Evolving interests

[eclark53520]

Anyone else have the problem of their interests and hobbies evolving fairly quickly?

When i started golf, i was 100% all about golf. I was on here 24/7, looking at golfing videos, checking out tips and tricks, youtube, hitting the driving range all the time, practicing in my back yard, learning every thing i could about golf.

Then it was motorcycles, same thing, all about motorcycles trying to learn as much as i possibly could about them.

Then i dabbled in photography for a while, realized quickly that i sucked at it, but for those quick few weeks i was reading all the time about expsoure, and fstops, and composition, etc etc etc...

Now its changing into boating and fishing....

Now, i still golf, i still ride my motorcycle, and those subjects still interest me, but i don't focus my time and energy into them.

Anyone else do this? Is it because we like the thrill of learning something new? Then once we have a good solid base of knowledge in the subject we tend to move on to another subject where we can again experience that learning curve?


Its costing me some serious dollars though...lol, i kinda want to stick to one or two serious hobbies but i tend to get bored with them quickly

 

[limpalong]

Interesting timing. I had some extra time, yesterday, so headed into the City for a run by the golf shops. Hadn't been there is a couple months. One of the largest golf retailers in the area has closed. Golf Galaxy has but a pittance of the inventory they used to have. Even their component area, featuring Golfworks, has been stripped out. Bags have been strung out to cover a significant floor space to make it look as if there is still inventory. Evidently, the economy has taken its toll.
In addition to the economy, there just isn't that much new and exciting in the industry. OEM's continue to bring out "new" product. What is "new" is not innovative or different. There is nothing on the iron racks that would play significantly better than my 1995 set of Eye 2+ irons. There is nothing really new or innovative in the racks or 460cc drivers. What is there to really pique a potential buyer's interest??

I, too, have been toying with spending my "fortunes" on another hobby. I've been looking at metal detectors, thinking about getting into coin shooting. Yet, so many areas have bans now on treasure hunters. And, if the area has potential for "lost" items, it has probably already been hit by someone with a high-dollar prospecting device. Do I spend the money and, then, not be able to find areas to prospect in?
Or, I've considered spending more money on my truck. I'm about ready for tires... 40,000 on the OEM's. Do I have a lift kit put in and go to larger tires and wheels? Larger tires and wheels can have a negative impact on fuel mileage and that's not what I need. So... maybe just drop a grand on fancy wheels to go with new tires. Hmmm.... CB radio? There old school. HID lights? They're illegal now in all states. Billet grill? I'd just get that installed and hit a deer. I put on enough miles to trade trucks every 3 years or so. I'd just get this one fixed up and have to trade it off and not get back anywhere near what I've spent to fix it up. There goes that idea.

Maybe I'll buy a sewing machine and get into dress making. I'd carry a new dress in my golf bag and offer it to the first guy who doesn't get it past the ladies tee box. Any other ideas?????

 

[warbirdlover]

I was like that when I was your age. I played city league (beer league?) softball, shot competitive archery, golfed, fished, hunted and re-loaded. Then the softball dropped out (got too old), quit fishing after going to Canada and getting spoiled. Got into Karate since I had the chance to train under one of the best in the world. Kept shooting archery and golfing. Got back into hunting. Quit karate up here since the schools totally sucked compared to the teacher in N.C. Quit archery when some 18 year old can shoot 60 consecutive arrows in a one inch circle at 20 yards without even blinking an eye and I can only get 58 after years of trying. So now it's hunting and golf in not any order. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!

You've got the right idea. Try everything and throw out the ones that don't work or keep your interest. Your life will never be dull.

 

[anonymous golfaholic]

I understand fully Clark. I used to be insane about hunting. Mainly, turkey, ducks, geese and especially deer. I killed some big deer, then kind of quit seeing a point to it. Then bowhunting for deer morphed into 3D shooting and eventually competing. Won a couple of plaques, then got burnt out. Then I got the fishing bug. After a few years I started fishing tournaments with my dad. Never won crap, got burnt out that...way too much work for no payout(for me). I wasted money on a few smaller things like coin collecting (I still have some killer coins), cigars and wine. Like you, I would read everything I could get my hands on about something, practice like crazy, think about it day and night, then for some reason just get tired of it. I still dabble in all of the above but those things have taken a backseat to golf. I've been playing for 8 years now and my desire hasn't faded at all. I don't practice like I used to but still play as often. I haven't competed all year and I think that is a good thing. I love competition but I think it burns me out. Tournaments, for me, are so mentally draining that sometimes leave me wondering why I put myself through it. Anyway, I totally feel you man. I don't think it's a bad thing though, if I didn't have my hobbies I would go insane and probably be saturated in alcohol.

 

[chemboy2]

Nice to see it is not just me.

I spent my 20s riding/racing bicycles. An injury and family expansion meant I couldn't spend as much time "training" and I picked my golf clubs back up (I goofed around previously but was never serious). I spent five years obsessing about everything golf. During that time I gained a significant amount of weight (40lbs) and was in overall bad shape, although I shot routinely in the low 80s. The problem was I got spooked after a few friends (or friends of friends) in or around my age (35 at the time) had heartaches. The bike came down from the rafters at that point and I haven't looked back.

The life change was at the start of last year. I'm now full tilt back into riding and running. My weight is back down to within 5lbs of my "racing" weight and I had a smashing physical last year. I don't have any desire to get back to bike racing but I do see a triathlon or two finding their way on to my calendar next year.

As for golf, I'll head to the driving range every now and again but I've only played two rounds this year.

