Covid Golf Reflection

FixdePitchmark

I haven't posted a thread in a while - and 50/50 are hit and miss anyway (being very very generous to myself ).

But anyone want to post, in general, about how their Covid golf has gone - be it positive , negative, a surprise, a frustration, an epiphany.

To give my own reflection.

My own golf game has been in decline for a few years - and the break was actually a good thing.

The restriction of being able to do many things in life - has made you reflect on , perhaps how easy , and too comfortable things were. Worrying about your game of golf and floating around the country playing any golf you like , is a sort of bizarre freedom - we/I lost sight of, how much of an incredible luxury that is.

Even someone putting a plate in front of you with food - is an extraordinary luxury, that - I'll admit , I lost a bit of respect for. A pint served to you - think about that for a second - served to you - it is all a bit subservient when you genuinely think about it at a deeper level.

I found when golf was back on (lockdown 1) - there was such joy and excitement and actual realization , amongst even the most selfish golfers (club throwers, wanabee scratch lads , up your arse lads) , of how much of a luxury it was. Of course there was the odd few (THIS IS MY GOD / GODLESS / BORN GIVEN RIGHT) lads - but , lets be honest - there is nothing worse than a golf wan"er entitled, dude. Rant over

When the courses opened the first time round - I learned and understood a bit more about the top course winter policies - courses need rest - as golfers, we are over hungry to use our courses flat out at all times - and we (I) need to think about what we want from our golf courses. We demand condition - but don't understand what that takes. We demand - but don't understand.
There are too many club golfers that say the "condition is terrible/ a disgrace" - but want 365 golf, want to practice on the course with 4/5 balls - don't repair pitch marks or divots. But expect Portmarnock conditions.

To move on quickly..............:)
The removal of competitive golf and the nine hole, big gap (10 min) golf, has been a fascinating dimension also. So fast - relaxed - flag in , who gives a S**T attitude. An amazing forced change of atmosphere.

It puts the 5 hour monthly medal , shooting a 93 (net 85) into perspective. I never want to say the yanks are right , with their more relaxed attitude. But it makes you reflect that maybe too much club golf in Ireland has become too serious , too slow and all a bit too (do you think you are on the European tour type golf) - I dont know - anal.

There seems an interesting twist in the 2nd time back - middle winter , lads need to play, who don't even play winter golf. - then a few weeks of fairly unusual wet weather - has been interesting.

Again - lack of respect for the course - people forgetting about how to repair pitch marks etc. But look - I need to relax and get on with it . I'm behind the pace with this new found 1 hour 45 min 4 ball 9 hole - 5 euro golf - and no one paying the 5 euro.

So, random reflection almost up. (thank ****)

I've enjoyed the times on the course - I've enjoyed the time away. We all got a career break , a golf break , a break that we never would have taken ourselves.

The most interesting change I found in this is - that routines were altered in everyone. I've always been a bit of an outsider to club golf , a latecomer etc. But people for a while, played with others, played a different sequence of holes at a different time of the day and week.

I'm not outrageously (just partially) idealistic, or naïve. I know when everything is back to normal , everything will go back to normal. The same fourball , the same format, the same people, the same buffer zone golf.

But - I actually enjoyed the challenge and the change. If anything, I needed a forced challenge and change and an opportunity to reflect a bit on everything - as I said earlier, a career break in everything has been an unexpected enjoyable epiphany.

Anyway - it is amazing to be back - and to say sorry to our stunning, beautiful, life changing game.

FixdePitchmark

I know this was a total internal reflection - but someone else can post.

How do you feel about it all at this stage ?

slave1

Played the Boards Outings, my home society only managed one outing and I played that, went off and played Enniscrone one day, Slieve Russell another and Strandhill another, in total I golfed 11 days in 2020.
As I've no interest in going outside the spirit of the various restrictions my interest just waned, haven't golfed since end of Sept and likely won't golf until restrictions lifted again properly, could be May/June, who knows?
Just looked at my Game Golf there for comparison, 64 rounds last year, 66 year before so 2021 just a golfing disaster.

But I didn't get the virus, was tested once, wife and kids tested at various times and negative too, parents in their 80's and they've avoided too.
Due to kids being in non-exam year we had two European trips planned as well as a three week Florida driving trek all mapped out, all cancelled.
HUGE amount of DIY and decorating around the house, brownie points overflowing.
Suffered Covid redundancy in October, nothing out there for me at the minute.

All in all a year to be forgotten and unfortunately by the looks of things it will be well into 2021 before any tide will start turning.

Heads up though!

slave1

Yikes, really been lefti hanging here Fix

FixdePitchmark

slave1 wrote: »

Yikes, really been lefti hanging here Fix

I think people have used up all their reflection on zoom over the last 9 months

finglashoop

The first lockdown didn't bother me too much,
thought golf was safe but understood the reasoning.

Then to get back out definitely made me appreciate it more but the second was a real kick in the teeth as the knowledge and precautions where in place and I felt it overboard and unnecessary.

I watched my kids go to school 'safe' yet me on a course was not.

I felt the GUI let golfers down, badly.

As for the game, I missed the consistency of playing regularly so hopefully we have no more interruptions. The change of routine made me massively lazy in general which my trouser size will now attest to!!!!

