What's starting to annoy me a bit is my own mediocrity in things.  Whether it's golf, or learning to play the piano, or chess, I am so average it's kind of deflating.  

The one that really bugs me is chess, because I consider myself a smart person and chess should be right up my alley.  But after playing 2,335 games in the last 12 months on chess.com, I am stuck right where I was 6 months ago.  My rating is still in the 1200-1300 range, which chess.com says is in the 75th percentile.  That sounds okay, until you consider that players at the 50th percentile and below are probably people who played a few times and quit.   

If I had started chess, and piano, and golf, when I was a small child, I suppose I would be a lot better.   Maybe I'm just too old to get better at things.

I would be a happy man if only I could become consistently good at golf. It's a fun game when you're playing well. Unfortunately for me, it becomes frustratingly not fun too many times. The hard part is that you feel you're doing everything right and the same as when the game was fun, but something is off and you can't figure it out. Then again, I've never taken lessons. That's what I should do. 

Also, why in the hell is soccer being shown on the Golf Channel right now???

I have a regular group, and I was the last one to sort of give up on getting better.  

We took several steps to make the game more fun.  

1) We moved up to the forward (sometimes called "senior") tees.  

2) We play a scramble as a group.  Take the best drive, take the best second shot, etc.  We can shoot par that way.  It takes a lot of the pressure off and speeds up the game.  If you duff your tee shot, pick it up and drop it where the best tee shot is.  And so forth.  It also introduces a real team spirit to the game.  We're rooting for each other.  We're trying to beat our best ever collective score.   

But I admit, most "serious" golfers would gag at those 2 things I listed.

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I would be a happy man if only I could become consistently good at golf. It's a fun game when you're playing well. Unfortunately for me, it becomes frustratingly not fun too many times. The hard part is that you feel you're doing everything right and the same as when the game was fun, but something is off and you can't figure it out. Then again, I've never taken lessons. That's what I should do. 

Also, why in the hell is soccer being shown on the Golf Channel right now???

I have a regular group, and I was the last one to sort of give up on getting better.  

We took several steps to make the game more fun.  

1) We moved up to the forward (sometimes called "senior") tees.  

2) We play a scramble as a group.  Take the best drive, take the best second shot, etc.  We can shoot par that way.  It takes a lot of the pressure off and speeds up the game.  If you duff your tee shot, pick it up and drop it where the best tee shot is.  And so forth.  It also introduces a real team spirit to the game.  We're rooting for each other.  We're trying to beat our best ever collective score.   

But I admit, most "serious" golfers would gag at those 2 things I listed.

I played scramble in a weekly corporate league for a few years. It was more for competition against other teams but it was still enjoyable because it gives the opportunity to contribute somewhere if part of your game is off. For example, if the long clubs aren't working well but the short game is, and so on. Fortunately/unfortunately one guy on our team was good almost all the time and there were days when we leaned on him pretty heavily to keep the score manageable. 

I like golf because it's a solitary sport and as time marches on my own company is preferred most of the time. A nice way to end the day for me is walking a late afternoon nine. It's good exercise and mentally centering in that if something is worrisome or aggravating, it has to be put to the side to concentrate on the game. That doesn't always work, but at least I get the exercise.

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What's starting to annoy me a bit is my own mediocrity in things.  Whether it's golf, or learning to play the piano, or chess, I am so average it's kind of deflating.  

The one that really bugs me is chess, because I consider myself a smart person and chess should be right up my alley.  But after playing 2,335 games in the last 12 months on chess.com, I am stuck right where I was 6 months ago.  My rating is still in the 1200-1300 range, which chess.com says is in the 75th percentile.  That sounds okay, until you consider that players at the 50th percentile and below are probably people who played a few times and quit.   

If I had started chess, and piano, and golf, when I was a small child, I suppose I would be a lot better.   Maybe I'm just too old to get better at things.

Stop man, those are skills that require a particular talent. Not everyone gets the same talents and you cannot work yourself into greatness at something for which you lack the talent.

I really depends on what it is. Marty's three examples are different enough that what you're saying doesn't apply to all three equally. I always believed that physical talent is largely natural. Golf relies on physics more than intellect. The opposite could be said of chess. Piano would be between those two. As far as the mental aspect, sure one has to have enough intellect, but just being smart doesn't mean one is automatically great at something. But some things can be approached scholastically. Music, for example. Naturals in music often have perfect pitch, but mere mortals can can achieve the same level of competence by immersing themselves into music theory.

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Stop man, those are skills that require a particular talent. Not everyone gets the same talents and you cannot work yourself into greatness at something for which you lack the talent.

Google "Michael Jordan trying to hit a curveball"" for additional information.

Maybe he should have left some Rum for Jobu

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Stop man, those are skills that require a particular talent. Not everyone gets the same talents and you cannot work yourself into greatness at something for which you lack the talent.

Google "Michael Jordan trying to hit a curveball"" for additional information.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm...story.html

“Hall of Famer Bob Feller, called by Ted Williams the greatest pitcher he ever saw, couldn't hide the scorn in his voice Wednesday when asked about Michael Jordan, basketball's greatest turned aspiring baseball player.

"He couldn't hit a curveball with an ironing board," said Feller, here for the dedication of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame.”

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Stop man, those are skills that require a particular talent. Not everyone gets the same talents and you cannot work yourself into greatness at something for which you lack the talent.

