I’m a fairly terrible fisherman, and I’m about the fattest, slowest mountain biker you’ll probably ever see. But both are tremendously enjoyable to me.
I’d suggest a possible related thread, where we discuss things that we like to THINK we’d like to do, but simply don’t put forth the effort to even try seriously.
Along the lines of: Gee, I’ve always wanted to speak French!
Well, have you taken ANY steps to try? Taken books out of the library? Investigated on-line resources? Looked into classes? ANYTHING?
I play quite a bit of music in groups, and a common joke among us is that simply wishing to get better ain’t gonna get it done. Same w/ golf. So many more people PLAY so much more than they PRACTICE.
Unfortunately, in most activities there simply is no substitute for practice.
I am a horrible singer and an even worse dancer. But I love singing and dancing. I have no interest in improving in these areas because that would require doing a lot of work. Work turns fun activities into chores. Also, improving doesn’t mean I still won’t suck.
I don’t know how I rate in a lot of areas because that would require comparing myself to a standard that either doesn’t exist or that isn’t important to me. Like, I have no idea how I rate as a hiker. I am guessing I am closer to “good” than “horrible”, but I wouldn’t say I am “good” in any absolute sense since I have never been “good” when it comes to physical feats. But being “good” in an absolute sense doesn’t matter to me. I hike because it feels good to hike, not because I am in a competition with myself or someone else.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
Another awful, but constant, singer. I know my wife loves me because she’s dealt with me singing in the car for the last thirteen years.
Tennis and bowling. I haven’t even attempted tennis in ages, but I remember I could play it for ages even though I was terrible. I can go out bowling with friends and play for absolute hours. I’m terrible at it and consider breaking 100 a really good day…but it’s so much fun.
Technically I can extrapolate that to all sports. I’m not good at any of them, but I love to play them.
Basketball. I’m the worst basketball player you will ever see. I’m somewhere between Muggsy Bogues and Earl Boykins-sized but I definitely do NOT have their game. Little kids routinely embarrass me. I’m certain I’ve never actually made a basket in a game. Not entirely certain I’ve ever made one outside of a game either for that matter. But I like to get on the court and bounce the ball around, and my passes occasionally find their man. Fortunately most of my friends aren’t that much better than me. I don’t know why we keep playing.
Singing - I’ve done it publicly, even solos in front of hundreds, but don’t think I’m any good.
Playing an instrument - I’d love to, but just can’t seem to get it. The closest I’ve come is banjo, where I can frail (strum, basically) a few chords.
Golf - I’m not bad, per se. I shoot consistently in the 90’s, but it used to be in the mid-to-low-80’s and I can’t seem to get back there. It frustrates me, but I love to play,
“The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good you get, you’ll never be as good as a wall”
The late, great Mitch Hedberg.
Same here. I do okay playing rhythm parts and I can put out a decent Happy Birthday. Picked up a 4 string cigar box guitar thinking it my be easier to play. Not really…
Playing poker.
I’ve loved the game ever since I was a little kid, but I play very predictably, have probably a dozen tells, don’t have the guts to match any large bet unless I have an unbeatable hand, and have all the bad habits of sending good money after bad.
Fortunately I hate to lose more than I like to win so I’ll never be a problem gambler and have never played in a casino. But in small stakes with friends I invariably come out behind by the end of the night. But chalk it up to the price of entertainment.
Hey - we’ve got a seat for you right here! 
I’m similar to you. My preference for poker is playing w/ my friends, and I’m usually yakking and such (used to drink) too much to pay enough attention. So I play where the stakes are low enough that I won’t lose more than the entertainment i derive.
I love skiing but the way to describe my skill level would be “well enough go downhill without falling and getting in other skiers’ way”.
Chess
I’ve been doing it for a few years, and I am still a pretty feeble player. On my phone I have it set to play at ELO 1250, and I usually lose. The best I’ve done against my human opponents is a draw (although they are very good)
But, it’s fun and relaxing. so I keep doing it.
This is how my friends and I see it. We started playing for $5 buy-ins way back in college, and as we grew up we just never increased the stakes. The purpose of playing was never to make money (except for that one guy who we caught cheating in a $5 game (WTF?!); we don’t invite him anymore), and nobody is going to get upset about losing 5 or 10 bucks. The only point is to play and hang out and have fun.
Golf - I have progressed, through practice and experience, to a level that I can appear to be a “real” golfer. By that I mean, it used to be that other strangers on the golf course would get very angry that I was out there (golfer-men seem to have short fuses?) That doesn’t happen any more. My standard skinny-kid no-upper-body-strength-nerdy pick-last-for-sports physique leaves me in the lower quartile in any athletic endeavor. But, I enjoy golf and want to do more of it. I have had the opportunity to play with a real live touring pro and I did not embarrass myself. But I’m still well into the category that is charitably called “high handicap”.
Oh, and sex - (see above). I can’t do it well, but I love doing it!
Another one for Golf. I know HOW to play and what to do and what club to use and yet my body does not ever hit the ball the way my brain is telling it to.
Online FPS computer games. I’m pretty good at racing games and flight sims, but my favourite game at the moment is Overwatch. Except, I’m too old and no longer have the fast-twitch reflexes necessary to keep up with the kids online. I don’t normally do competitive play, but I usually at least get in my 10 placement matches each season just to see where I stand. I’m consistently ranked mid-silver, which for reference is the second-lowest rank out of 7 tiers, and below the median (which is gold rank).
Define terrible. I like playing golf, but I can not break 100. I came close once, got 4 pars on the par 3s and needed like a 6 or 7 on the last hole. I ended up having the ball go under and damn bush and that was it. I usually shoot in the 108 range but can’t seem to go under that.
I’ve stopped keeping score though, I don’t really care about that, I just like getting out and playing, though I haven’t played all that much in the past few years.
I would love to sing, but my wife forbids it. Last time we sang Happy Birthday over the phone to our daughter, my wife stopped half way through because she couldn’t keep up with my flats and sharps.
Also I enjoy doing crossword puzzles in the Times, but can do only the Monday and, mostly, the Tuesday before passing it off to my wife who can do them all.
I honestly don’t do anything I’m terrible at. I either quit, do it begrudgingly with no love lost, or pay someone else to do it. Once I plateau at something with a middling talent (e.g. guitar, bowling), I invariably lose interest.