To Quit or Just Keep playing

[ian_123456]

Im starting to wonder why i even play this game, now dont get me wrong i like golf, its a great game but this season has really just kind of killed it all for me a lot.

This past year has been the hardest year of my life, i totally messed up my grade 10 year but just barely passing 4 of my 8 subjects (i had some things on my mind ill explaing later) then came the golf season, i was really looking forward to having a great season and maybe playing really well to follow up my last season, well it didnt really happen at all my handicap went from a solid 7 to about a 16. Now i had been taking lessons and i had a membership the year before so i think that contributed to that alot.

I think that one of the main problems i had was that my parents were splitting up and i had known that since november of 06 but i was the only child of 4 to know that and really diddn't want to tell any of them. This is when my school year started to really go south, i just didnt want to apply myself, i just didn't care. Everyday i would come home and see everyone talking like everything was normal but it wasn't and i just hated carrying that burden but i didn't want to tell anyone until my parents did just because i thought it would do more damage then good.

Then came the summer my dad had already told me that because of my parents splitting up that playing golf wouldn't happen as much as other years because we needed to save money, so i got a job working as a caddy at Mississaugua Golf Club and while the money was good it wasnt great, around 70 a weekend was normal, i missed quite a few days though because my only rounds of golf i did get to play were on the Kiwi Junior Tour and those definatly did not go as they had the year before.

Now my Dad has moved out and im starting to wonder should i play golf anymore, i really enjoyed playing golf with him and us doing golf related stuff together, but now its different i can't just wait for him to come home and then see if he wants to head over to golf town because those sweet new ping irons or that new triangular prism driver with the 8000 MOI that sounds like a baseball bat, thats what i think is really bothering me.


Sorry for this being so long and so much of a rant but i just had to get this off my chest but quitting golf seems like something that could happen in the near future

[nearace]

truly sad to hear the bad news,as the child of a single mother I started golfing late in life and only 1 day per week with the uncles,the game will allways be there,life is not allways fair keep your chin up and get that education it is so important in this day and age.

[el tigre]

Now my Dad has moved out and im starting to wonder should i play golf anymore, i really enjoyed playing golf with him and us doing golf related stuff together... There's your answer.

Sorry to hear the bad news, but give it time. Things will get sorted out - I'm sure it will be different than the way it was, but better than it is right now. The golf season is almost over anyway - I'm sure by next spring you and your Dad will be playing golf again.

[hannah]

Im starting to wonder why i even play this game, now dont get me wrong i like golf, its a great game but this season has really just kind of killed it all for me a lot.

This past year has been the hardest year of my life, i totally messed up my grade 10 year but just barely passing 4 of my 8 subjects (i had some things on my mind ill explaing later) then came the golf season, i was really looking forward to having a great season and maybe playing really well to follow up my last season, well it didnt really happen at all my handicap went from a solid 7 to about a 16. Now i had been taking lessons and i had a membership the year before so i think that contributed to that alot.

I think that one of the main problems i had was that my parents were splitting up and i had known that since november of 06 but i was the only child of 4 to know that and really diddn't want to tell any of them. This is when my school year started to really go south, i just didnt want to apply myself, i just didn't care. Everyday i would come home and see everyone talking like everything was normal but it wasn't and i just hated carrying that burden but i didn't want to tell anyone until my parents did just because i thought it would do more damage then good.

Then came the summer my dad had already told me that because of my parents splitting up that playing golf wouldn't happen as much as other years because we needed to save money, so i got a job working as a caddy at Mississaugua Golf Club and while the money was good it wasnt great, around 70 a weekend was normal, i missed quite a few days though because my only rounds of golf i did get to play were on the Kiwi Junior Tour and those definatly did not go as they had the year before.

Now my Dad has moved out and im starting to wonder should i play golf anymore, i really enjoyed playing golf with him and us doing golf related stuff together, but now its different i can't just wait for him to come home and then see if he wants to head over to golf town because those sweet new ping irons or that new triangular prism driver with the 8000 MOI that sounds like a baseball bat, thats what i think is really bothering me.


