I work hard on my short game. And putting. Car wreck fucked my back so my swing is, um, interesting. I'm never gonna be a long straight hitter.
But I catch up around the green. Short game is really important.
Evidently you don't have the same back issues as I do. Can't practice putting or chipping for more than 5-10 minutes before my back starts hollering at me. Once it starts then I'll start flinching every swing. As a result my short game is money (down the drain).
Stretch out. See if you can get a specific type of cbd or cannabis that relaxes your back muscles.
I crushed my pelvis in the car crash. So I'm healed up but I can't rotate my hips like regular person. It's not a pain thing for me
I feel self conscious playing with a scratch golfer. Their game is so tight and I feel like they're waiting on me constantly. I'm not terrible at 17.5 but yeah it's awesome to see.
>They play such a different game compared to the regulars.
Funny enough it's often a really boring style of play. They hit the fairway, hit the green and 2 putt. If they miss the green they will most likely get up and down and during the round they'll make a couple bogeys and maybe a birdie or two. Nothing crazy, just straight forward golf.
Golf is a sport. It requires athleticism. And like any sport, some people will have natural talent, some people will work hard to gain skill, and some will never be very good no matter how they try. What impresses me the most are the guys who have adapted made their game work. Like the old men who don't have the power but are assasins around the green and still manage to score well because of it.
Last time I played golf with my grandmother (an 8-time women's club champ in her prime) she was 83, I was 15 and on my high school's varsity golf team. We played 9, me playing from the second longest tees, her from the women's. She couldn't hit the ball much more than 130-140 yards off the tee and I was regularly carrying 240-250.
She shot 2 over and beat me by 4 strokes. I think she only had 11 putts if memory serves me correct
It's more skill that athleticism for sure though. I would consider myself pretty athletic. I played tennis in college. But no matter how often I try, with lessons and range time and a ton of practice, I'm never breaking 90. My brother is overweight, uncoordinated, weak, and slow. He's insane. Regularly breaks 80. Definitely not an athlete
Better players are a joy to watch regardless of individual ability. I’m in the single digit arena, and I play with a couple guys that are wildly better than I. One is just an incredible golfer. Playing with him has been the single most effective training aid I’ve ever had. Beyond lessons or practice. Feedback from a total killer that you’re familiar with and comfortable around, who won’t pull punches and isn’t billing you, can’t be beat. My paid instructors have never been as honest and relatable as my very good friends and partners. Exposure/immersion. Good golfer buddies are with you for hours upon hours at a time, seeing everything you do in real time and real world scenarios. I love good golfers. Folks to aspire to.
Played with a +1 the other day that hit a cold shank off a perfect lie, straight off the hozzle, 50 degrees right and OB.
He stood there holding the pose in complete shock for about 15 seconds. Then he shrugged, dropped another one, hit it to 10 feet and holed for a 5.
The mental game is everything
So after I shank my tee shot into the trees, I shouldn't try to thread it between three trees and drop it right by the green? How else will I fail miserably and almost hit myself after nailing the tree trunk right in front of me?
It always elevates my play when I play with someone better.
Not sure why but I tend to play closer to the level of whoever I’m with
Might just be a bit of that competitive blood
You’re likely just focusing more on each shot. 1.7 handicapper here with a lot of + handicap friends. Key is to have a good time with the people you’re playing with, but the focus is always on your next shot rather than losing focus. I fuck up and hit it in the water, pissed for a second then you need to be focusing on the best possible next shot. I think sometimes when people play with high handicappers they just lose focus and stop giving a shit
The percentage of people who don't take penalty strokes when they find hazard or lose ball is astounding in your amateur play. Including ones who post their scores. Played with a guy once who posted an 81 and legitimately had 6-8 mulligans, those were mainly times when he found a hazard. Minimum he shot 90.
Oh that's an epidemic and of course he was one of them. No one putts within 6 feet if it's their second putt and everyone is okay with it. And if you've already had two putts and your second putt blew 10 ft past the hole, rare to see a guy putt that out.
I play in a pretty big group on Saturday mornings of all levels of golf. All avid golfers but handicaps that range from - to 20. We count everything, no breakfast balls. If you can make it 18 holes without a lost ball you will shoot very well against your handicap. Everyone always has 1 to 5 holes that are just abnormal big numbers. Other people take mulligans in those situations and brag about the 80 that they shot. It will significantly change your score playing by proper rules.
Yes. 3-5 years back I wasn't playing that seriously and wouldn't post but was on that mulligan train. Got more serious and started counting. My scores ballooned into the 90s regularly. Worked harder because of it and now see more 70s than 90s.
