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Anybody play golf without keeping score on a regular basis?


stealthhwk
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I used to have a lot of practice rounds, but pretty much track every round at this point because I am playing a lot less lately.

If I played 1 round per day, maybe not. Or at this point maybe I would?

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On 1/30/2016 at 7:28 PM, Coronagolfman said:

I find that even if I am playing by myself its hard not to follow along in my head with my standing against par.  Some of us play golf for the thrill of the great shot or of playing a famous hole on a famous course; some of us play the game for the satisfaction of being consistent or of fashioning the best possible score given our abilities of the day; still others like the idea of "mano e mano" competition and can't stand being on a golf course without having some kind of game going.

To each his own - which is one of the ways in which golf offers something for everybody in terms of how they want to challenge or not challenge themselves.

this is a great answer ^^

Personally - There are days when I don't write the score down.  Not usually though.  I like the stats and seeing my own progress since part of my fun really is finding ways to improve.  That said, I'd probably do as good (better) taking notes about particular shots and what I did and how - a "log" vs just scoring and stats.  But that would be a bit slow.

Regardless, even if I don't "track" my score, I'm always 'aware' of it.  Can't help myself.  More power to the person that can actually ignore it completely.  I can't.

OP - Do whatever it takes to have fun with it.  As long as you keep pace and don't damage the course, it's your game and it affects no one else's.  (If, in that context, your 'thing' irritates a purist, remember that would be THEIR problem, not yours.)

Bill - 

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Between April and August of last year, I scored every single round. After crashing out of my club championship in the most horrific way imaginable, I stopped for two or three weeks (probably six rounds). Since then, I've scored it if I feel like scoring it and that's roughly half the time. Sometimes counting all the strokes (especially in the winter) isn't worth the effort.

After April 1, I'll score each round again. Hopefully I'll find people to play with so I can post my rounds and we'll see about moving the HI in the right direction.

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On 1/30/2016 at 8:12 PM, The Boss said:

Hey Stealth,

. Newbee here...saw you post and thought it was an interesting topic. To anwser your question, if you have no interest in improving your game then sure...go ahead and leave the scorecard alone. But if you care to improve your game then it is the ony metric a golfer has to measure how they are progressing with their game. However, I will admit that I do go out on the course and play practice rounds where i am playing 2, 3, 4 or more shots from the same lie when I am working on my game. I might try varying my clubs, or hitting knock down shots to tight areas, hit cuts fades, hit it low or high, or work on a whole host of other various shot-making type shots. All the PGA pros do the same. However,  if you are out there to just have a little fun and drink a few beers go for it. But if you really want to improve, it is an absolute must that you keep detailed records though. Just my 2 cents.

Best wishes,

The Boss

I see you are a "stick" and that firm adherence to your numbers has served you well. But at times when I take the scorecard out of the equation I can become very focused on the next shot and like you mentioned, drop a couple balls and try again with different goals.  Also helps me work on different strategies for playing the course such as just going at that tucked away pin instead of playing to the middle. No real consequences of ending up in a bunker and builds confidence if I can pull it off once in a while. Seems to be a better way for me to practice than beating balls on the range. Sometimes I tee of with a random club just to play the hole from different positions (remarkable how little difference that makes) Most often occurs in that "emergency 9" after a competitive round or that round after work that is not for anything other than melting the day's stress away.

Technically, if you drop a second ball even once on the course you have made a practice stroke and can't record that score for handicap. (for the record that statement was troll bait, 100%) But I am far from the rules nazi and I find as much fun in just beating the ball around without keeping score and working on whatever I want to at the moment.

So yeah I do it all the time and I think it helps some on the mental part of my game and just feels like a better way to practice for me. Different strokes (pun intended)

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Unless I am playing with anyone else besides family or myself....I don't keep score

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On ‎1‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 9:08 PM, David in FL said:

Never.

I might just as well hit a large bucket of balls at the range...for a third the cost and a quarter the time.

Pretty much me.

If I am working on something and the course is not crowded, I may hit extra shots or play two balls on some holes, and not post the round. But I always know what I shot on the primary ball.

But I get what you are saying, and if it pleases you, do it.

Don

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On January 30, 2016 at 9:28 AM, David in FL said:

Posting for handicap really doesn't enter into the equation for me. Even when I lived in areas that didn't post year round, I always kept score.  Even on the very rare occasions when I know I'm not going to post a score, I always keep it. That's the whole point of playing, for me.  