 

[LyleG]

I find that hobbies indeed come and go. Some however do last a lifetime, its simply the amount of time you dedicate to them that actually changes. In my own case, golf will always be a part of my life. Just a few years back I was playing 100+ rounds a year, this year I am hoping to play my 12th this weekend. Having a new family and more responsibility has put golf on the back burner. I still love the game, I just dont have the time for it. Once my son is old enough to play I am sure I will find the time, and we can play as a family. Until then the passion remains, even though the actual amount of playing time has vanished.

A few years back i was really into home theater. Hobbies like that are short lived, but will resurface from time to time. Once I had built my theater the need to constantly keep informed waned. However as gear needs replacing i am sure my old haunts will get revisited.

For me know it is photography. I truly am passionate about it, and find it is a prefect hobby. I can do it alone, or with the family, it really has very little boundaries. I have built up a very nice kit, and hope to one day possibly do it professionally. I have build a small home studio and have shot a few wedding with excellent feedback, so I am optimistic about the future. Either way i dont see it as a hobby I will abandon either now or in the future.

Changing interests are what keep us fresh and eager to learn. This is the key to happiness imo.

 

[eclark53520]

Interesting responses.

I'm glad to know i'm not the only one that moves between hobbies at a quick pace.

Lyle, i think you said it, i will always golf and i still like golf but the time i spend doing it is what changes.

I guess something i didn't think about before is the one hobby that has remained with me since i was 13. My hobby of shooting, hunting, and guns. I got my first shotgun at 13 and since then have amassed a collection of firearms. I shoot with some regularity and i keep myself informed on the subject not only through reading, but taking hands on classes as well. I don't see this hobby going by the wayside anytime soon. I didn't include it in my 'hobbies' because its such a part of my life i don't consider it a hobby, its part of who i am.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I'm with all of you guys (except for the prospective prospector. LOL).

I have played maybe 2 rounds of golf in the last month. It hasn't been for lack of time. I look at my clubs, and then I look at something more active and physically demanding (working out, badminton, biking) and golf just seems to bleh. Even when I'm hitting good shots it's bleh. I just realized this morning that my clubs have been in my trunk for a week. I NEVER leave my clubs in my trunk overnight, until this time. Didn't notice. Didn't care even when I did notice.

Golf has always provided a sense of achievement, but I can't say I've ever had FUN playing golf the way I do playing badminton or ping pong or anything of the sort.

eClark, I am SO like you in the revolving door of obsessions. If something peaks my interest, it's like I'm immediately in a 2-week crash course that my life depends on. Maybe that's why I/we burn out on things . I can't go play basketball once a week-- if I'm going to play, I'm playing for 3 hours four times a week. Golf was that way too. Badminton is that way. I don't want to play a few games, I want to play 20 games. Every day.

That's life.

 

[Clugnut]

Funny this is coming up. I have been in the same funk. I was 100% golf for a number of years, now this year is different. I still play 3-4 times a month, but I haven't practiced once this year. Not once. The last 3-4 years, I averaged 4 range sessions a week. With a wife and three kids, I just can't justify more. Plus, I have been working a lot more this year.

My attention is being pulled to other things I can enjoy without the huge time investment of golf. I've purchased 3 guns in the last year, and love to shoot. I just got a snowmobile, and spent a weekend riding 4-wheeler this summer. I've always loved snowmobiles, and the quads I could really get into.

So, its not just you.

 

[TheTrueReview]

I think golf will always be there with me in one form or another. It's a game that can be played into the senior years ... well beyond the quad bikes etc. I recommend playing in a weekly competition at your local club. It gets the competitive juices flowing. I think it's easy for interest to wane if all you play are social rounds.

But I do understand some of the other points. I'm currently looking for that "2nd sport" that I can play but which doesn't require the disciplined investment that golf requires.

 

[Bakemono36]

I was the same with hockey. I went from going to watch the Badger hockey games a couple times a month and before you knew it I bought a pair of skates, was going to public skate as much as possible (to learn how to skate and start playing hockey myself in an open adult hockey league), buying all the equipment and going to watch as many local teams as I could (Badger mens', Badger womens', Janesville Jets and Chicago Blackhawks).
Honestly, if I had to choose between golf or hockey it would be a VERY difficult decision. Luckily, the 2 seasons dont overlap each other very much.

 

[BigJim13]

Having a new family and more responsibility has put golf on the back burner. I still love the game, I just dont have the time for it. Once my son is old enough to play I am sure I will find the time, and we can play as a family. Until then the passion remains, even though the actual amount of playing time has vanished.

.

Pretty much exactly where I am at this point. i still love the game and want to play and practice more, just don't have the time. I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. I have a 3 (soon to be 4) yr old daughter and a new job. My focus and priorities have shifted. When I find myself with more time and extra $$ I may find the ability to play as much as I like, for now its on the back burner.

 

[FATC1TY]

I just have hobbies for the seasons.

Golf is starting to slow down, and my courses greens have been needing work due to the weather, so I'm backing off a little now..

Football season is here, and it'll get cooler. I'll start shooting my guns more, and going to the range with friends to punch holes in whatever we find...

I've kinda given up on other hobbies. I used to play professional paintball, and did the whole traveling gig. $4000 worth of gear, yadda yadda. Now it's all outdated just about, old and sits in a closet. I've thought about going back to playing just recreational 'ball, but kinda scrap that idea because of my competitive nature with the game.

For me, golf is a hobby I'll probably always play, as long as I can afford to do so. I've got over 80 rounds in this year so far.. Been itching to go shooting more though.. Or build another AR.