I really depends on what it is. Marty's three examples are different enough that what you're saying doesn't apply to all three equally. I always believed that physical talent is largely natural. Golf relies on physics more than intellect. The opposite could be said of chess. Piano would be between those two. As far as the mental aspect, sure one has to have enough intellect, but just being smart doesn't mean one is automatically great at something. But some things can be approached scholastically. Music, for example. Naturals in music often have perfect pitch, but mere mortals can can achieve the same level of competence by immersing themselves into music theory.

Yeah ok, Tiger Woods, Bobby Fischer, and Liberachi were just guys who worked hard. No mere mortal can get anything approaching the level of those guys with just hard work.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

I really depends on what it is. Marty's three examples are different enough that what you're saying doesn't apply to all three equally. I always believed that physical talent is largely natural. Golf relies on physics more than intellect. The opposite could be said of chess. Piano would be between those two. As far as the mental aspect, sure one has to have enough intellect, but just being smart doesn't mean one is automatically great at something. But some things can be approached scholastically. Music, for example. Naturals in music often have perfect pitch, but mere mortals can can achieve the same level of competence by immersing themselves into music theory.

Yeah ok, Tiger Woods, Bobby Fischer, and Liberachi were just guys who worked hard. No mere mortal can get anything approaching the level of those guys with just hard work.

If only Blake had immersed himself into football theory..........

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Google "Michael Jordan trying to hit a curveball"" for additional information.

Maybe he should have left some Rum for Jobu

"Must wake up bat."

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

Yeah ok, Tiger Woods, Bobby Fischer, and Liberachi were just guys who worked hard. No mere mortal can get anything approaching the level of those guys with just hard work.

If only Blake had immersed himself into football theory..........

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Maybe he should have left some Rum for Jobu

"Must wake up bat."

“Hats for bats.“

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If only Blake had immersed himself into football theory..........

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"Must wake up bat."

“Hats for bats.“

"I haven’t got an arm like yours. I’ve gotta put anything on it I can find. And someday you will, too."

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

“Hats for bats.“

"I haven’t got an arm like yours. I’ve gotta put anything on it I can find. And someday you will, too."

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When you get into the endzone, act like you've been there before.

I really depends on what it is. Marty's three examples are different enough that what you're saying doesn't apply to all three equally. I always believed that physical talent is largely natural. Golf relies on physics more than intellect. The opposite could be said of chess. Piano would be between those two. As far as the mental aspect, sure one has to have enough intellect, but just being smart doesn't mean one is automatically great at something. But some things can be approached scholastically. Music, for example. Naturals in music often have perfect pitch, but mere mortals can can achieve the same level of competence by immersing themselves into music theory.

Yeah ok, Tiger Woods, Bobby Fischer, and Liberachi were just guys who worked hard. No mere mortal can get anything approaching the level of those guys with just hard work.

Well, you were responding to Marty. It seems to me his aspirations aren't to be the best in the world, but just to see improvement. One doesn't have to be a natural to yield those results. And again, my point is that these three things are completely different. The limitations of lack of natrual ability are different for all three. And Marty's lack of improvement in any of these three may be a flawed approach to practice. I've taught guitar in the past and have seen that multiple times.

Bottom line, the answer to Marty's issue with lack of improvement isn't "those require natural talent, so don't bother".

I'll also note that Steve Vai, arguably one of the top guitar players in the world, claims he isn't a natural on guitar, and it was him practicing 12 to 15 hours a day early on.

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When a moderator closes a thread for no apparent reason.

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When a moderator closes a thread for no apparent reason.

It doesn’t take a high IQ to figure out what that thread was closed...



And no...it wasn’t me. 

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

When a moderator closes a thread for no apparent reason.

It doesn’t take a high IQ to figure out what that thread was closed...



And no...it wasn’t me. 

Please explain.

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It doesn’t take a high IQ to figure out what that thread was closed...



And no...it wasn’t me. 

Please explain.

Discussing each other’s IQ’s has nothing to do with Cain passing away.

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

My grandson put a deep scratch into the door of my new stainless steel refrigerator. 

I’m furious. 

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My grandson put a deep scratch into the door of my new stainless steel refrigerator. 

I’m furious. 

Stop letting him play with knives!

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What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is agoin' on here???

My grandson put a deep scratch into the door of my new stainless steel refrigerator. 

I’m furious. 

Stop letting him play with knives!

He’s already been grounded from guns, the poor child.

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Yeah ok, Tiger Woods, Bobby Fischer, and Liberachi were just guys who worked hard. No mere mortal can get anything approaching the level of those guys with just hard work.

Well, you were responding to Marty. It seems to me his aspirations aren't to be the best in the world, but just to see improvement. One doesn't have to be a natural to yield those results. And again, my point is that these three things are completely different. The limitations of lack of natrual ability are different for all three. And Marty's lack of improvement in any of these three may be a flawed approach to practice. I've taught guitar in the past and have seen that multiple times.

Bottom line, the answer to Marty's issue with lack of improvement isn't "those require natural talent, so don't bother".

I'll also note that Steve Vai, arguably one of the top guitar players in the world, claims he isn't a natural on guitar, and it was him practicing 12 to 15 hours a day early on.

Not "don't bother', accept that you dont have the talent to be great and either quit being frustrated and enjoy it or give it up entirely. Vai can say what he likes, doesn't make it true.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

When you get a bunch of bills in change and they're all facing different directions.

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