We don't get many of these letters. Those who write us are, for the most part, wedded to the game, addicted in some cases, obsessed with getting better. Not reader Dean Wilson, who, by the way, is a pretty good player. He's had it.
I'm 51 years old and have decided to abandon golf for a multitude of reasons. First let me say that it is not because I can't play well. My handicap is around 5 and I've won a few tournaments as a junior golfer. It's not uncommon for me to shoot even par on a regulation golf course a couple times per year. You must be thinking I'm crazy to quit.
My five reasons for quitting a game I could never imagine quitting one day:
Practice Time: I once did play to a 1 handicap. This required practicing my golfing skills at least four to five days a week and playing most of the other days. Admittedly my skill level has dropped in recent years because I simply do not have time for practice anymore. Family and career choices take precedent. It's become frustrating and wearisome taking three from the edge of the green or only hitting six greens in regulation. Simply stated, it's not very much fun playing at a lesser skill level.
Cost: The price of game is exorbitant. I recently resigned from a local club because dues and other ancillary costs computed to about $300 per round of golf. Playing golf at nice resorts costs a minimum of $125 and sometimes as much as $300. Then you have the cost of equipment. A newly designed putter retails for $200 to $350. Are you kidding me? One golf club? And the thing even more incredulous is that the golfer procuring said putter will likely not putt any better than his/her bullseye putter sent to the club bin long ago.
Modernism: An old grade-school chum introduced me to a group of guys stating, "Dean began playing golf before it was cool." What an interesting comment. It's now cool to play golf because of the media frenzy, money, and celebrity. Golf was a game where the toughest survived. Pros attended Q school and then had to qualify each week to get one of a few spots at tournaments. I remember reading stories of Trevino practicing until his hands bled or the leg pain Hogan endured each round after his horrific auto accident. Palmer, Nicklaus, and Player were class acts especially with fans. My dad once said, "In my day the clubs were made of wood and the players made of steel."
Golf Fans: Is anyone else irritated when some cretin at a golf tournament shouts "Get in the hole" after a player hits a drive? Is there no etiquette and class anymore? The mania that is the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open is nothing more than a booze-up for classless boors who determine their golf success by the number of beers consumed in 18 holes and how many vulgar remarks they can utter to the cart girl.
USGA
Capitulation: I can hit a golf ball further today than when I was younger and more supple. Why? The equipment is juiced. Golf balls fly farther and clubs invoke greater distances. We also now can use laser devices for distance. The USGA has caved in to equipment manufacturers and those who argue "the game is more fun." The club or the ball should not cause greater distance or ease in shaping a golf shot. That is supposed to reside with the player.
Dean Wilson
Dean, we won't try to talk you out of it. But we will say that golf remains a great sport for the reasons it always has: the places we play, the fun of play well (for us), and most of all the people with whom we play. Even as age takes some of that second reason away, we would miss Nos. 1 and 3 a lot. And we expect you will, too. Let us know if you change your mind.
Bob Carney