Sorry for this being so long and so much of a rant but i just had to get this off my chest but quitting golf seems like something that could happen in the near future

You should talk to someone at your school, maybe I'm talking out of turn here but don't carry this emotion around with you and it's good that your using this forum to talk about it but don't be afraid to talk to anyone professional, you need to talk to someone at least once a week, sometimes we carry some guilt around with us for no reason and don't realilze how it really affects our everyday life. Spend whatever time you can with your dad and talk to him about everything, life will go on and as hard as it seem's you need to keep yourself focused on school and know that you need to apply yourself at school, you also never have to quit something that you love to do. ( Golf )
Your parent's would want you to keep your studies up and school is where you will gather and make some of the best friends you will have for the rest of your life. The one thing we don't have control of is how time passes by, but we do have control how we use that time for the better of ourselves.
You sound like your maybe 16-17 or so, just the age where you need to make some important decisions for yourself, SCHOOL is where you need to be. Always talk to your dad everyday and involve him in everything, he need's you in his life as much as you need him. You take care and please don't keep your emotion's inside, talk to someone just as a release for you. I hope I didn't offend you by anything I said or mentioned, I apologize if I did,and it's not my place to say anything to you as someone might point out but I only meant it with sincere intention's, take care, Tom.

[Grass Roots Tour]

Well said, Tom.

I agree wholeheartedly with the above posts. Never give up on your dreams and if you apply yourself theres nothing you can't acheive.

More often then not we're just a bunch of goofy golfers but times like these .... we're all family and we all pull for each other in tough times.

Best of luck and ours prayers are with you.

[thekathrynorchard]

My thoughts are with you too during what is obviously a difficult time. You need to keep your head up and follow all the great advice these guys have given you. I wouldn't do anything too hasty at this point in your life as I'm sure you'v got a million emotions a minute going through your head. Just hang in there and talk to anyone/someone if you need to. My ears are always open as I'm sure all these others guys' are as well.

[JEBS]

I shared your experience of parents splitting up, I was a little younger than you but I can understand a little of what you are going through. To answer the main question, I would keep playing, golf is a great game to lose yourself for a few hours. I sometimes used it as an outlet when things were not going so well. I knew for at least those hours I was on the course that the other problems did not hurt so much.

All I can tell you is what I went through with my parents made me a much stronger person today. As much as things hurt right now, they will get better !! When I was your age I took the train into Toronto (Things were a little safer back then) I saw for the first time people living on the street as well as people my own age begging for money. That day I left my "baggage" behind. As much as my parents broken marriage hurt I realised that day that I still had two parents who loved me and so much more than what the people on the street had (They had nothing).

I strongly agree with Tom, find someone you can talk to, there will be so many emotions that having an outlet will always be a good idea.

I know that you are bummed out because you had a bad year at school, we all have them and IMO if you are going to screw up a year... grade ten is a good one for that!! you still have time to get yourself ready for the next step.

Hey I used to caddy at Credit Valley when I was younger !!! I turned that into working on the range and backshop (free golf!!) we used to sneak on Mississauga once in a while ;) The lessons I learned from caddying I still use today, great way to learn the fundamentals as well as the etiquete of golf!!

Keep your head up !! you have a rough road ahead, but in the end you will be a better stronger person !!

[Big Shooter]

I feel 4 u to bud, I was 16 when my parents split-up, and I too "quit/gave up"...School, Golf, Friends, and got into some trouble. But time heals all wounds, and several years later, at about the age of 21, was when I started playing golf again...MORE with my Dad than I did previously! :)

Hang in there, times will be tough/different for the next little while, but it's good that you're 'sharing' this with us. I didn't have this kind of outlet (no such thing as Internet back-in-the-80's, fewer golf courses, and No GolfTowns!):$

Concentrate on school as much as you can, it will be the #1 thing that keeps you on the right track! Also, since you're the Big Brother (I am too), it's good to keep close/involved with your Family. As 'corny' as that seems right now, you will really appreciate them MORE as time goes by.

As Brian said in Monty Python's "Life of Brian"...."always look on the bright side of life" ;)