"How's Your Golf Game" Is Not PC

The Reddit Guy says this:

“It might be a game... But you sound like you know nothing about golf if you ask, ‘How was your game’. Say something like, ‘How did you play" or ‘How was it out there’ or ‘How was the course”?

Well then, how am I supposed to ask how things are going overall?

Me: “When did you start playing? Junior high school? In your 40’s? When you got old?”

Them: “Oh, in my 30’s.”

Me: (Doing a quick mental calculation to come up with a round figure of 35 years.)

The next question is mine again. I’m all smiles. “Oh, you must be very good!”

Them: Eyes slowly looking downward.

You would never have this exchange, right?

I wish with all my heart people would stop asking my students how long they’ve been playing piano and following up with how “good” they must be. It seems this happens disproportionately on golf courses. An old friend of mine would have described this experience for students as “soul-crushing.”

Now, if you want a quick-witted response, I suggest you volley back with, “How long have you played golf?” This will surely answer their question best, but you probably don’t want to crush their golf soul.

Honestly, you really can’t answer because if someone doesn’t play the piano they very likely won’t understand what you’re trying to communicate. Perhaps it’s best to simply say, “Thanks, I do love the piano.”