Opinion & Analysis

How long between rounds?

Published

11 years ago

Jul 7, 2015

Tom HIll

I’m on a trip now where there won’t be any golf for almost three weeks. Since I live in Southern California and play year-round, this will be the longest I’ve gone without teeing it up in probably 14 years.

Three weeks seems like an eternity to not pick up a 7-iron to me, but I realized as I talked with other golfers before the trip that some of us endure even longer layoffs over the course of a year.

“I’m from New York,” Albert told me while playing a vacation round in Orange County. “I’m feeling like I’m just getting the hang of the game again after a few months off. We didn’t start playing until mid-March this year so I didn’t pick up a club from November until then.”

I asked him if he has to relearn the game each spring.

[quote_box_center]“No, I have the same swing — I just hit the ball shorter every year. No, really though, it’s the short game, the touch, that takes a while to get back to. By the end of the summer I’ll be in mid-season form, finally, and just about then it will start getting colder and once there’s frost our course closes for the season.”[/quote_box_center]

“Let’s see…the longest I’ve gone without playing is probably a month or two, but that was a few years ago,” C.J. from Long Beach said. He’s probably in his mid-40s and he’s a 5 handicap. “I usually play every weekend, once or twice, and I try to practice at least once a week.” He was on the driving range at Recreation Park.

“We have some nice short courses around here, too, so during the summer when it’s light late I’ll play there. If I had to go two weeks without playing I might go through withdrawal.”

Sometimes you’ll hear a pro golfer say after three consecutive tournaments that he needs a break, and when he comes back a few weeks later I’ll read how he never picked up a club for two weeks.

“I feel like I’d lose my swing if I went that long without playing,” C.J. said.

I found Matt at another driving range — this might sound like the set-up of a bad golf joke, but no, he was hitting balls off of the grass. “I haven’t played for like two months,” he said.

“But I’m playing with some old fraternity brothers Saturday at White Dove and I don’t want to look like a total fool,” he said while hitting driver after driver, each one struck solidly but often a little right, and then once, way right.

“See,” he said after the big slice, “that’s what I can’t do Saturday, but when you don’t play very often, it’s hard not to.”

I asked him why he doesn’t play more often.

[quote_box_center]“I like golf but it takes too much time, costs too much money, and it’s too hard to play well,” he said. “I get frustrated when I’m out there if I suck really bad. I need to play more to get better but because I don’t have much time or want to spend the money, that’s hard to do.”[/quote_box_center]

I played 36 holes one day the other week to celebrate my birthday and in my morning round one of the guys I was paired with, Rodney, said he had played golf at least once every month for 18 years and counting. That didn’t sound that impressive to me until he mentioned that he’d lived near Detroit for the first eight of those years.

“During the winter sometimes I’d drive down near Cincinnati to play if I had to, even then sometimes it was barely in the 40s outside.”

“That takes dedication,” I said, perhaps in understatement.

“Yeah, but it got me out of the house and on one of those drives I decided it was time to move to California. My wife says it was the best idea I ever had, besides marrying her.”

I asked Rodney how long he goes between rounds now. “Play every weekend and every Wednesday,” he said. “So I have no excuse for playing as badly as I am today. But Saturday will be another story, that’s when I’m with my boys and I’ll take their money.”

In my afternoon birthday round I played with a couple from San Diego. Carol made more pars than her husband, Edward, through the front nine but she confided to me, “He’s having a really bad day…”

“We’re going to play again tomorrow,” Edward said. “Maybe I’ll get my game figured out by then.”

Inconsistency is the one trait infrequent golfers usually share. They hit enough good shots to know they can do it and so they visualize and even expect that good outcome, but because they haven’t played enough to hone their skills they’ll sometimes hit embarrassing shots.

“I think if I could play twice a week every week,” Edward said on the back nine after he’d started making a few pars, “then I could really start playing well.”

I asked how long it had been since his last round.

“A couple of weeks. We’re doing some remodeling and I’ve been helping with that and it seems like there’s always something to do that stops me from playing.”

The other guy in our foursome was Evan. He told me that he played pretty much every weekend, but usually never picks up a club from Sunday afternoon to Saturday morning.

“Some Saturdays I feel like I’m just relearning the game for the first few holes, even if I go to the range to warm up before the round,” he said. “In some ways the Saturday rounds are almost practice rounds and I play my best golf on Sundays when I’ve played the day before.”

I told him I was going away and wouldn’t be near a golf club for more than three weeks.

He’d seen me kick my way around to a 43 on the front nine. “Good luck with that,” he said. “My advice: Don’t bet with anybody the first round back.”

How long do you usually go between rounds? Let us know in the comments section below. And check out the inspirational story of one golfer trying to shoot the round of his life at 7-ironpress.com. The book is called A Perfect Lie – The Hole Truth and you can get free shipping on the paperback with the code GOLFWRX, or $4 off the e-book when you enter the code GOLFWRX1 at check-out.

