot alone.
Effective practice: Mindless bucket-dumping doesn’t count. Record your swing. Identify one fault. Drill it until it’s gone. Repeat.
Patience: Rewiring muscle memory takes thousands of repetitions. Your brain doesn’t care about your weekend plans.

The Intermediate Plateau (And How to Escape It)

Been playing for years but stuck at the same handicap? Ask yourself one brutal question: “Do I actually know what I’m doing wrong?”

Most don’t. The swing happens in 1.2 seconds—too fast for self-diagnosis. You feel like you’re shifting weight properly, but video shows you’re sliding. You think you’re releasing the club, but you’re flipping.

As an instructor, I can spot practice in 30 seconds. The players who improve:

Show up with specific goals (“fix my early extension”)
Accept short-term regression for long-term gain
Celebrate tiny consistency gains (50% of fairways instead of 30%)

The Joy Equation

Fun = (Performance - Expectations) X Acceptance

Lower the expectations. Raise the acceptance. Watch the joy skyrocket.

I still apply this at my current level. Last week I shot 80 and was frustrated with taking a 7 on a par 3. Then I remembered: 80

would’ve been a career round 10 years ago. Perspective.

Your Action Plan

Write down your realistic 6-month goal (e.g., “break 100 consistently” not “shoot par”)
Film your swing once a month—compare, don’t judge
Schedule one deliberate practice session per week (even 20 minutes beats zero)
Celebrate process milestones (100 range balls with one target, not just “hit it far”)
Play one round per month with zero scorekeeping—focus on the walk, the laughs, the fresh air