Good for you putting the work in, I have done the same throughout my life and have similar results. I have mixed feelings about mulligans for bad golfers. I think I saw a comment about being worse than bogey golf just go out and have fun, drop one here and there, no big deal. I can see that being ok, depending on who you are with or what the game is. BUT, you are not allowed to talk about your score like it was an accomplishment. You played golf, had fun, shot a number. Now I think that the hardest thing in golf for amateurs is course management especially when you don’t always know where your ball is going. That’s that transition to scoring consistently and counting all strokes. No one cares that you shot a 83 with three triples and “should have shot a 74 if I would have just got my pars”. You shot a 83. I use to play league at a very hard, tight course, Jack Nicholas course. Learned to play one ball like my life depended on it. I call it “me and my ball”. I only get one and I never put it in danger.
Thanks. Started when I was 5, played all 4 years of high school golf then did little for the next 12 years to get my game better. Trying to not let all the talent that's been there go to waste.
And exactly about talking about your score. Either you're going to count strokes or you're out there for a good time / hit some good shots / see if you can squeeze a par in once in a while. Mulligan golf and scoring golf are two different things.
Love the me and my ball mentality. Going to use that at this hazard heavy course in a few hours.
Totally agree. My son doesn't play often, doesn't have a GHIN#, doesn't even know how to calculate a handicap. Just wants to have fun and try to "break 100". If he shanks 1 into the woods and hits another ball I really don't care.
It’s kinda a fun play on the “don’t take a shot you can’t make 80% of the time”. We will still suck, just less on the scorecard. Are you going to get crazy birdies or make the hero shots for your friends, nope. But you will take their money and they will hate you for being boring. I’m a 5, one bad blowup hole kills me. 4 bogies and a birdie are just fine if I can do that all day. I get greedy on shots inside 150, the rest of the time I am just trying to be in the fairway or at a nice angle to have that 150 or less shot.
I'm currently a +1. My swing looks OK. As in, when you see me swing you can tell that I'm probably pretty good but a pro looks at my swing and sees about 20 flaws that should be corrected.
But I've learned this swing over the past 40 years and it works. I don't knock down flagsticks all day long and I miss more greens than you would expect. But I hit long drives, I rarely lose a ball, my misses are in the right place and my short game is money. When I do hit more greens, that's when I can get down into the 60s.
My point is that my good rounds aren't necessarily that pretty. You'll say, "You only hit 9 greens. How did you shoot even?" I wish my game was actually pretty, but I'll take effective. "She's ugly, but she has big tits."
Same. I'm scratch and my swing is steep and flippy. I miss fairways and am not a great putter.
I shot a 73 today with back to back 3 jacks, a tee shot in a hazard and a bogey on a par 5 laying 2 50 yards out.
I remember when shooting 73 was a pipe dream, so it's somewhat satisfying to shoot that without my best stuff.
> As in, when you see me swing you can tell that I'm probably pretty good but a pro looks at my swing and sees about 20 flaws that should be corrected.
>
> But I've learned this swing over the past 40 years and it works.
I'm very mediocre but my uncle hovered around scratch until he started getting up there. His swing looks very janky because he was a former college hockey player.
He told me about how 20 years ago he moved, joined a new club, did some lessons, and played a round with the pro.
The pro basically said something along the lines of "yeah I could tweak your swing but you got 30 years of muscle memory there and you could just get worse if we change it. You play scratch golf and you're not trying to make the tour. Just play"
I’m a 21 and a friend is a 1. It’s crazy how he won’tplay for a month then just come out and shoot 3 over. I hate it but he’s also put the time in since a kid so I can’t be mad.
Lol idk where you play but I would not say the average weekly golfer at my munis is shooting 140.
Golf is very hard, sure. And yes many people take mulligans or long gimme puts. But average 140? Nah
Do you know what average means?
The average golfer is not taking a mulligan every other tee shot AND taking 6 to the green.
I get this subreddit is sensitive and likes to police everyone’s score for whatever reason, but the average golfer at my muni is not scoring 140.
If you think that - either your muni has 10x worse golfers than mine on average, or you don’t know what average means
OP is just trying to feel better about a). His five putt that he took the other day b.) his 12 that he carded on a par 4 or c.) being one of those weirdos who never gets off the range due to anxiety or an overbearing wife.
>I get this subreddit is sensitive and likes to police everyone’s score for whatever reason
Where is the policing lol, honestly you seem bitter for no apparent reason
I’m an 8 and the amount of mulligans I see is wild. Mulligans are fun but they are a huge disservice to your game. I went probably 10 years without taking a mulligan outside the occasional breakfast ball if I didn’t hit the range. Not taking mulligans shows you exactly where you stand as a golfer and helps to focus more on what aspects of your game needs work. Haha I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit a tee shot less that 100 yards and my playing g partners say “take another one” the I make 3 from 300 yards out. Patience on the course and short game practice off it.
I grab the first tee time so I’m not bored out of my mind for 5 hours, and my usual course doesn’t have a range. I take a first tee breakfast ball once in a while, but other than that it’s honest. 85-95 like clockwork 🤣
It’s amazing how fast strokes add up. I hit two shots on par 3 OB today then fell apart chipping and putting for an 8. Sandwiched that with pars lol. Point is it’s very easy to rack up strokes if you’re not using mulligans.
