Is Poker Like Golf
At the moment, after an eight year hiatus, I’m right back into my Golf. I made a conscious decision at the start of summer to either give up my membership at a great course, or to take it seriously and make sure that I start being competitive before the summer was out. After about half a dozen lessons, one or two games a week and a thousand balls hit down at the driving range, I’m back to being competitive again and shooting sub 80 in the medal comps.
The funny thing is, that having been a decent golfer, then a shit one, then getting back to decent again, in a four month spell, the last four months have been like a microcosm of my entire golfing career. Except, I found it so much easier to deal with the mental ups and downs of Golf this time around, than I did as a teenager.
I’ve gone from disillusioned, to thinking I’ve cracked it, to despondent at going backwards again, to blaming bad luck, then my equipment, then ruining my game by being unable to control my temper, then doubting my ability, until finally I realised, that it’ll come in the end with hard work, practice and concentration. All of the stages mentioned above must be pretty familiar to anyone who’s played plenty of poker.
The funny thing is that I really feel as though the last couple of years of poker have really helped me deal with the mental aspect of my Golf. I’m a very laid back individual, but on the Golf course, something comes over me, I remember missing a four foot putt on the thirteenth once, and kicking my bag a full fifty yards all the way to the next tee. After a couple of intense years at developing at poker though, I could see so many similarities, that I very quickly realised that only hard work and patience would see me improve as a player and that the usual setbacks and poor runs were inevitable to the game.
So what’s the point of all of this? There isn’t one really! The thing I would day is that although poker is a game 100% based on mental ability & emotional control, unlike any other sport, I would say that golf is the only physical sport which requires anywhere near the same mental toughness to be able to continue to develop, even though it feels as though you’re going at backwards at times. With this in mind, if you’re someone who is primarily a poker player, and need an outlet for a) a bit of exercise and b) to help focus the mind; then maybe rather than smashing your monitor the next time you get two outered, you might want to try a visit to the driving range. It can’t be a coincidence that Ivey and Co seem to be spending more time at the course than the card rooms these days?
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Good work Gaz. I have been playing good poker recently, sometimes without the run of luck needed to win comps, but I know if I continue to play this way the wins will come.
Now golf. I have gone from playing a couple of times a week to a handful of games a year. Last week I had a game and the one birdy I got was more than balanced by the 9 on a par five. I had a great time in the sunshine and realise that to be good at anything you have to put in the hours.
Incidentally the golf gave way to the poker, not enought time to devote properly to both games.
Good luck with the golf. Stick with it you are a far better golfer than poker player X.