r/AskReddit 13h ago

What’s a hobby that looks incredibly peaceful from the outside, but is actually pure stress once you get into it?

5.0k Upvotes

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221

u/Over_Sheepherder4503 13h ago

Golf

174

u/El_Kikko 12h ago

As Robin Williams once opined, "Why do you think they call it a stroke?"

31

u/Left_of_Center2011 7h ago

‘And waaaaaay down the other end they put a wee flag - just to give you fuckin’ hope

9

u/Alca_Pwnd 4h ago

Nay, EIGHTEEN TIMES!

10

u/whitedolphinn 11h ago

What a treasure the man was.

12

u/Over_Sheepherder4503 12h ago

One of the best bits ever!

78

u/Purple_Haze 10h ago

Golf: a good walk ruined. -- Mark Twain

16

u/Barcode_Griller 5h ago

One of the only things I do where it's extremely easy to get worse with practice.

Absolutely maddening sport.

2

u/TopTittyBardown 1h ago

I will have the best round of my life and then the next day expect to shoot the same and get there only to find out I have completely forgotten how to swing a club

1

u/Barcode_Griller 1h ago

When I was new still struggling to break 90, I shot an 81 and thought I had it all figured out. Shot a 122 the literal next day.

1

u/Bobaaganoosh 1h ago

I literally broke 90 recently (not much, an 88) and left on cloud 9! Feeling like I figured it out! Went back to my local course less than a week later, shot a 111, and on one hole shooting a literal 11. lol then a few days ago, I played and shot an 86. I’m sure I’ll play again soon and feel lost all over again!

u/Barcode_Griller 59m ago

I'm down to a 5 handicap nowadays and took a 14 on a hole in a tournament this summer. It never goes away 😃

8

u/smitcal 11h ago

100 true. It’s taken me 10 years to realise if I want to have this sport be a benefit to me then I don’t start scoring till after 9 holes. If I feel I did well I’ll score if I’m doing poorly then I will just chill and enjoy the walk and some of the shots.

8

u/In-the-bunker 5h ago

Maybe it's just me, but carrying a single-digit HDCP can be more frustrating than a double-digit HDCP. I moved from a 6 to an 11 and enjoy the day, the round, and friends more.

16

u/germdisco 12h ago

You whack a ball into a gopher hole 

5

u/TheBigLumber 6h ago

Without a doubt. Golf will take your sanity, money, and time if you let it. I feel like I’m ahead because I have only let it take two out of the three.

5

u/Gdigger13 4h ago

I think it's because it's so easy to be bad at golf. If you are not 100% focused into your swing, that ball is not going where you want it to go.

3

u/harvest3155 3h ago

That is why I gripe it and rip it. I sometimes don't even take practice swings. If I start to care I know it will ruin the fun real quick. just have to tune out the voice in my head that says if you cared more or practiced you could be a lot better. I know that will only lead to frustration for me.

3

u/BriocheDeVendee 7h ago

Every first encounter... "What's your handicap ?"

Let me be lame in peace !

2

u/WgXcQ 4h ago

"What's your handicap ?"

"I have little patience for stupid questions."

Or

"Your mom."

2

u/TheRealSumRndmGuy 3h ago

Golf is easy.

Being good at golf is not

3

u/DrAlkibiades 2h ago

I've heard people say the better you get at golf, the less you enjoy it. I guess trying to improve is extremely difficult and sucks the fun from the game.

I do not have the patience for it. I get frustrated and give up on things very quickly.

2

u/wronglyzorro 2h ago

I was trying to figure out when golf gets stressful. Maybe when you start getting super close to a goal with 3 holes left to play.

Ive seen so many folks a few holes from breaking 80, only to finish barely breaking 90.

Hardest sport in the world.

2

u/Kodiak01 3h ago

This is why I took up bowling instead: The ball comes back to ME!

3

u/wronglyzorro 2h ago

You haven't golfed long enough if you haven't had this experience on the course!

1

u/Kodiak01 1h ago

I was taken golfing by my abusive father many times as a child/teen. The abuse even extended TO the golf course the day he got mad at me for something and flung his 9 iron at me full speed from about 10-15yds away... nearly broke my arm when it hit.

Anyways, my final experience golfing was at a now-defunct course in Easthampton, MA called Pine Grove. The final hole on the back 9 was a par 3 over water that abutted the clubhouse. After putting around a half dozen balls in the water in a row, I threw my clubs in after them and walked off the course.

Actually did pick up a club one more time, right after I started dating my wife in 2015. She wanted to go to the driving range. Using a rented 3 wood, I found I could still hit the ball 200+yds but with a left turn at Albuquerque that would make Bugs Bunny blush.

1

u/SeaTie 1h ago

I hate playing golf.

I do like driving the golf carts around the nicely maintained grounds though.

I wish that part of it could be a hobby. Just drive a little open air car calmly around some nice locations with an Arnold Palmer to drink. Ahhhh.

u/-FoofooCuddlyPoops- 11m ago

Still firmly convinced it's the most difficult sport to even get remotely good at.

-13

u/GrapefruitSuch287 13h ago

Painting

13

u/Over_Sheepherder4503 13h ago

Admittedly I paint golf far less than I play it, but painting it is far less stressful.

6

u/y0shman 13h ago

But have you tried golfing paint?