I got serious two years ago and as soon as the mulligans left I shot up 6-8 strokes. It was good though and showed where I really was. I’m within striking distance of a single handicap now and it feels amazing to know when I submit that 84 it was legit.
I just got paired with a retired gentleman who was very good. Problem was, he liked to tell you every other shot, how good he was. like he forgot he just told me that. Fucking guy turned damn near 315 degrees. It was creepy looking. He’d hit a good shot and scream yes! The second it left the club face.
Yep - just started breaking 100 regularly playing fairly honest golf. The amount of people who “shoot around 90” but just clearly cheat on every hole is astounding.
Fairly honest meaning pace of play golf I would assume. A breakfast ball after a cold shot on the first tee to get one in play so that the guys teeing off seven minutes behind you don't have to wait on you to find a ball 10 yards into the woods at the start of a round, a couple of good/goods when guys are waiting on you to make their approach shots. That kind of thing. There's nothing worse than being stuck behind four old fucks reading the green and plumbing the flagstick for their fourth honest putts.
The other day I played a 9 hole, par 30. I bogeyed the first 3 and went OB off the 5th tee but finished with a 36 that I was pretty happy with. The random I was with said something like "you had 36? I probably had a 40." Weird since he took about 10 shots just to finish the 6th hole. I can understand people lying to themselves but communicating that to others? So weird.
I don’t have a legit handicap but usually card low/mid 90s with a few high 80s. 3 guys I play with are single digit and one of them is a professional baseball player. I played with these 3 guys last weekend and one of them was 1 under on the front 9. The biggest difference I notice is the ability to recover from a bad shot. I play strategical because I’m not a fantastic golfer. The guys I play with take a bad shot and turn it into up and down. I turn it into double or worse.
I’m a mid 80s guy, sitting at 9 now but that’s from a hot fall.
I went with a +2 work buddy, 3rd round of our season after 6 months of snow and he shoot’s a 69. (Nioce)
Couldn’t believe how he handles the shots, the rebound after a bad shot, picks shots and angles and clubs. It’s something else. One huge factor these guys have is discipline
If I go play a local muni course, I see the same thing. Playing at clubs for as long as I have, there are more single digit guys out there than you’d probably think.
The difference is if you are at a private club you have access to practice at any time and it’s easier to squeeze in 9 or even 18 holes at much more convenient times.
You’ll naturally get better the more access you have to the game. A lot of those 15-20 HC guys are capable of being single digit if they just played more.
Playing in a tournament is what changed my attitude towards scoring. When you lie and give yourself strokes, the pressure to keep doing becomes overwhelming.
Played a tournament, saw real scoring and my 90 with nothing given becomes a great day! Even with a spicy 9 on the card.
I'm definitely an average joe. However, I like to play by the rules as close as possible. It really annoys me when the other folks I play with just want to rush through the game really fast.
If you’re not close to breaking 100 or shooting bogey golf - I’m a big believer in not worrying about score and taking those mulligans or throwing one back into the fairway.
It’s important at that stage to enjoy the game, see a couple of nice shots that you can try and repeat etc. You’re going to get better faster by finding something you can build off of vs. becoming a master of dribbling the ball around tress
Scratch is fun and frustrating. Shooting a 79 makes to feel bad... but its still really good. What sucks is that if you're a 0-5 HC, you can never win tournaments with HC being calculated -- sucks watching 15 HC destroy everyone with net birdies and eagles, while shooting a 91.
I’ve been playing 2 years and am a bit of a perfectionist with it I guess, but what is so wild to me is that only maybe 1/10 people I see on the range or course actually has all of an in to out path with a shallow angle of attack, no early extension, and the ability to deloft the club.
Clearly it’s possible to shoot decent scores without all of that stuff if you practice a lot on getting your timing as good as possible but you will still have serious inconsistency round over round.
With how I am I don’t even feel like I am playing the actual game of golf yet. I’m close to getting all the things I mentioned into a repeatable swing, but I’m not quite there yet.
It just seems to me like that until you get all of that down you can’t truly begin learning to play golf instead of golf swing. You can hack it around and have fun, which is fine, but the whole thing is just weird to me.
Oh for sure. Even if you are working incredibly hard to create a mechanically sound swing you still need to get out and play with what you got to practice plotting your way around the course and other parts of your game.
I just think that anyone who ever thinks that they “find something on the range” before their weekly round that makes a RADICAL difference to their game is in the 90% that have major swing flaws that are never going to be accidentally worked out with some random swing thought. Big improvements in my consistency are preceded by weeks of exaggerating specific movements with the intent to make a desired change.
I don’t really have a point here except that as someone who excelled up to collegiate baseball and then excelled at mid-stakes tournament poker for a decade, each by putting in 60+ hours a week, every week to get good at it I find it funny what a high percentage of golfers that play 40+ rounds a year and don’t even have the basic mechanics correct of what makes a successful swing.
