You don't play golf? Why not?

I'd have to stop hanging out on this site.

My wife and I used to play regularly but it really came down to not having the time (or a lack of desire to make the time).

Edit to add that I do play the odd time - maybe once or twice a year, usually in a work tournament or something like that.

I hate playing golf (no offense to your profession, just expressing my feelings). I tried. I've had lessons, tried playing with couples for "fun", tried glow ball, tried playing with my husband. It has been probably 9 years since I have played and I have not missed it, not one bit. It is utterly frustrating to chase that stupid little ball around for hours when it never goes where I want it to. I really just want to pick it up and chuck it into the pond. Of course if I keep playing long enough it will find it's way into the pond anyway.....

Now, the flip side is my husband loves golf and he is introducing the sport to our kids. I just go ride my bike while they are at the golf course and everyone is happy .

Speaking for my husband on what would make him play more......

I think time is an issue. It just takes time. The course he belongs to is 35 min away. On the weekends the course is so crowded it takes up a huge chunk of time to play a round because you are waiting on others. So that leaves trying to squeeze in a round after work (when he wants to spend time with the kids) or taking a day off to go play.

Retirement would enable him to play more .

I played some '91--'96 when I worked in a small office and the director was a golfer.  As long as we got the work done, we could play before work or after work and therefore weren't tied to Saturday/Sunday.  I'd play 6-10 times a year because that's all I could afford to play.  

When I moved and started at a bigger office, it wasn't acceptable to flex *that much* to get a full 18 holes in before or after work.  I played in two scrambles in 15 years.  

I still have clubs.  

So let me start by saying I'm a pretty good golfer.  Playing only every couple of years, I can shoot mid 80s, and when I played was in the high 70s.  Why I stopped were 3 reasons.

1.  To get good you have to play consistently and a lot.

2.  Cost.  It is very expensive to play on a regular basis.  Even one round is a good chunk of change.

3.  Time you pretty much figure it is most of the day.  After hitting balls on the range and putting for warm-up and the time to get to and from the course, then the 4+ hours on the course, you are looking at 5-6 hours (assuming you have lunch or dinner or drinks after.

These three things make it a pain.  Similar to Skiing where you pretty much dedicate the whole day, a ton of money and have to ski regularly to see a difference.

Plus with both those activities, there are no real personal benefits.  

If I go ride my bike for 2-4 hours, it costs me almost nothing and the health benefits are through the roof.  (Yes, you still must ride regularly to get faster).

i think i'd like it if it didn't take so long.  i like going out to a driving range with friends.  i can last about 6 holes of chip and putt before i am bored.  corollary:  any activity that involves 6 hours of day drinking needs more bathrooms.  one night playing chip and putt glow golfing at a team building activity at a nice course outside of atlanta, after 2 hours and a few drinks i NEEDED a restroom and there are none to be found - - - women can't just pee in the brush, or in my case i was with coworkers (the ONLY reason i ever attempted learning golf is as a female engineer i have found it is an important networking opportunity) i DEFINITELY couldn't just squat behind a shed or something.

My boyfriend is an AVID golfer. Avid. I have toyed with the idea of getting into it as most of our mutual friends (even the ladies and ALL the kids) play, for a social thing. 

• But then I look at the cost of even just starter equipment. Oh boy.
• Then I look at the time investment. It takes him 5 hours to play a round? Never mind LEARNING a sport from scratch.
• I would need a massive primer on the rules and etiquette. I hear a ton of gossip and complaints about people who don't know what they're doing and I know it annoys the seasoned golfers. It doesn't seem very inviting to newbies in that regard.

So, while I am mildly intrigued there are just too many barriers to entry for me.

I don't disagree with any of this - but a lot of people may have the SAME exact opinions of triathlon!  even a sprint requires showing up hours in advance to register, set up transition, get marked, etc.  bikes aren't cheap.  swimming isn't natural fo rmost folks.  and for etiquette complaints, glance at tri talk any given day ;-)

at least in tri you can pee pretty much wherever you want :-P

That actually crossed my mind while I was typing it

I think if I wasn't already into a sport with high barriers to entry, I would definitely be more willing to take up another. But doing two at the same time seems unreasonable for me.

Me:  AVID GOLFER - took a couple of summers off (2012 and 2013 by only playing a dozen or so rounds for IM Training purposes). 

My wife:  Brand new to the sport.  In anser to your bullet points:

Cost:  We picked up a golf bag, about 7 clubs, putter, and some golf balls on sale at a Discount store for $100.  She has shorts and shirts and plays in running shoes.  Cost - really not that bad.

Time:  I do agree here.  5 hours is normal for an 18 hole round of golf.  I would NOT suggest playing 18 holes anytime soon.  Do a 9 hole round.  Pick up the ball once in a while if it's going slow.  But time is a factor.    I sacrafice training time for golf time.

Rules and Etiquite:  Please learn them.  There are great sites out there to get all the nit picky stuff down.  Primary ettiquette rules:

Don't talk during someone's turn to hit.

