Hard to explain round

I had a very statistically unusual round this past Thursday that has had be thinking about it over and over again.  3 of my buddies and I played at Hidden Valley Golf Course in Norco,CA on July 4th and played from the white tees (68.5 rating, 125 slope).  It was an early morning round and I was playing rather badly, 4 putting a hole, double bogeying twice, and ended up shooting an 11 over 47 on the front nine.  Well I thought my round was shot, all of a sudden I just came alive and ended up having 5 birdies in a row and ended up -4 on the back for a total of 7 over 79.

I ended up shooting a 15 shot difference between my 2 nines and I've never had 5 birdies in a row.  I guess what i'm asking is if others have had strange days such as this.  This is by far the weirdest statistical day I've ever had.

Not that strange, but I've certainly turned bad rounds into OK ones in the last few holes.

Just goes to show you should never give up.

Had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 9 one time, but it was because I had the sh&%#$ that miraculously went away on the 5th hole.

First hole was a par. Then the nightmare started and I had a triple on 2, double on 3, 5 over on 4 (whatever that's called). So I'm 10 over after 4 and seriously ready to quit the game forever.

Next three holes were two par 5s and a short par four and I made eagle, eagle, birdie on those. Then made par and birdie on the last two holes. A 40 isn't very good for 9 holes but after being 10 over after four it is.

i know what you mean.  I played an afterwork 18 about a month ago.  The front 9, I was 12 over, after carding a snowman on the first hole and on the backside, I settled down and was 5 over going into 18 (reachable par 5) and hit a gorgeous drive off the tee.  Only to top the FW approach shot, and 3 putt it for a double and finish 7 over.

so my Mr. Hyde holes were like 8-17 (which if memory serves I was 5 over, and that included a lost ball double on 14)

In the end, I had what for me is a very average 89 (18 over par)

I get really frustrated because I have inconsistent entire rounds.  I'll shoot 77 one day, then 91 the next, and then back to like 81.  However, I don't really ever have that crazy inconsistency during the same round.

I've played golf a long time and I play at least once a week and I guess it just never seems to amaze me by how strange golf is.  It just gives you a couple of peeks at greatness and gives you the sense that you could become an amazing golfer, but then just a couple holes later, it brings you right back to reality and shows that you are not even close to that level.

Lately I have been having Jeckyl and Hyde rounds…. 50/39, 48/37, 40 /49…  And then I'll go out in a week and shoot a dozen stokes better (or worse) on the same course.  It not always the back that gets better so its not finally warming up or getting tired.  As I tell my buddies, consistency is overrated.

Filbert,

Those are pretty big swings from front/back nines as well.  I doubt it, but it would be interesting to find out if there's any statistical data on how rare it is shoot x # of strokes on the front nine vs y # of strokes on the back nine.  My difference was 15 stroke difference which I thought was a ridiculously high variance.

I don't know what my high difference is, but I'm just guessing it's probably close to 9 or 10.  Yup, just checked my golfshot rounds and a couple of weeks ago I did a 44-35.

Slightly off-topic, but sort of related ..

A friend of mine who I used to bowl with once rolled a 300 game on the same night that he also rolled a 139.  That is freaking amazing to me.  Anybody who has the skill to get closed to 300 shouldn't also fail to break 140 ... especially on the same lanes/same night!!  (I've been keeping my bowling stats on my iphone for a few years now, and in leagues and tournaments; and in my last 484 games I've not broken 140 3 times.  And I don't have a 300 game to my credit!)

I have strange scoring days but penalties always play a big part, many are just bad luck. The big drive that hits something hard and bounces into a pond or OB etc. Doesn't always have to be due to ugly golf.

Last year I was playing my normal Monday morning game with my friend Jim, and had just bought some yellow Srixon balls. I am a 9 handicap, and I pride myself on my consistency, but this day I started with 4 bogeys and 4 double-bogeys. I can't remember the last time I was 12 over after 8 holes, so I changed back to my Pro V1 white ball, and told Jim it was the yellow ball's fault. Well, the next ten holes I shot even par with an eagle, a birdie 3 bogies and 5 pars.

Then there was a round that I started #1) double bogey, #2) bogey, #3) par, #4) birdie, and #5) just missed a hole in one by 18 inches.  But since the first four holes were par 4's and number 5 was a par three, my scores were 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

Last time I played 18, I was +14 on the first six holes (but only lost one ball)... played the next 11 in +9... and had an 8 pickup (2 balls OB) on No. 18.

The next day, I went out to play with my wife. I parred the first three holes, and was only a couple over when a major rainstorm hit on No. 7 tee. I was on track for my best round ever at the course.

Golf is a strange game.

A few courses I play, mostly ones opened prior to 1990, started as 9 hole courses. When they got the money to complete the other nine, they got wacky and added sand traps and water hazards, with island greens, planted pine seedlings along the fairways, which are now mighty spruces...cut a fairway into a hillside. When I play those courses the Jeckyl & hyde scores are common. Last outing at my home course I started on the back, the afterthought part built after the front nine and shot a 56, went to the front and shot a 45, and i've done the reverse 50front/39back. Looks to me I need a warm up nine...or just practice prior to playing. and remember turn the cell phone off.when they ring it is a game killer.