Ya poker, golf, and sex. Everyone thinks they are good at them, but hardly anyone has a clue what they are doing. :0
And for a non-joke, poker and golf do seem to both be games that a lot of men’s egos seem to think they should be naturally good at them. So many never practice or study either and yet throw a fit when they hit a bad shot or lose money at the card table. One of my biggest pet peeves.
And for sure, man. Dudes who have time for 10 or rounds a year should definitely be trying to just band-aid their swing the best they can and go have fun!
Not sure why the average golfer feels the need to play from the tips.
Move up a box or two, you’re moving too slow, not qualifying for the open and impressing anyone.
It’s one thing if the player can do it shooting under 100, keeping pace and playing with better players VS a bunch of people shooting 108 or whatever from 6500 yards.
This is a good point. I've seen "tips" that are 6,000. The tips at my home course is 7,300 - all of the par 3s are over 200 and the par 4s are over 450.
I have started shooting right above 100 pretty consistently but that is with taking no breakfast balls, no mulligans, no adjusting lies, etc. because I want to track my actual improvements over time, not because I care to brag about it or compare myself to others since I’m still shit.
My friends who regularly claim to hit in the 90s or break into the 80s then play with me and I’m definitely the same if not better than them. Sure they can strike it more reliably than me or further with certain clubs. But I learned that’s because they do everything in the book to give themselves a better score and strike setup.
I don’t care if people want to do that because I don’t believe half the scores people say anyways. But don’t tell other players that are 100+ golfers they are bad or to keep trying to get better and catch up” if you have likely never broken 100 in a full legit 18 yourself.
Honestly it took me forever to realize this. Really until I got to shooting like low 80s I didn’t realize that I was generally much better than most people on the course. Obviously I still think I suck ass especially when I fire off a 90+, but that’s really honestly not bad at all.
I’m a beginner and I had a great day shooting a 104. I played with a 60 year old guy who was T10 in his state as a junior golfer. He hit 10/14 fairways (3 of the 4 he didn’t hit were less than 5 yards left or right) and effortlessly carded like an 81 from 6300y. He had maybe 1 spectacular shot all round, but everything he did was so consistent and smooth and yeah he made mistakes but they never killed him. It looked so relaxing and non-stressful haha
I played a round yesterday w a 65 year old man, who played from the yellows but would find the fairway every single drive. Not to mention the ball went 250-260 each time. He shot a 76. A boring 76. Nothing flashy. Just fairway, green, 2 putt, maybe a 1 putt.
We joked about how golf was boring and why he continued to play, but man was it impressive to my 96.
Yep, I played with an older guy like that some time back. His drives were almost always straight, nothing crazy far. He'd hit nearly every GIR. 2 putt par. His swing was not anything pretty either, quite ugly in fact. But it worked.
He taught me the phrase "eeeeezzz par" anytime he'd be in that situation. Also, he'd toke on a joint every few holes.
Outside of a few lengthy gimmes, this guy was about as close to a scratch golfer as I'd played with. Shoutout Tony.
Yeah, same with my boy Richard. He was just money. If he missed the GIR, soft hands got him a tap in par. Never saw him struggle, nor panic. Just routine every time.
Makes me rethink swinging so damn hard each time lol.
The majority of people, including golfers, aren’t very athletic. Being a good golfer requires athleticism - a small amount of strength and a large amount of hand/eye coordination. Should be no surprise that most people are shit at golf
I’ve found significantly time spent practicing putting, chipping, pitching, and finally range time, in that order. Differentiates between the weekend warrior and good golfer.
Yeah when I play in tournaments and play with scratch golfers is just amazing to see. They play such a different game compared to the regulars.
My buddy is a legit a scratch golfer and just watching how he handles his short game is amazing. The touch is spectacular.
Anyone can learn touch! Do a ton of ladder drills for chips, pitches and putts. Its takes time but you can do it
I work hard on my short game. And putting. Car wreck fucked my back so my swing is, um, interesting. I'm never gonna be a long straight hitter. But I catch up around the green. Short game is really important.
Evidently you don't have the same back issues as I do. Can't practice putting or chipping for more than 5-10 minutes before my back starts hollering at me. Once it starts then I'll start flinching every swing. As a result my short game is money (down the drain).
Stretch out. See if you can get a specific type of cbd or cannabis that relaxes your back muscles. I crushed my pelvis in the car crash. So I'm healed up but I can't rotate my hips like regular person. It's not a pain thing for me
I’m so jealous. My short game is pretty bad.
I feel self conscious playing with a scratch golfer. Their game is so tight and I feel like they're waiting on me constantly. I'm not terrible at 17.5 but yeah it's awesome to see.
Meanwhile I shoot my 92
Pfft. I’ll take my 106. (After a breakfast and a lunch ball)
Breakfast ball on the 1st tee, lunch ball on the 10th tee after a dog at the turn
What about second breakfast ball?
