Beginner woes

Dont worry about your scores when you start. Keep score, but dont stress it.

Yes, most *golfers* cheat. My Saturday group takes 2 off the first tee and has their own *tree root* rule.

2 of my friends that I played with when I first started (both had started about 15 years before me) claimed to always shoot in the low 80s. Neither could break 100 playing by the rules. One of them finally learned to play by the rules and is now close to a single digit index.

The key is, go out, have fun and try not to worry about what everyone else is doing - there is enough in your head as a newbie - but by following the rules, you will become better faster than someone who does not. Shooting over 100, dont sweat not going back to re-tee off during casual play - your max handicap in any competition is 36 anyway so you are really not hurting yourself other than missing the pressure of not putting the second one out of bounds.

There are only two instances we don't follow the rules. There are unusually restrictive OoB markers on two holes at the course we go to, so if no one is around, we might play a ball technically OoB. Thankfully, that's an issue I had last year, but haven't had to really deal with in 2015. Then, we don't play wet bunkers. Well, I will (my partners won't), but I won't if the bunker is unplayably filled with water (as in, the whole thing is filled, which has only happened once). I didn't realize until after the round that it should be a one-stroke penalty, even if the bunker is 100% aquatic, or I'd have taken the stroke.

I don't like all of the "rusty" rules, though. This year (but not last), I've had a heck of a time with my first tee shot, often grounding it and making a mess of the first hole. I can't convince myself to take the second shot, nor do I bother with mulligans elsewhere. I've definitely tried to tighten up on the rules after first picking the game back up last year (following 6-7 years off), and I've not had to put myself into situations to reconsider rules lately, other than the water-filled bunker one, which I just learned and will apply in the future.

Keep up what you are doing and ignore what the other folks are doing or saying about their scores. And I strongly disagree with the advice you have been given about ignoring the rules.  You will never get better if you are constantly avoiding the challenges of golf rather than embracing them and overcoming them.  Every golfer gets to the point where they decide to follow the rules or not follow the rules.  Occasional transgressions are one thing (your drop, for example - but next time hit a provisional) but the kind of systematic ignoring of the rules (toss it out from behind those trees - don't hit off that bare dirt, put it on some grass - I've never seen you sink a downhill sliding 4 footer, but it's good, hit a mulligan)  that is so common only insures that these folks will never leave their place as unserious poseurs.

Until I am playing someone in a competition I don't give a damn about how they record their scores. They paid their own money and can keep the score however they want. It is none of my concern. A Rules Nazi can suck the life out of a fun day away from the office (even though I play by the rules). Stop worrying about what others do and keep score the way you want to.

It's not too early for tournaments that use net scoring or stableford.

The Golf Channel Am Tour has many different skill flights.

In the beginning I picked up a lot when frustrated or holding up a social group.

And I sometimes kept a score of just the good shots and putts I had.

Most of my golf buddies have vanity handicaps 5 to 8 strokes lower than mine.

Doesn't bother me. They usually roll their balls out of divots, etc, etc.. We dont play for

money , so I dont care when they "beat" me.

But they don't like to play in the organized tournaments I do. Wonder why?

Good luck and have fun playing. Your first year, I wouldn't take anything other than having fun too seriously. I didn't keep score in about 3/4 of the rounds I played my first year, used a foot wedge, whatever. I was learning how to hit the ball which is hard enough in the beginning.

Once. Get out to a real course immediately. play an "easy" real course at first, something with a low slope rating maybe but make the move. You'll love it.

I played a round a few weeks ago with some friends I haven't played with in years. Hole # 3 one guy picked up and said give me the 10 stroke max. Hole #4 another guy picked up and said give me the high number for the hole, which was a 7. Hole # 5 another guy had a blow up hole and counted every stroke for a 13. The third guy won btw. I either came in second disqualifying the two who picked up, two strokes back of the winner counting all strokes, or 5 strokes back giving him a max of 10 on his blowup hole. One guy kept giving and taking gimmes from 2 feet. In stroke play whenever you give a gimme you are breaking the very first rule. I guess you need to decide before the round which rules you are going to break. It's nice when everyone is on the same page.

I still play my local executive quite a bit, but I have found in my short few months of learning that taming my driver is the biggest challenge and most important part of my game I need to work on in order to become a bogey golfer, I can only do that from a full length course. I think you should get out there as soon as you can, especially if you are hitting par occasionally on par 3 holes. In my experience you are already better than most of the weekenders out there.

Whatever you feel comfortable with. I had terrible issues with my driver yesterday so I used a 5 Iron to tee off on one hole because I was much more comfortable with my irons than my driver/woods/hybrid yesterday. If you play with people they might bust your chops and try and get you to hit driver anyways, but just play what you want. Who cares. I'd rather be on the fairway at 150 yards in than take a penalty after slicing forty yards out of bounds.

This x100. I don't understand why people care so much about other people. If you want to compete with someone before you start then you're obviously agreeing to play by the same rules. Otherwise who cares? I play by the rules (to the best of my knowledge) and keep my own score. Doesn't matter to me one bit if the guy I'm with is lying about his. I care about myself and how much I'm improving. One of the things I like about golf is that since I'm not someone who is super competitive (with other people), I'm able to challenge myself with the golf course.

You don't have to use a driver on every hole. If there is trouble on the right, hit your 5 iron or 3 wood. Practice with the driver on the driving range though. Even the pros don't hit a driver on every hole.