Topping it on #1

[firstcut]

I've always thought it was the unwritten rule that you NEVER hit a second off #1. And unless there's no one behind me I'll usually just play my crappy first shot. On the other hand, it probably slows play down more to pull out a 3 iron 10 yards from the teebox..

What say you? How many daggers do you throw at the poor guy who tees up a second on #1?

[Daddy Golfer]

When I first started playing I use to take Mulligans on the first tee. Now I just take my lumps and do my best to make up for the screw up. It is a far more satisfying to make birdie, par or even boggie from a messed up tee shot, like a topper.

[traviswise]

I currently let the first shot be a mulligan if bad. Now if I have warmed up at the range prior then I don't.

[Stacey_E]

Before I went on a handicap card and started playing everything down, our friendly rules were like this:

2 off the first
1 mulligan per nine
1 clublength no nearer the hole (not in a hazard)

If you're still casual, it probably speeds up play to take a second instead of grinding that 75 yard topped drive all the way into the hole (or gimme range).

[FlopShotArtist]

  traviswise said:

I currently let the first shot be a mulligan if bad. Now if I have warmed up at the range prior then I don't.

That's what I do. But I've warmed up about 99.9% of the time, so I've only hit a 2nd shot on the first tee once. I was half asleep! (eaarrllyyy tee time)

[NorCalGolfer]

God, there's nothing worse than a topper on the 1st tee. All those judging eyes. lol

[Tha Fuzzy 1]

Just as bad as the topper, in my opinion, is the pop-up, the one that goes 300 yards up in the air and maybe 100 yards straight, aka the pop-up behind second base. I hit one of those today on the 1st hole, although I was able to scramble a bogey out of it.

And I had warmed up beforehand, so I had no excuse.

[I <3 Titleist]

I never top drives tbch. I usually slice the living hell out of them.

[JessN16]

  firstcut said:

I've always thought it was the unwritten rule that you NEVER hit a second off #1. And unless there's no one behind me I'll usually just play my crappy first shot. On the other hand, it probably slows play down more to pull out a 3 iron 10 yards from the teebox..

If I haven't had the chance to warm up, like others here, I'll sometimes take a second off the first tee.

In my old group, we had the following: 1 mulligan per side (including the first hole if needed, and you couldn't carry an unused mulligan over from the front to the back, plus no mulligans on the green), and play all lost balls and hazards as one-stroke penalty plus drop no closer to the hole. Since we're talking about four guys shooting 90-100, this was done in the interest of not slowing down the whole course just because we happened to suck. Jess

[firstcut]

Hey, you guys are making me feel good about my last round!

[BigDaddy_Sean]

  Tha Fuzzy 1 said:

Just as bad as the topper, in my opinion, is the pop-up, the one that goes 300 yards up in the air and maybe 100 yards straight, aka the pop-up behind second base. I hit one of those today on the 1st hole, although I was able to scramble a bogey out of it.

Trevor Immelman did that in the 3rd round of the NEC Invitational at Firestone!

LOL .. popped it up, had 250 or so left to the green on a 400 yard par four.. still made par, haha.

[iWALK18]

I almost never get a warmup, so if i hit a really bad first shot, i'll give myself another start. First hole only.

[Bigbuckley]

I always used to top it off the first hole with my driver or 3 wood. so lately i have been hitting 4 iron off the tee. it makes me feel alot more confident through out the rest of the round.

[tjy355]

  firstcut said:

... What say you? How many daggers do you throw at the poor guy who tees up a second on #1?

It's so commonly done, it really doesn't bother me. When you see the whole foursome ahead of you doing it, one starts to wonder if it's going to be a slow round.

I don't like to take mulligans myself. I like to play it down and count all my strokes. But I don't begrudge anyone if they want to do it (as long as they are not playing me for money )

[mellojoe]

I have to play mulligans. If I didn't, I'd have 5-hour 9-hole rounds. As a beginner, I'm just not consistent. I'm getting significantly better and I rarely have to take a mulligan off the tee anymore. Maybe once per 9 holes, and thats only if I mishit it so bad that my 2nd shot would be nearly impossible to get back to the fairway. Just because its short, or off in the rough a bit, or in a fairway bunker... those aren't mulligans for me. Those are normal hits, so I take them.

But, I usually keep two spare balls in my back pocket just in case I totally screw up a shot and send it into the pond, I can just drop another one and swing again.

(For me, its like picking up the 10th stroke. If I'm hitting 10, I'll just pick it up and move on to the next hole. No sense holding everyone up. Thank goodness that is getting better.)

[kafka01]

I play it as long as i declare it unplayable or provisional (on any tee) - so no mulligans for me.

If i practice i might as well hit 2-3 more after a bad shot off the tee/into the green but not necessarily on #1 where people are watching/waiting.

[Fraser]

  I <3 Titleist said:

I never top drives tbch. I usually slice the living hell out of them.

At my old CC the first tee was the worst as a then 30 handicap with a tendency to slice. From around 100yrds to 200yrds up from the first tee was the car park. I can remember standing on the first tee on my first round there and I didn't care where it went as long as it wasn't in the car park. One guy visiting from another club managed to break the window on his own car when I was there You can see the tee and car park in question on this link. The tee is just above the line of cypress trees. http://tinyurl.com/6e92l2

[AlCzervik]

If i top a first drive i usually say "oh f-ck, its gonna be a long day" and retee.