Not golf related but I feel this whole thing has really illuminated the way politics works in Ireland and shone a light on the people in government are out for themselves, not constituents, not the greater good. Not a surprise.

It has also shown the massive ineptitude of those in charge.

MorganIRL

Had big plans this year to get back playing. Change of career from self employment in hospitality at the beginning of this year( how lucky was I) to healthcare industry gave me more free time and ability to play( pre lockdown). Bought new shoes (thread on here), bits and pieces all ready to go..then bang.

Lockdowns haven't bothered me as much as I wasn't a member of a GC but my society golf was washed out. I was employed FT through the lockdowns (thankfully) so unfortunately finding people to play with wasn't an issue due to there circumstances. What I have found is that GC timesheets are full and for non members it's hard to get out even if you have a member to play with....

For 2021 I have joined Enniscrone GC as I was a member yrs ago and its a course you can play year rd. What has shocked me is how some GC haven't given anything back to this yrs members.. a token, reduction in the pro shop.. but that's a diff thread..

I'm positive for next yrs golf, the hardest thing is gonna be to avoid the 5hr rd, where ur stuck behind the guys who feel they are on the European tour.

slave1

Long time no hear MorganIRL, welcome back man

MorganIRL

slave1 wrote: »

Long time no hear MorganIRL, welcome back man

Thanks, Still here, have had a few posts in French campsites thread.. but current turmoil is restricting posts from peeps on that.

Curly head

Hi all.
Playing golf close on 20 yrs, from a high of 23 to a low of 13. Off 16 now n happy enough with that. Its only when we were stopped from playing that I truly realise how lucky I was to be able to play wherever n whenever I wanted within reason for so long. The plug was pulled n we bitched n moaned about it but what the hell, we'll be back n our memories will probably be selective.
I work in a hospital n see first hand the absolute chaos is has brought to people's lives. Seeing old patients gravely ill n not being allowed visitors is heartbreaking stuff. The damage it has caused to people worldwide is plain for us all to see. I'm told I had it myself without even realising it, I have the antibodies so there's a strong probability I had the virus according to the experts.
Played a few 9s since they reopened n enjoyed it but the weather has decided that I will take a break till next year.
Looking forward to another year n hopefully covid will be tamed, maybe we will get to play in t-shirts n shorts n maybe even have a go at loosing a shot!
I took golf for granted, I learned an awful lot more about life in the last 9 months of my 62 years than I did in lot of it prior to that.
Here's to the future.
Wishing everybody all the hope for at Christmas n the new year

SuprSi

The first lockdown absolutely destroyed my golf game. I had a great year in 2019, getting cut from 5.4 to 3.9, and had set my sights on 3.0 by the end of 2020, or perhaps better. I started the year in good form but then lockdown came into effect. When I returned, I was very out of practice - the net I'd ordered online arrived literally the day the courses reopened, so I had no real swing practice.

Before the 2nd lockdown, I had played in 9 competitive rounds, going up .1 in 8 and down .1 in 1, leaving me at 4.7 as the WHS came into effect. What made it so bad was that I was never really close to avoiding going up by .1 in any of those rounds, with me being well out of contention by the 5th or 6th holes at times. That's how bad my game was. It's better now, and I'm starting to play more like I did last year, though I'm still far more erratic. That'll be winter golf too I guess.

Ironically, my WHS on the course is now 3, so I guess I ended up where I wanted to be, but it certainly wasn't as a result of any good golf played this year. At least it means that, if I can get my game back to where it was quickly in 2021, I should be able to keep that handicap.

RoadRunner

I may be becoming more of a snob and my threshold for accepting a substandard experience has plummeted. I don't know if I can explain, but I'll try.

I've always enjoyed my time on the course immensely but now I appreciate it more when I do get out. I find myself less willing to suffer things that might lessen my experience. These could be things that may not have bothered me too much before. Perhaps things I can't control like poor course conditions or stuff I can control such as rushing to the first tee unprepared.

Much golf over the past few years has been played with randomers that I'm on the timesheet with, these can be sometimes very good but also sometimes a mixed bag. I've become a little less accepting of this modern habit of timesheets after covid and I'm starting to greatly prefer to play golf with friends even if this isn't always possible.

If there's something that could possibly go wrong to dull my appreciation of my free time, then I'm willing to take steps to remove that possibility.

I'm craving more variety of courses nowadays too. Want to play in new and better places. Perhaps this is because covid has taken this away as an option for most of last year.

Work is busy for me and as me-time is harder to come by this attitude where I'm not as go-with-the-flow as I previously was also extends into my non-golf world. I'm getting older. This attitude/feeling could also just be something that naturally happens as you age?

rickis tache

That's not being a snob nor due to covid.
It's just you're getting older.
Welcome to the club.

RoadRunner

rickis tache wrote: »

Welcome to the club.

Is there a joining fee?

spacecoyote

RoadRunner wrote: »

Is there a joining fee?

You'll need to give up that flexibility that gives you those extract yards on your way in the door

RoadRunner

spacecoyote wrote: »

You'll need to give up that flexibility...

It getting harder to tie my left shoelace, good enough?