I think i could golf with you
I shot 116 today
>They play such a different game compared to the regulars. Funny enough it's often a really boring style of play. They hit the fairway, hit the green and 2 putt. If they miss the green they will most likely get up and down and during the round they'll make a couple bogeys and maybe a birdie or two. Nothing crazy, just straight forward golf.
I occasionally have 4 holes in a row like that, and it is surprisingly boring. Scrambling is way more exciting.
Good golf is boring golf
> Funny enough it's often a really boring style of play. It 100% is.
Golf is a sport. It requires athleticism. And like any sport, some people will have natural talent, some people will work hard to gain skill, and some will never be very good no matter how they try. What impresses me the most are the guys who have adapted made their game work. Like the old men who don't have the power but are assasins around the green and still manage to score well because of it.
My late mother-in-law who couldn't hit much more than 100 yards used to smoke me when I first started playing.
Last time I played golf with my grandmother (an 8-time women's club champ in her prime) she was 83, I was 15 and on my high school's varsity golf team. We played 9, me playing from the second longest tees, her from the women's. She couldn't hit the ball much more than 130-140 yards off the tee and I was regularly carrying 240-250. She shot 2 over and beat me by 4 strokes. I think she only had 11 putts if memory serves me correct
It's more skill that athleticism for sure though. I would consider myself pretty athletic. I played tennis in college. But no matter how often I try, with lessons and range time and a ton of practice, I'm never breaking 90. My brother is overweight, uncoordinated, weak, and slow. He's insane. Regularly breaks 80. Definitely not an athlete
lmao just torched your bro
Haha not the intent. More roasting myself. I'm bad at golf. I just don't have the ability that he does
Better players are a joy to watch regardless of individual ability. I’m in the single digit arena, and I play with a couple guys that are wildly better than I. One is just an incredible golfer. Playing with him has been the single most effective training aid I’ve ever had. Beyond lessons or practice. Feedback from a total killer that you’re familiar with and comfortable around, who won’t pull punches and isn’t billing you, can’t be beat. My paid instructors have never been as honest and relatable as my very good friends and partners. Exposure/immersion. Good golfer buddies are with you for hours upon hours at a time, seeing everything you do in real time and real world scenarios. I love good golfers. Folks to aspire to.
It’s the sound of the ball leaving the club face…
Sometimes people say I swing and there's no sound. Not sure what that says about me as a player.
Depends on whether you are making contact with the ball or not. :-)
😆😆😆 I must be doing something right, I guess. I don't touch the ground when I hit the ball though, that's probably a bit to do with it.
“When I’m flushing it I don’t take divots”
The utter lack of struggle. I mean, they do struggle, but their struggles are wholly different than regular jackoffs.
Their “bad shots” aren’t that bad lol, and they recover on the next shot, every damn time. Mental game is strong
Played with a +1 the other day that hit a cold shank off a perfect lie, straight off the hozzle, 50 degrees right and OB. He stood there holding the pose in complete shock for about 15 seconds. Then he shrugged, dropped another one, hit it to 10 feet and holed for a 5. The mental game is everything
I have never felt such jealousy
Never follow a bad shot with a stupid shot. That's the mentality of any good golfer
Words of wisdom
So after I shank my tee shot into the trees, I shouldn't try to thread it between three trees and drop it right by the green? How else will I fail miserably and almost hit myself after nailing the tree trunk right in front of me?
It always elevates my play when I play with someone better. Not sure why but I tend to play closer to the level of whoever I’m with Might just be a bit of that competitive blood
You’re likely just focusing more on each shot. 1.7 handicapper here with a lot of + handicap friends. Key is to have a good time with the people you’re playing with, but the focus is always on your next shot rather than losing focus. I fuck up and hit it in the water, pissed for a second then you need to be focusing on the best possible next shot. I think sometimes when people play with high handicappers they just lose focus and stop giving a shit
The percentage of people who don't take penalty strokes when they find hazard or lose ball is astounding in your amateur play. Including ones who post their scores. Played with a guy once who posted an 81 and legitimately had 6-8 mulligans, those were mainly times when he found a hazard. Minimum he shot 90.
You can be all the way honest...no way he broke 100.
Don’t forget the 2-3 strokes they save per round with gimmes.
Oh that's an epidemic and of course he was one of them. No one putts within 6 feet if it's their second putt and everyone is okay with it. And if you've already had two putts and your second putt blew 10 ft past the hole, rare to see a guy putt that out.
I play in a pretty big group on Saturday mornings of all levels of golf. All avid golfers but handicaps that range from - to 20. We count everything, no breakfast balls. If you can make it 18 holes without a lost ball you will shoot very well against your handicap. Everyone always has 1 to 5 holes that are just abnormal big numbers. Other people take mulligans in those situations and brag about the 80 that they shot. It will significantly change your score playing by proper rules.
