How Competitive Are You When Golfing?

[Patch]

Yeah, I am some what competitive. I will play for a few dollars if thats the case. That said, most of my bets are for food, and beverages after the round.

Lately I have been losing alot of ice cream bets. Apparently, they are teaching creative golf handicapping in highschool these days.  

What's different for me, is that rarely, if ever, do I compete with other golfers. I compete against the course, and my own par target number. I just play my best game, with little regards as to what the other player(s) are doing. Win, or lose, the effort was there.  

[NM Golf]

Very competitive. After all one of the reasons I play golf is to compete. Obviously, not every one of my rounds is for money, but even when I don't play for money there is a good bit if competitive fire and shit talking going on. When we play for money its normally skins, greenies, and robins. If you have a great day you may walk away $20 richer and vice versa.

Edited January 14, 2020 by NM Golf

[Darkfrog]

With other golfers, not at all, but I do like to compete against myself by setting goals and trying to achieve them.

If I happen to be golfing with a certain group of friends who insist on playing $1 skins, I'll reluctantly join as long as they agree to the par-or-better to win rule. It's a sad when triple bogey wins multiple carryover skins.

[tehuti]

I don't bet, and I don't have any regular golf buddies that I play with. So there is really no one for me to compete with.

[Typhoon92]

I’m not at all.  I just never cared to be. Like Cantankish said, “ with myself”.  I play with a group of retired guys, there are anywhere from 4-8 of us.  
 

We play just to enjoy each other’s company and enjoy being out.  Nobody is paying attention to anyone score or what they are doing.  “Good shot “ or “Good swing” is heard often.

Personally, I also deal with enough crap everyday so golf is my escape, my “coping mechanism.”  My concern is to hit the ball the best I can shoot the best score I can while enjoying the  company of my friends.

[Bonvivant]

On 1/13/2020 at 8:30 AM, mcanadiens said:

We're not very competitive.

Our normal game is a quota game. Everyone forks over $10. We use Stableford scoring and you got to beat a number that is based on your handicap adjusted up or down for the relative success you've had in prior games. The pot gets split up based on how many people exceeded quota and by how much.

Generally, everyone in a group likes to see his fellow players do well. 

Can confirm. I've played in this game 7-10 times and I have never had a bad time playing it. Think I have gone over my quota 3 times, and it's always nice to get some back. Last time it was $27.50 that I got back, and then I played Sunday and didn't do well at all. I always have a bit of a stink with this game and the teeboxes (under 60 has to play from the back on 2 of the courses and members on the other 2, while seniors play the golds), but it has never kept me from going.

If I wasn't in this game, I would put some dollars on it but my typical playing partner probably wouldn't be game for it unless I gave a hefty spot. We both got unlimited 1 year passes and he gets the chance to play more than me, so maybe this year will be different. The right spot is probably me giving him a stroke on 1-9 hdcp holes playing match play. Whadda ya say, @topoftheline89? Dollar a hole?

Anyone wanna try some Wolf Hammer?

Edited January 14, 2020 by Bonvivant

[Buckeyebowman]

8 hours ago, Darkfrog said:

With other golfers, not at all, but I do like to compete against myself by setting goals and trying to achieve them.

If I happen to be golfing with a certain group of friends who insist on playing $1 skins, I'll reluctantly join as long as they agree to the par-or-better to win rule. It's a sad when triple bogey wins multiple carryover skins.

Absolutely! You simply cannot win a skin with a score less than par! I once played a round with a buddy, and a bunch of his new friends where he had moved to, on a course that I had never seen before! After the round, they came trying to give me all kinds of money! I asked how I won all of it. They said it was because I had won a whole bunch of skins. 

I learned that in "their" game, the lowest score on the hole won the skin. Didn't matter if it was par or bogey, or double bogey! The only "carryovers" were if two people tied on the hole! 

[RussUK]

I used to be too competetive. Probelm was I'm not a great golfer but still found myself trying to compete with mates who were properly good. Hitting 9 iron to that 150yd par 3? I'll hit the same, all that sort of stuff.

Result?

Frustration at not being able to match them. I've since learned to play my own game. If they hit 9 iron on that par 3 what does it matter if i hit a 7 as long as i get there. As I'm not a long hitter i've worked on my short game to help out when i'm short of the green and my putting is good.

Now, play for the fun of it, ignore what they are doing and play my own game. I often find that i can stay with them as by not trying to compete with them really gets in their heads and messes them up. If you cant beat them....play mind games and watch them implode