Do you play worse when you play with worse players??

[kleraudio]

So I go to the course today and get paired up with 2 older ladies, probably like 55 or 60. Very nice ladies, but not that great at golf.

Anyways, I shoot, have to wait quite a bit for them to catch up then I shoot again, wait, etc etc...

I ended up shooting a 48! I was hitting some really ugly approach shots and just couldnt understand it.

I went out yesterday and shot a 42, and the time prior to that a 40..... Both times were with guys that were as good or better than me.

Is this common to score badly when playing with players like this?

Thanks!

Jim

[GaijinGolfer]

Sometimes I do. I find that when I play with worse players, I dont try to elevate my game like I would if I were playing with players who are better than me.
Im a very competitive person and I hate to lose, so when beating the people Im playing with isnt much of a challenge, Im not as focused and motivated as I would be if playing with better players.

[Parker0065]

It really depends on thier personality and attitude, but overall I would agree that it is more difficult to play well when your partners are slapping it all over the place.

For what it's worth my lowest rounds have all come in tournaments playing with competitors that were below a 10 handicap, but that's not to say I haven't shot well in the past with higher handicaps.

What bugs me more than anything is when I play with a stranger and after 5-6 holes I'm even par and they feel the need to announce to me that thier brothers sister's nephew's cousin twice removed is a scratch golfer and once shot 65 at Brandon Dunes,,,lol! First off like I care but I really want to ask them did they actually count every shot. But to be polite I just nod my head and say "Wow, that's Great"(but I'm thinking STFU),,lol!

[-BAMA-]

i dont usually worry about the other members in my foursome.

its me against the golf course and the golf course against me.

if i have to wat long periods between shots due to slower players, i just pracice chipping or take practice swings to stay grooved.

but i'm just a real laid back guy, i'm not competitive by nature and my scores are usually very similar regardless of who i'm playing with

[wubskis]

In all honesty, I shoot better around people worse than me. I collapse under pressure to an insane degree, so when I'm around people worse than I am I feel a lot more relaxed and way less tense. For instance, when I'm with a regular buddy (130+ scores) I have broken 90 more than once. When I'm with my brother (equal-ish skill) I choke so hard and post awful scores (back into the 100's).

I played a round with a neighbour who plays off 11hcp, and shot about 110.

Go figure

[lobsterzilla]

^ same sadly. I know it happens and i can't stop it. I'm so competitive at everything that i push WAY to hard to beat my friends... (on the inside obviously I never let it known why im playing so poorly, i just blame it on a bad range session or feeling "off my game")

but I'll definitely shoot 10ish strokes lower bymyself than with friends. If im going to transition to playing in tournaments in a year or so .... This has GOT TO CHANGE ! :)


someone help. or offer advice

[mst_coastie]

^ same sadly. I know it happens and i can't stop it. I'm so competitive at everything that i push WAY to hard to beat my friends... (on the inside obviously I never let it known why im playing so poorly, i just blame it on a bad range session or feeling "off my game")

Just stop shooting worse... haha, no really, just focus on fundamentals, that is what I do in must score situations, your mileage may vary

[Prairie Golfer]

No. I seem to play at the same level no matter who I'm playing with.

[DBeane]

I used to do this durning casual rounds, I would play up or down to the competition. Then I realized it was a pace thing and now I play the same regardless. I just pace myself around the group.

-Beane

[kevin.chan]

As long as they dont play too slow and they follow the rules & etiquette , i m okay.

There is a round that played with snr golfers who are in their 70s, chat and had a relax round.

I shot 73 that day .

[etlreams]

For me it's more about tempo of play. If I'm playing with people who are slow, or frankly, horrible golfers that keep duffing the ball over and over, than I can't get into a rhythm and my game suffers.

[eltigre-21]

i play alot by myself and get paired up with people sometimes im very competitive when i play with someone older i usually play good and realx really well because i know its just fun and there is no one trying to beat me butt i play my best if someone is better than me....and i seem to always string together good rounds even if i lose which i dont like to happen :)

[DaSportsGuy]

I'm not sure I play worse with bad players but I definitely play better with better players because I concentrate more on hitting a good shot.

[James_Black]

I'm not sure I play worse with bad players but I definitely play better with better players because I concentrate more on hitting a good shot.

same with me.

[ballhog]

I always, always, always play worse when Im with bad players, and better when with good players

[jerry g]

i do not. i tend to play better with worse players. i feel much more comfortable as the better player in a group. i sometimes tend to try to keep up stroke wise, and rush myself on the greens because i don't want to hold slightly better players up if i am not playing quite as good as they are. i know i don't need to rush probably. i guess it depends on the people themselves. when playing with players not quite as good as me, it doesn't matter if they are cool or not. i feel i can take my time because i know i'm not going too slow or holding them up by taking more strokes than they and such.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Sort of. The pace and rhythm of play is definatly better when im in a group with better players. Everyone is going to hit poor shots, but where playing with higher HC's can be frustrating for me is mostly around the greens. It can be hard to keep your concentration when you have to endure some dude that likes to take a tour of the entire green..

[Yukari]

For me, it is not whether the group I am playing with is better or worse than me, but it has more to do with pace of play AND how casual of a round we are playing.