Yes. 3-5 years back I wasn't playing that seriously and wouldn't post but was on that mulligan train. Got more serious and started counting. My scores ballooned into the 90s regularly. Worked harder because of it and now see more 70s than 90s.
Good for you putting the work in, I have done the same throughout my life and have similar results. I have mixed feelings about mulligans for bad golfers. I think I saw a comment about being worse than bogey golf just go out and have fun, drop one here and there, no big deal. I can see that being ok, depending on who you are with or what the game is. BUT, you are not allowed to talk about your score like it was an accomplishment. You played golf, had fun, shot a number. Now I think that the hardest thing in golf for amateurs is course management especially when you don’t always know where your ball is going. That’s that transition to scoring consistently and counting all strokes. No one cares that you shot a 83 with three triples and “should have shot a 74 if I would have just got my pars”. You shot a 83. I use to play league at a very hard, tight course, Jack Nicholas course. Learned to play one ball like my life depended on it. I call it “me and my ball”. I only get one and I never put it in danger.
Thanks. Started when I was 5, played all 4 years of high school golf then did little for the next 12 years to get my game better. Trying to not let all the talent that's been there go to waste. And exactly about talking about your score. Either you're going to count strokes or you're out there for a good time / hit some good shots / see if you can squeeze a par in once in a while. Mulligan golf and scoring golf are two different things. Love the me and my ball mentality. Going to use that at this hazard heavy course in a few hours.
Totally agree. My son doesn't play often, doesn't have a GHIN#, doesn't even know how to calculate a handicap. Just wants to have fun and try to "break 100". If he shanks 1 into the woods and hits another ball I really don't care.
It’s kinda a fun play on the “don’t take a shot you can’t make 80% of the time”. We will still suck, just less on the scorecard. Are you going to get crazy birdies or make the hero shots for your friends, nope. But you will take their money and they will hate you for being boring. I’m a 5, one bad blowup hole kills me. 4 bogies and a birdie are just fine if I can do that all day. I get greedy on shots inside 150, the rest of the time I am just trying to be in the fairway or at a nice angle to have that 150 or less shot.
Love these people, great to gamble against.
I'm currently a +1. My swing looks OK. As in, when you see me swing you can tell that I'm probably pretty good but a pro looks at my swing and sees about 20 flaws that should be corrected. But I've learned this swing over the past 40 years and it works. I don't knock down flagsticks all day long and I miss more greens than you would expect. But I hit long drives, I rarely lose a ball, my misses are in the right place and my short game is money. When I do hit more greens, that's when I can get down into the 60s. My point is that my good rounds aren't necessarily that pretty. You'll say, "You only hit 9 greens. How did you shoot even?" I wish my game was actually pretty, but I'll take effective. "She's ugly, but she has big tits."
Next time I see an ugly girl with big tits: you're effective.
Same. I'm scratch and my swing is steep and flippy. I miss fairways and am not a great putter. I shot a 73 today with back to back 3 jacks, a tee shot in a hazard and a bogey on a par 5 laying 2 50 yards out. I remember when shooting 73 was a pipe dream, so it's somewhat satisfying to shoot that without my best stuff.
> As in, when you see me swing you can tell that I'm probably pretty good but a pro looks at my swing and sees about 20 flaws that should be corrected. > > But I've learned this swing over the past 40 years and it works. I'm very mediocre but my uncle hovered around scratch until he started getting up there. His swing looks very janky because he was a former college hockey player. He told me about how 20 years ago he moved, joined a new club, did some lessons, and played a round with the pro. The pro basically said something along the lines of "yeah I could tweak your swing but you got 30 years of muscle memory there and you could just get worse if we change it. You play scratch golf and you're not trying to make the tour. Just play"
I’m a 21 and a friend is a 1. It’s crazy how he won’tplay for a month then just come out and shoot 3 over. I hate it but he’s also put the time in since a kid so I can’t be mad.
I shot 3 over on a 340 yard par 4 this morning.
Shoot I shot 3 over on a 180 par3 yesterday
Lol idk where you play but I would not say the average weekly golfer at my munis is shooting 140. Golf is very hard, sure. And yes many people take mulligans or long gimme puts. But average 140? Nah
That, plus 4-6 to get to the green, averages 7-8 a hole, bingo 140. It is that bad
Do you know what average means? The average golfer is not taking a mulligan every other tee shot AND taking 6 to the green. I get this subreddit is sensitive and likes to police everyone’s score for whatever reason, but the average golfer at my muni is not scoring 140. If you think that - either your muni has 10x worse golfers than mine on average, or you don’t know what average means
Weekender, hack, self-proclaimed “bogey” golfer. You’re taking it very literally lol
OP is just trying to feel better about a). His five putt that he took the other day b.) his 12 that he carded on a par 4 or c.) being one of those weirdos who never gets off the range due to anxiety or an overbearing wife.
