Giving up golf for cycling/running

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Used to play golf in my 20's and early 30's. I got fed up with the fact that I'd hit one shot that Tiger Woods would have been proud of, and then the next shot the divot would go further and straighter than the ball!
Yup, it is THE most frustrating game you can ever play, fact ^_^
 
I don't share the view that you have to give up golf or indeed other sports in order to cycle
I don't think anyone has suggested you do have they?

The earlier posts that have given a sport and taken up cycling have done so due to either injury, boredom or time, no-one has done so through neccesity.

I used to play golf and badminton, (not together), went circuit training and also cycled, (MTBing at that time), God knows where the time came from, let alone the money TBH.

If someone has the income, time and desire to pursue several hobbies then that's great. Personally I no longer do so I stick to cycling, (usually only once a week due to time constraints, and commuting is not an option anymore), and running maybe a couple of times a week.

I wish I could do more but income, (lack of), family and work dictate otherwise :thumbsup:
 

Mugshot

Cracking a solo.
I love having a round of golf, I'm not very good at all but I really enjoy it.
I love riding my bike, I'm not very good at that either but I really enjoy it.
I love going out on my boat, but it needs extensive repairs and so is off the water for the foreseeable future.
I loved riding my motorbike, but it's been a number of years since I had one and I just can't justify spending the money to get another.
I loved doing martial arts, but life got in the way and it's been quite a while now since I went and I can't see I'll ever start again now.
I hate that I don't have the time or the money to pursue all the hobbies, sports and interests that I've discovered over the years and will unlikely have enough time or money in the future to discover new ones :sad:
 

park1

Well-Known Member
Location
Plymouth
Spent 10 yrs obsessed with kitsurfing. Especially windy days with big waves. Combination of things caused a give up.
1. Time - it was an all day sport/hobby, which was unfair on family who weren't keen on being sat on a windswept beach all day.
2. Lost mojo - I ended up going out on days because conditions were good, but coming off the water feeling a bit flat.
3. Realised I was cycling more - cycling was much more family friendly and didn't require perfect wind/tide/wave/day off conditions.
I was using my commuter single speed to do weekend rides as well.
I ended up selling all my kitesurf kit and bought a full carbon road bike.
I do miss kite surfing, but don't miss putting on a damp wetsuit in a carpark in January with wind chill making minus degree C temps!
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
I love having a round of golf, I'm not very good at all but I really enjoy it.
I love riding my bike, I'm not very good at that either but I really enjoy it.
I love going out on my boat, but it needs extensive repairs and so is off the water for the foreseeable future.
I loved riding my motorbike, but it's been a number of years since I had one and I just can't justify spending the money to get another.
I loved doing martial arts, but life got in the way and it's been quite a while now since I went and I can't see I'll ever start again now.
I hate that I don't have the time or the money to pursue all the hobbies, sports and interests that I've discovered over the years and will unlikely have enough time or money in the future to discover new ones :sad:


Like your attitude Mugshot "I'm not very good at all but I really enjoy it"
There are too many people who don't do things because they perceive they are not good enough. I'd never get out of bed if I was prone to that attitude!

There's a lot to be said for mediocrity!
 

Mugshot

Cracking a solo.
Like your attitude Mugshot "I'm not very good at all but I really enjoy it"
There are too many people who don't do things because they perceive they are not good enough. I'd never get out of bed if I was prone to that attitude!

There's a lot to be said for mediocrity!
If there's one thing I'm really good at it's mediocrity!
I'd like to be better, golf is a far more satisfying game is the ball goes something like in the direction that I intend it to, rather than hacking around in the rough. The satisfaction of cracking a drive straight down the middle, or getting a yardage right and landing somewhere in the vicinity of the pin, well I find it very hard to beat, and getting a couple right soon banishes the demons of all the others I've got wrong.
As I said above though, I just wish I was able to spend more time doing it, that and everything else.
 
I play golf (9 holes) twice a week after work for free (I work on a golf course) and thoroughly enjoy it, although I'm not that good (hcp 19.7, but falling). TBH, I would prefer to cycle more often after work (apart from the commute home) but I'm just too knackered, so wait until the weekends for longer rides.

If you can find the right balance between your hobbies then you'll be fine. But if you have an injury which prevents you from some sports, then cycling is probably less demanding on your body if you're just going out for a 'slow' 20-miler.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
Gave up golf when i realised i was s**t at it and losing my patience and throwing the clubs wasn't good for my health.
Saw a fellow get a good thirty yards on a club throw the other day. Quite impressive. That may be an ancillary sport to the actual game, throwing for both distance and accuracy. In answer to the question, yes, I gave up distance running as it was hard on my legs, came to cycling some years later after having no sport at all for some time. I still enjoy golf, though.
 

jessculter

Well-Known Member
Location
Aberdeen
Played golf since the age of 7. Golf seems to be far more accessible in Scotland and cheaper too. I have around 5 clubs within 10 miles of my home all vying for members.
The good old days cycling up to the golf course with my golf clubs and golf shoes on my back.
Got away with it in them days.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I nearly blew my chances on my first interview for my present job, which I've done for over 25 years. My prospective bosses asked me early in the interview if I played golf, to which I replied: "I'm afraid I've never set foot on a golf field!"

My boss spends at least 50% of every overseas sales trip playing golf; it's no coincidence that all his agents are golfists. I've had a glimpse of the clubhouse culture, the yo-ho-ho-ing, the loud laughter, the sexist jokes, the banter, the boozing and it really does nothing for me at all.

The common denominator in the posts in this thread is lack of time. I used to do a lot of climbing and mountaineering but that required lots of Friday afternoon road trips to remote parts and entire weekends away, coming home knackered on Sunday afternoon with a stack of chores to do at home. Even to go rock climbing is a full day out. Mountain biking required the bike to be loaded in the car so that took a lot of time but with road cycling I can go out for an hour or three from my front door and come back absolutely beasted but happy.
 

jowwy

Not here offten enough to argue
Golf isn't really a sport though is it. Come on it isn't!
what would you say it is then crankarm?? or are you just another guy that can't play it and therefore try's to discredit its existance

of course its a sport : definition of sport is this

An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment:
 

Mugshot

Cracking a solo.
what would you say it is then crankarm?? or are you just another guy that can't play it and therefore try's to discredit its existance

of course its a sport : definition of sport is this

An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment:
Somebody will be along eventually to tell you that there is no physical exertion involved, these are the people that haven't tried dragging or carrying a bag full of clubs and all the other bits and bobs up and down the sides of a mountain :sweat:
 
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