Ski, golf and satisfaction

Every time I ask a golfer how his game is, I always get the ambivalent answer, “I love the sport, but I’m terrible at it” or another deprecating version of that. Isn’t it amazing that most golfers seem to cultivate a terrible self-image and appear to wear their miseries as a badge of honor? Some go through long “dry spells” during which their game is downright terrible and nothing seems to go right. This almost never happens with skiing… While I subscribe to the belief that there’s no such a thing as a bad day skiing - I probably stand as an extremist in the category - most skiers asked after an average, decent day on the slopes, will say they had a great time. Few complain about their form, their technique or their equipment; sure it probably could be a tad better, but you won’t hear many skiers verbalize it. My conclusion is that golfers must be very hard to please and rather difficult people, while skiers are all nice, simple and happy-go-lucky folks. Perhaps doctors should start prescribing winter sports to their depressed patients and life would take a turn for the better. We might not need such a big economic stimulus package after all… And you, where do you stand on that skiing-golf attitude divide?