Playing the Game vs. Practicing the Game?

Welcome to my life! As a newly obsessed golfing beginner (definition of a beginner - someone who did not start playing when they were a kid) inconsistency seems to be the defining character of my game. On a typical day, I will smack a 3 wood straight down the fairway 250 yards. Then, on the next dogleg, I'll pull hook the ball as if I had never had a swing lesson. Aiheee!

This is just a phase, right? The learning curve will flatten my golf game to a blissful predictability, right?

The Learning Curve of Golf - learning and improving is an essential part of the game. But, you can always get better. Getting better is addictive and can lead to a passionate obsessiveness, because the better we get, the better we want to get. There is never an end to "getting better." Because we are never really satisfied for very long, "getting better," is a driving motivator for serious players.

The learning curve roller coaster is one of the intrinsic challenges of golf. It is most obvious in my game when I get better because I eagerly try new shots that are not in my skill set and I consequently play worse, IE; make more mistakes, score higher. This has the immediate effect of driving me to yet another practice round.

Herein lies another one of the traps of the learning curve. It is very difficult to play a round of golf and not try to improve on every shot. This is not a bad intent, but it really changes the game. It quickly turns a game into a practice round as opposed to a "lowest score" game. The drive to get better can easily run contrary to the hopes to score low. And, if you 're not careful, you play most of the round in the "in-between zone," wondering why you are so frustrated and unfulfilled.

Thank goodness for the 19th Hole! Managing my reactions to the encouragements and disappointments of playing in the learning zone requires an ample supply of patience and forgiveness. And, sometimes that cold beer just tastes sooo good.