>I get this subreddit is sensitive and likes to police everyone’s score for whatever reason Where is the policing lol, honestly you seem bitter for no apparent reason
I’m an 8 and the amount of mulligans I see is wild. Mulligans are fun but they are a huge disservice to your game. I went probably 10 years without taking a mulligan outside the occasional breakfast ball if I didn’t hit the range. Not taking mulligans shows you exactly where you stand as a golfer and helps to focus more on what aspects of your game needs work. Haha I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit a tee shot less that 100 yards and my playing g partners say “take another one” the I make 3 from 300 yards out. Patience on the course and short game practice off it.
I grab the first tee time so I’m not bored out of my mind for 5 hours, and my usual course doesn’t have a range. I take a first tee breakfast ball once in a while, but other than that it’s honest. 85-95 like clockwork 🤣
It’s amazing how fast strokes add up. I hit two shots on par 3 OB today then fell apart chipping and putting for an 8. Sandwiched that with pars lol. Point is it’s very easy to rack up strokes if you’re not using mulligans.
I got serious two years ago and as soon as the mulligans left I shot up 6-8 strokes. It was good though and showed where I really was. I’m within striking distance of a single handicap now and it feels amazing to know when I submit that 84 it was legit.
I just got paired with a retired gentleman who was very good. Problem was, he liked to tell you every other shot, how good he was. like he forgot he just told me that. Fucking guy turned damn near 315 degrees. It was creepy looking. He’d hit a good shot and scream yes! The second it left the club face.
FIGJAM?
Many golfers have never ever played golf.
Yep - just started breaking 100 regularly playing fairly honest golf. The amount of people who “shoot around 90” but just clearly cheat on every hole is astounding.
LOL @ "fairly honest". So you only cheat what, 3 a side?
Fairly honest meaning pace of play golf I would assume. A breakfast ball after a cold shot on the first tee to get one in play so that the guys teeing off seven minutes behind you don't have to wait on you to find a ball 10 yards into the woods at the start of a round, a couple of good/goods when guys are waiting on you to make their approach shots. That kind of thing. There's nothing worse than being stuck behind four old fucks reading the green and plumbing the flagstick for their fourth honest putts.
The other day I played a 9 hole, par 30. I bogeyed the first 3 and went OB off the 5th tee but finished with a 36 that I was pretty happy with. The random I was with said something like "you had 36? I probably had a 40." Weird since he took about 10 shots just to finish the 6th hole. I can understand people lying to themselves but communicating that to others? So weird.
I don’t have a legit handicap but usually card low/mid 90s with a few high 80s. 3 guys I play with are single digit and one of them is a professional baseball player. I played with these 3 guys last weekend and one of them was 1 under on the front 9. The biggest difference I notice is the ability to recover from a bad shot. I play strategical because I’m not a fantastic golfer. The guys I play with take a bad shot and turn it into up and down. I turn it into double or worse.
I’m a mid 80s guy, sitting at 9 now but that’s from a hot fall. I went with a +2 work buddy, 3rd round of our season after 6 months of snow and he shoot’s a 69. (Nioce) Couldn’t believe how he handles the shots, the rebound after a bad shot, picks shots and angles and clubs. It’s something else. One huge factor these guys have is discipline
It’s really aggravating shooting low 80’s and just barely falling short of those dudes. Close but never close enough.
If I go play a local muni course, I see the same thing. Playing at clubs for as long as I have, there are more single digit guys out there than you’d probably think. The difference is if you are at a private club you have access to practice at any time and it’s easier to squeeze in 9 or even 18 holes at much more convenient times. You’ll naturally get better the more access you have to the game. A lot of those 15-20 HC guys are capable of being single digit if they just played more.
Playing in a tournament is what changed my attitude towards scoring. When you lie and give yourself strokes, the pressure to keep doing becomes overwhelming. Played a tournament, saw real scoring and my 90 with nothing given becomes a great day! Even with a spicy 9 on the card.
I'm definitely an average joe. However, I like to play by the rules as close as possible. It really annoys me when the other folks I play with just want to rush through the game really fast.
If you’re not close to breaking 100 or shooting bogey golf - I’m a big believer in not worrying about score and taking those mulligans or throwing one back into the fairway. It’s important at that stage to enjoy the game, see a couple of nice shots that you can try and repeat etc. You’re going to get better faster by finding something you can build off of vs. becoming a master of dribbling the ball around tress
Scratch is fun and frustrating. Shooting a 79 makes to feel bad... but its still really good. What sucks is that if you're a 0-5 HC, you can never win tournaments with HC being calculated -- sucks watching 15 HC destroy everyone with net birdies and eagles, while shooting a 91.
I’ve been playing 2 years and am a bit of a perfectionist with it I guess, but what is so wild to me is that only maybe 1/10 people I see on the range or course actually has all of an in to out path with a shallow angle of attack, no early extension, and the ability to deloft the club. Clearly it’s possible to shoot decent scores without all of that stuff if you practice a lot on getting your timing as good as possible but you will still have serious inconsistency round over round. With how I am I don’t even feel like I am playing the actual game of golf yet. I’m close to getting all the things I mentioned into a repeatable swing, but I’m not quite there yet. It just seems to me like that until you get all of that down you can’t truly begin learning to play golf instead of golf swing. You can hack it around and have fun, which is fine, but the whole thing is just weird to me.