Regardless though, I don't think that the OP was talking about a "practice" round per se, but rather just playing and not keeping score as a way to somehow better enjoy the round itself.  Maybe no score feels better than a bad score, but then again, without keeping score, you could miss it when lightening strikes and one of those rare, career rounds sneaks up on you.  One of the great things about this game is standing on that first tee box thinking, "today could be the day"!  I wouldn't give that moment up for the world...

Thats my point exactly!!! Im sure not playing for a number would relieve stress and add enjoyment, and I know Id play better under that circumstance, so that could produce a moment when "lightning strikes" and id shoot my lowest ever. But then Id miss out on knowing my lowest score ever and boy, THAT WOULD SUCK!

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On 2/2/2016 at 6:23 AM, MrDC said:

I don't keep score often, I have no reason to, I don't believe in the HC system and I know when I'm having a good round or not, it's all about the next hole for me, I do play by the rules though.
 

You don't believe in the handicap system? Really? I guess that makes sense if you usually play alone or don't belong to any club, but your profile shows that you do have an index. Perhaps you've had some negative experiences with sandbaggers, but there are ways to handle them. I don't think things are as bad as you portray them. 

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For the past few years I would go out and play with buddies and we would never keep score.  What i realized was my game was slowly getting worse and worse.  Last fall I decided I was going to get serious in improving my game so now I keep not only score but keep up with most of the usual stats to help me improve.  I'm not apart of a club and I have never played in an handicapped tournament so I have no reason to keep an official handicap.  

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I keep score and play by the rules just to accurately track progress or assess weaknesses. And a handicap index would serve only for that purpose as well.

I've never understood why different approaches to this game bother others as much as it seems to.

Jon

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I have one specific group who prefers playing that way--three other guys who retired from the same place at about the same time as I did.  They play together fairly frequently, and when I join them a couple of times each summer, it's "When in Rome...."

 

 

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On 2/6/2016 at 11:41 AM, Pendragon said:

You don't believe in the handicap system? Really? I guess that makes sense if you usually play alone or don't belong to any club, but your profile shows that you do have an index. Perhaps you've had some negative experiences with sandbaggers, but there are ways to handle them. I don't think things are as bad as you portray them. 


My profile index is a bad joke, I have no index.

I don't want to hijack the thread, let's just say that I feel golf is best to be a challenge against course, not man, I have no desire to take strokes to say I won against a better player, it's a complexity that will never be accurate IMO, partially because of honesty, not mostly because of ambiguity.

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2 hours ago, MrDC said:


My profile index is a bad joke, I have no index.

I don't want to hijack the thread, let's just say that I feel golf is best to be a challenge against course, not man, I have no desire to take strokes to say I won against a better player, it's a complexity that will never be accurate IMO, partially because of honesty, not mostly because of ambiguity.

For the record, the entire purpose of the handicap system is to make it possible for players of different skill levels to compete against each other fairly. Even if you don't belong to a club, you must play with friends from time to time. Unless you're all of equal ability, how do you compete against each other? Do you just play for fun?

Hey, don't get me wrong. If you choose not be a part of the handicap system, that's your call. Perhaps you don't play all that often. You say that the handicap system will never be accurate, in your words, "partially because of honesty, not mostly because of ambiguity". I'm not sure what that means, but the cornerstone of the system is peer review, and that's why most of the indexes of the millions and millions of club golfers throughout the world are quite accurate. And, as you might have noticed around this forum, many members use their indexes as a valuable tool to help measure their improvement as they work to enhance their enjoyment of the game. Cheers!

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StealthHwk

Try the opposite.  Enter a competition and practice really hard before the event.  Next feel the pressure during the event.  Then wait a week and play for fun, but keep score.  I think you will see things differently.

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14 minutes ago, Howling Coyote said:

StealthHwk

Try the opposite.  Enter a competition and practice really hard before the event.  Next feel the pressure during the event.  Then wait a week and play for fun, but keep score.  I think you will see things differently.

Didnt know they had tournaments for someone of my skill level. (Or lack there of) lol

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Yes. We used to call it Zen golf.  Playing for the joy of the game.

I would love to bring my Border Collie to help look for lost balls, and have a picnic on the back 9 like the old days in Ireland and Scotland.

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On 2/8/2016 at 3:28 PM, stealthhwk said:

Didnt know they had tournaments for someone of my skill level. (Or lack there of) lol

I have entered my local club tournaments ever since I started golfing. I think it is probably a good idea, as even though we get flighted, I struggle with the pressure. Started golfing a little over 6 yrs ago and have seen tournament scores drop from high 120's to mid 80's - 90's as I improve. It is very difficult to play good golf in a tournament, for me, but I think playing a few each season will help with the mental aspect of the game. The team best ball events I do just for fun but I actually prefer the individual format.

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Note: This thread is 2956 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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