Golf’s future has been a much debated topic over the last few years. Some commentators believe that golf’s popularity is stronger than ever, while others suggest we are beginning to see the death of the sport all together.
At times, seasoned golfers can find themselves seeking motivation to maintain their golf passion — a microcosm of the much broader aforementioned debate. For golf to survive, its players must remain interested in it.
So what should you do if you find your golf interest waning? Here are some tips to reinvigorate your passion for the sport.
Revisit the beginning
What do you like about golf to begin with? This is an important first question to ask yourself when trying to rebuild your golf passion. Brad Brewer Golf Academy suggests breaking down the reasons you fell in love with the sport in the first place. What drove you to start playing? To keep playing? To focus on getting better? Identifying these factors can be a great first step to getting back onto the green. Scores and goals aside, if you are not enjoying golf, you cannot hope to rekindle your interest in it if it has been lost. Remind yourself why you enjoy the sport and start from there.
Come up with new goals
Golf is primarily a goal-oriented game. Maybe you are trying to set a personal best score, or perhaps you are just playing to finish a round under par. Goals can keep you focused on bettering your playing ability, and they make the game fun beyond any single round.
Revisiting this mindset can be a great way to refuel your golf passion, too. Sit down and scheme a new goal — maybe an extension of something you had been trying to achieve when your passion began to dwindle. Start with something easily achieved, just to get your feet wet. Then, ease yourself back in until the fire for the game as returned to your stomach.
Remember that “nothing is forever”
One common reason people lose interest in golf is frustration — they feel as if they cannot get better and they give up to spare themselves from feeling upset and angry. While it is usually a good idea to take a break in times like these, it is equally important to keep these breaks as breaks and not permanent retirements. A good way to lay frustration to rest is to remember that “nothing is forever” in golf. Bad scores. Bad shots. Bad weather. None of it matters when the next game starts. Golf is an unpredictable game, and with this notion in mind, you need to remember that your bad experience could easily turn into a pleasant one the next time around. Either way, the only way to find out is to lay the past to rest and get back on the course.
