Excited in the past by golf (4)
I believe the answer is:
agog
'excited' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'past by golf' is the wordplay.
'past' becomes 'ago' (similar in meaning).
'by' says to put letters next to each other.
'golf' becomes 'g' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'ago'+'g'='AGOG'
'in the' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for agog that I've seen before include "Eager, avid" , "Very eager (to see/hear)" , "Excitedly interested" , "Eagerly awaiting" , "Full of expectation" .)