What was your score on your first full 18?

[txsouthpaw]

somewhere around 130 my first time out. and somewhere around 150 my second. there was a two year gap in between those two rounds, and no practice. The second round was played on a tough course with lots of water. I swear i lost at least 1 ball every hole that day if not more. I learned to stay away from courses with alot of water till i get my driver under control

[pittpanther]

Just shot a 143 at Baypointe outside Jackson, MS.

I'm pleased to see many people have shot equally bad scores at first, and then have improved dramatically in just a year or two. Hope I can do the same.

Problems discovered:
1. Driving - My driving is terrible. No distance off the tee equaled at least one, maybe two, extra strokes on every hole.

2. Hazards - The driving range forgives shots that are not straight or long enough. The course does not. It seems like whenever there was a hole with water nearby, my ball would either not get the distance I needed, or would drop safely on the fairway then turn towards the hazard. I lost seven balls. The issue here is that my ball striking is not consistent - when I hit the iron correctly, I know what my distance will be. But how often do I hit it correctly? Not often enough. Which means instead of going over that creek that's 90 yards away, I hit a roller into the water.

3. Short Game - Not enough practice on chipping/pitching. Not many driving ranges offer a chipping area for practice, so this part of my game was non-existent. Actually got better as the game went on, with some nice approach shots on the back 9.

4. Targeting - Lining up so that the ball goes in the direction I want. This also got better as the game went on. Again, not something that the range enforces. Have to be disciplined on the range to include target practice, not just ball striking.