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Tom HIll

Tom Hill is a 9.7 handicap, author and former radio reporter. Hill is the author of the recently released fiction novel, A Perfect Lie – The Hole Truth, a humorous golf saga of one player’s unexpected attempt to shoot a score he never before thought possible. Kirkus Reviews raved about A Perfect Lie, (It) “has the immediacy of a memoir…it’s no gimme but Hill nails it square.” (kirkusreviews.com). A Perfect Lie is available as an ebook or paperback through 7-ironpress.com and the first three chapters are available online to sample. Hill is a dedicated golfer who has played more than 2,000 rounds in the past 30 years and had a one-time personal best handicap of 5.5. As a freelance radio reporter, Hill covered more than 60 PGA and LPGA tournaments working for CBS Radio, ABC Radio, AP Audio, The Mutual Broadcasting System and individual radio stations around the country. “Few knew my name and no one saw my face,” he says, “but millions heard my voice.” Hill is the father of three sons and lives with his wife, Arava Talve, in southern California where he chases after a little white ball as often as he can.

14 Comments

Joew2328

Jul 29, 2015 at 2:47 pm

I play in a golf league 2 nights a week, and try to get in at least 18 holes on the weekend. Unfortunately, I live in Michigan so every year I am forced to take a 2-4 month hiatus from the game. It is kind of nice to “reinvent” your game every off season though.

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Chet Steadmana

Jul 18, 2015 at 9:27 pm

Until this past April, it had been 53 weeks since I last played. The comment in the article about time and cost rings true. First round back was a terrible 93 on a course I had never seen before. Two weeks later, shot a nice 79. I probably won’t play again for another few weeks, but find it pretty easy to come back after a long layoff. When I haven’t played for a while, I don’t get overly aggressive. The third or fourth round back normally brings me back to earth though.

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Golfgirlrobin

Jul 12, 2015 at 12:25 am

The longest I’ve ever gone was four weeks when I hit a root with a six iron and separated a rib from my sternum. Turns out you can’t play through that one.

Otherwise, never longer than a week. Even when studying for the bar exam, I needed to get out and play or the the stress would have killed me.

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felchone

Jul 11, 2015 at 3:58 pm

Lol…try being a golf nut in Saskatchewan. No golf happening around here for at least 5 months of the year. 3 weeks with no golf isn’t going to be getting much sympathy from this part of the map haha

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Regis

Jul 8, 2015 at 2:59 pm

I’ve been playing since I was 13. I’m 64. My entire life has been spent on the East Coast so for the most parts long winter layoffs are the norm. When I resume I usually put in one range session then hit the course. By the 7th or 8th hole I’m amazed at how well I’m playing, tee shots, wedges, putting. But then like the proverbial squirrel , I start to implement all the swing tips I’ve stored over the winter from mags, TV and internet. And then my game deteriorates to its norm. Crap. I need a lesson.

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Scott

Jul 8, 2015 at 1:11 pm

I’ve gone 31 years avoiding a wife and kids so I’m good to play everyday. You just gotta decide what’s more important in life. I think I made the right choice

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headymonster

Jul 8, 2015 at 1:03 pm

I have a driving range mat in the garage and a cheap carpet I use for putting. I can get a few swings/putts in taking out the garbage. Keeps game in check.

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Double Mocha Man

Jul 7, 2015 at 9:46 pm

Gavin, Doc… If your daughters could talk they’d tell you to go out and play. Makes for a happier papa. Then come home and hug them and describe all the details of that lone birdie you made. Your little girl will hang on every word, unlike your golfing buddies.

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Lucas

Jul 7, 2015 at 6:16 pm

almost 24 hours on a bad day.

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Gavin Lee

Jul 7, 2015 at 4:47 pm

Other than a 9 month span when I thought I was giving the game up, the last three months have been the longest I’ve gone. After my daughter was born in May, the golf course became a bit of a mythological place…How long is appropriate to wait after your kids is born to go back?

Reply Report comment
- Doc Todd
  
  Jul 7, 2015 at 8:27 pm
  
  Depends on your situation I suppose. My daughter is 14 mo now and I feel guilty of not seeing her except through a baby monitor half the week that I find myself not going to the course when I so badly want to. An easy solution would be to have the weekend mornings free to golf, but I feel guilty that my wife is up early on the weekdays so I let her sleep while I take the baby duty. If my wife were an early riser I would be in a much better position on the weekend, but she could sleep till 10 am everyday.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Scott
  
  Jul 8, 2015 at 1:43 pm
  
  My son was born 2 weeks ago, and I’ve already played twice. We’ve had people over a lot, so wife isn’t alone, but honestly there isn’t a heck of a lot I can do right now.
  
  I expect next year to be more challenging actually, once he’s more active.
  
  Reply Report comment
Danny

Jul 7, 2015 at 4:45 pm

Time away from the game helps your swing and mentally, but your short game touch goes away so it’s a net wash.

Reply Report comment
- Scooter McGavin
  
  Jul 7, 2015 at 9:07 pm
  
  Lol. True. There’s no magic or voodoo to it. It’s a skill-based activity, so the more you practice the better you get.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Opinion & Analysis

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