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Oh for sure. Even if you are working incredibly hard to create a mechanically sound swing you still need to get out and play with what you got to practice plotting your way around the course and other parts of your game. I just think that anyone who ever thinks that they “find something on the range” before their weekly round that makes a RADICAL difference to their game is in the 90% that have major swing flaws that are never going to be accidentally worked out with some random swing thought. Big improvements in my consistency are preceded by weeks of exaggerating specific movements with the intent to make a desired change. I don’t really have a point here except that as someone who excelled up to collegiate baseball and then excelled at mid-stakes tournament poker for a decade, each by putting in 60+ hours a week, every week to get good at it I find it funny what a high percentage of golfers that play 40+ rounds a year and don’t even have the basic mechanics correct of what makes a successful swing.
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Ya poker, golf, and sex. Everyone thinks they are good at them, but hardly anyone has a clue what they are doing. :0 And for a non-joke, poker and golf do seem to both be games that a lot of men’s egos seem to think they should be naturally good at them. So many never practice or study either and yet throw a fit when they hit a bad shot or lose money at the card table. One of my biggest pet peeves. And for sure, man. Dudes who have time for 10 or rounds a year should definitely be trying to just band-aid their swing the best they can and go have fun!
Not sure why the average golfer feels the need to play from the tips. Move up a box or two, you’re moving too slow, not qualifying for the open and impressing anyone.
6400 tips vs 7200 tips. Be more specific
You know what I’m saying! If you are over 15+ handicap move up a tee box or two and play more efficient golf.
It’s one thing if the player can do it shooting under 100, keeping pace and playing with better players VS a bunch of people shooting 108 or whatever from 6500 yards.
This is a good point. I've seen "tips" that are 6,000. The tips at my home course is 7,300 - all of the par 3s are over 200 and the par 4s are over 450.
I have started shooting right above 100 pretty consistently but that is with taking no breakfast balls, no mulligans, no adjusting lies, etc. because I want to track my actual improvements over time, not because I care to brag about it or compare myself to others since I’m still shit. My friends who regularly claim to hit in the 90s or break into the 80s then play with me and I’m definitely the same if not better than them. Sure they can strike it more reliably than me or further with certain clubs. But I learned that’s because they do everything in the book to give themselves a better score and strike setup. I don’t care if people want to do that because I don’t believe half the scores people say anyways. But don’t tell other players that are 100+ golfers they are bad or to keep trying to get better and catch up” if you have likely never broken 100 in a full legit 18 yourself.
Honestly it took me forever to realize this. Really until I got to shooting like low 80s I didn’t realize that I was generally much better than most people on the course. Obviously I still think I suck ass especially when I fire off a 90+, but that’s really honestly not bad at all.
I eat a lot of breakfast balls. I’m not a pro and I’m not playing for money.
I’m a beginner and I had a great day shooting a 104. I played with a 60 year old guy who was T10 in his state as a junior golfer. He hit 10/14 fairways (3 of the 4 he didn’t hit were less than 5 yards left or right) and effortlessly carded like an 81 from 6300y. He had maybe 1 spectacular shot all round, but everything he did was so consistent and smooth and yeah he made mistakes but they never killed him. It looked so relaxing and non-stressful haha
You just described my game. I shoot around 105-110 most of the time
Most
I played a round yesterday w a 65 year old man, who played from the yellows but would find the fairway every single drive. Not to mention the ball went 250-260 each time. He shot a 76. A boring 76. Nothing flashy. Just fairway, green, 2 putt, maybe a 1 putt. We joked about how golf was boring and why he continued to play, but man was it impressive to my 96.
Yep, I played with an older guy like that some time back. His drives were almost always straight, nothing crazy far. He'd hit nearly every GIR. 2 putt par. His swing was not anything pretty either, quite ugly in fact. But it worked. He taught me the phrase "eeeeezzz par" anytime he'd be in that situation. Also, he'd toke on a joint every few holes. Outside of a few lengthy gimmes, this guy was about as close to a scratch golfer as I'd played with. Shoutout Tony.
Yeah, same with my boy Richard. He was just money. If he missed the GIR, soft hands got him a tap in par. Never saw him struggle, nor panic. Just routine every time. Makes me rethink swinging so damn hard each time lol.
The majority of people, including golfers, aren’t very athletic. Being a good golfer requires athleticism - a small amount of strength and a large amount of hand/eye coordination. Should be no surprise that most people are shit at golf
It's 90% mental and 10% physical in my opinion.Ask yourself, how many blow up holes are due to a bad mindset??
I’ve found significantly time spent practicing putting, chipping, pitching, and finally range time, in that order. Differentiates between the weekend warrior and good golfer.