A Break From Fun?
For a lot of us, the idea of taking a break from golf sound crazy. Golf is something we love. For most of us, it’s something we don’t spend enough time doing. We sneak out at the crack of down to get a round in or smash a bucket of balls after work as the sun sets.
But sometimes, a break from golf can be a good thing. In this lesson, I’ll discuss when you might want to take a break from golf and how it can help your game.
When to Consider Taking a Break
There are two main reasons why you should take a break from golf: score and emotions.
If you play golf strictly or predominantly for score, and your scores aren’t improving, you may want to take a break. There are several reasons why a break can be beneficial to your scores – I’ll discuss them in detail shortly – but it can also be worthwhile simply to stop beating your head against a wall. Not meeting your scoring expectations can be frustrating and demoralizing, which leads us to the feelings bucket.
Golf is supposed to be fun, recreation, relaxation. It’s not your job. It’s not life-or-death. If you’re not enjoying your time on the course, it might be time for a break.
That’s not to say that every moment on the golf course needs to have you doing cartwheels. Golf is hard. That difficulty is what makes it satisfying when you succeed. But if you’re not looking forward to your rounds, it might be time for a break. If you look back on your round and realize that the dominant emotions are stress, anxiety, fear, or apprehension, there are probably better places for you than the golf course, at least for a time.
What’s the balance of fun and score? Matt and Andy discuss HERE
Scoring Benefits of a Break
There are several reasons why a break from golf can help your score. First, it can give your body a chance to recover. Golf is a physically taxing game for everyone, even the young. You’re going from stillness to maximum speed to stopped in about one second. There’s also the high speed collision with the earth (hopefully just on iron and wedge shots). This can lead to back issues, tennis elbow, shoulder problems, and more. Taking time away from golf can allow your body to recover so that you’re not just getting through each round but excelling and enjoying it.
Time away from golf can also give your brain time to recover. The score-obsessed golfer is probably also a player who has a lot of swing thoughts and ideas about the game. This can be great – thinking about strategy and technique can lead to a lot improvement – but it can also be burdensome on the course. Playing good golf requires a balance of active thoughts and calm focus. A break can help tilt the scale towards the latter.
Finally, taking a break gives you a chance to reset your expectations. A lot of players’ score issues are rooted in pressure created by unrealistic expectations. These players were happy when they first started shooting 90 (or 80 or whatever the number is), but now it’s a miserable grind. Taking a little time off can allow you to enjoy your baseline score again, no matter what it is.
Emotional Benefits of a Break
In a word: reset. If you’re not enjoying golf, it’s probably become too routine and your expectations are probably out of line. Getting away from the game can fix both those issues.
When you’re playing every week, it’s easy to lose your appreciation for all the things that make golf great. You’re seeing the same faces, playing the same course, and probably hitting the same shots. That kind of routine can get old, but absence will make the heart grow fonder. After a little time away, your friend’s tired jokes will be funny again, and your home course will be a bit more vibrant.
Resetting your expectations is just as important. Golfers are great at constantly raising the bar for themselves. This is fine to a point, but it can get self destructive. Taking time away gives you a chance to realize that you’re not going to be a Tour player or knock down every flag. No one cares what you shoot except you. Being away from the game can give anticipation and joy a chance to catch up (and hopefully run past) stress and anxiety.
You can also consider getting away from The Biggest Lie In Golf HERE
How Long to Stay Away
How long you need to stay away from golf is entirely personal.
If you’re break is emotion-driven, I think your feelings will tell you when you’re ready to come back. When the excitement and anticipation start coming back to you, you’re probably ready to get back on the course. This could be as little as a couple weeks if you’re just a touch rundown; it could be a couple months if you’re more severely burned out.
For those players looking for a score boost, I would suggest taking at least a month off. This gives your body a sufficient amount of time to heal, your mind time to clear, and your expectations a chance to reset.
What if you don’t want to stop playing golf? Part 2 Coming Soon!
Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.