Don't stand in front of someone trying to hit.  Duh, but it amazes me how often that happens. 

Play to the pace of the group in front of you.

Be respectful to the course.  Pick up your garbage, replace your divots or fill with seed mixture, don't be destructive. 

That being said, my wife is taking up the sport because she sees that as a long term hobby for both her and I.  She is not interested in participating in triathlon and she loves the couples golf outings we go on.  They are very low stress and mostly about fun.  Getting a lesson or two will really help as well.

Golf is a great sport.  'nuff said

I used to play a lot.  Now maybe once or twice a year if a friend needs me in a scramble tournament.  I have always enjoyed it greatly.

I do not play now primarily because of the amount of time even to play 9 holes by the time I pack up, drive to course, check in, etc..  Also, I spend a lot of time with my 8 year old son who is still a bit young for it.  I've taken him to the driving range a few times and I think he will get into it at some point in the future which will get me back into it in the future.  Well maybe, he's doing his first tri tomorrow morning and has been very into his daily training with me.  He loves to bike and run.   He now kayaks in the lake with me when I swim. 

Ya.... like I need another obsession in my life. 

Besides.... like I need another gear heavy sport in my life to spend money on.... and pay to play even....

I was looking to take it up once as a business investment. Went to a driving range once and think I did pretty good, and was toying with taking lessons for both of us and then….along comes kid #1. Never even thought about it again.

I LOVE playing golf on Nintendo. Awesome.

But for reals? Half a day or more? Why the hell does it have to take so long? I live in a neighborhood with a golf course and I regularly break "the rules" and run along the paths. Takes me a few minutes to run along one hole. 

Lets see, if people would play with a single club they could do a hole in about 5 - 10 minutes. Whack….jog….smack….jog….tap….jog….putt, repeat. But wait, with the CARTS it still takes all day? What the hell are people doing out there?

Then again, I don't much care for beer and to me the whole things looks like an excuse to stand around doing nothing but drinking and arguing for the day. I love poker, but at least when I play with those old drinking, smoking, arguing farts I can multi-task with something else at or near the table. Golf just looks like a big time suck. And I hear it's expensive too.

I highly doubt that golf is going away any time soon. I know plenty of younger people that play and I will likely try again when I am older and want to spend the time and money on it. 

I live on a golf course that has a pretty cool deal along the lines of your idea. They have a "Pit" where 4 or 5 holes are located, they have a program called "Play the Pitt" you can drop in on a weeknight and pay $10-12 or so to play the pitt. Quick, cheap game. Haven't tried it myself but seems like a good idea. 

Drinking.

Like anything, if you look around, you can find ways around most of people's concerns.

I got my wife a set of USED clubs with driver, 3w, 5w, 3h, 4h, 5-LW, and putter PLUS bag for less than $150.   (I regripped them, so an extra expense for fun).  You can chip and put for free an any golf course.  Vegas has local and/or summer specials for $20-$25 for all the holes you can get in before it gets dark or during mid day.

BUT, in general, it's an expensive sport.  Any non deal days at the course will cost $60-$80 bucks.  Bucket of balls if you want to practice full swing is going to cost $5 and up.  However, even with collecting clubs and practicing/playing, I spent more on triathlon in the same amount of time.  Bikes and race fees (especially IM's) can easily buy a set of top of the line clubs and a couple dozen rounds of golf per year.

It does take a long time but I blame course and people's egos.

IF people would play from the right tees, it would speed it up.  If you are constantly hitting mid/long irons into par 4's, move to closer tees.  Too many hacks are hitting from the blues or even the tips when they should be up at the whites...

Play ready golf - I know furthest out plays first, but if they are not ready and it's cool with them?  Swing away.

Don't practice swing a dozen times prior to each shot or spend 5 minutes lining up a put where you are already 3 over over for the hole.  Shoot, If I hit OB once and had to drop out of the hazard once before even getting on the green?  I'll take one quick whack at a put then just pick it up and give me a 7 or 8.  Taking 2 minutes to line up a quadruple bogey.

Here's a thought.  Not sure if you could regulate it.  But charge less if you play shorter tees.  That would force more people up...

More executive courses and par 3's.  a 7200  yard course for someone who can't break 100 is too much.  They spend all day and all kinds of money looking for, and losing balls or getting depressed shooting 3-4 over on each hole. 

I think the sport is HARD.  It's hard enough for people to even hit the ball at first, much less go out on a course and feel like everyone is staring at them...  It's embarrassing.  It's probably the only sport I know that you have to spend so much time learning to do it in the first place before you can actually PLAY the game.  An analogy is like trying to ride a bike fore the first time before you could sign up for a race.

Honestly, I don't know why I keep playing!  Wish I had a PGA buddy that would give me free lessons! 

Sorry to ramble.  I could talk for DAYS on golf.  I love it - not sure if I answered the questions or not.