Should I quit playing golf?

You are too young to make lifetime decisions. And I think the answer is in your question. For me, when I was your age, all I ever dreamed about was "mastering" this confounded game and I would get so upset when I couldn't play well. That's how I knew my heart was in it because it hurt so bad when I played badly and lost. 5 handicap is good but not good enough to make a division 1 team in the US. However, if you can play at that level with minimal practice, you may find that attending a smaller school on a scholarship could be possible. And being a part of a team sport is very rewarding in way other than financial. So, you might just take some pressure off of yourself and see how well you play without grinding so hard. You could end up being just as good and find that the game has a lot to offer in terms of socializing, occasional competition and the reward of being on a team. If you have put enough time in the game to be that good, walking away might leave you regretting it later.

Getting better at golf is kind of like losing weight. The closer you are to your target the harder it gets to shed those extra strokes, or extra pounds. I think if you are 14 and have a 6 handicap you are doing terrific! It could be that you are so determined or competitive you are making your muscles tense, and they need to be relaxed. Progress takes time. I think you should take a break for a week or two, or a month, but then go back. You have too much talent to stop. Try playing different formats, like best ball, or alternate shot with a playing partner to get the fun back in your game. Also do some practice rounds without keeping score. Concentrate your practices on the aspect of the game that's giving you the most trouble. Don't keep taking lessons if it's not productive. Sometimes all that happens is you get confused. Give yourself enough time between lessons to master the skills you've been taught. That said, at 14 you are way better at golf than I'll ever be.

In the same token you think "what might have been" if you walk away, it's just as easy to become a bitter, angry adult for feeling forced into continuing with competitive golf. Neither situation is ideal, but you can always come back to competitive golf if you feel you need to; you can't regain years that you lost. I don't want to make it sound like I'm influencing a decision, but you need to think of YOU first. Competitive golf's been around for 100+ years... it'll be there when or if you're ready to come back to it.

You just need to take some time off. Plan to take one week in a month off when you are in school and take a whole month off during the break. In a year you will have a better idea of how much you think about it during your time off and you can choose then. This is a once in a lifetime chance though, so don't choose lightly. Every one wants to have a social life too, you just have to schedule some time off to have one. I will say that once you play a sport competitively, it is really hard to go back and play for fun.

You know, I think that you really want to continue with golf and you are just looking for someone to give you an out. When you have a talent to excel at something you will never be happy doing anything else. Take a break, have a little fun and recharge your batteries and then get back to work.

If your heart is not in it, then quit! :) And don't think about the future thing, look at it from this view: What if you don't quit and therefore spend most of the time of your youth, doing something you don't want to.. And then when you get older, you don't become a good enough player? I think you would regret wasting your youth more than wasting your talent :)

Dont quit! Im a junior golfer as well and i practice every day and play tournaments and compete in the junior world andstuff. i HATE HATE HATE golf but i know it will get me into college and provide a future for me(:you dont have to play pro but golf will at least get into my dream college usc:D good luck and keep playing<3

at 16 and only 5 handicap you are unlikely to have a future in pro golf but if your are going to be 6'4" plus then hang it you could make a fortune