Thought I broke 80 for the first time today, but then I recounted my scorecard...

[Meddle]

So I generally put up rounds in the high 80s - low 90s, but today on the front 9 I put up a 38 so I knew I had a special round going. At 16 I counted my strokes up and realized I needed to go par-bogey to break 80 for the first time. On 17 I knock a wedge within 3 feet of the pin but miss the birdie putt and score a par. 18 is a par 5, I ended up on the green in 4 with about a 5 foot putt for par. I know I don't need to make the putt, just not completely blow it, so I tap it up next to the pin and bogey the hole for my 79. In the clubhouse I recount my score and find out I actually had an 80, not the 79 I thought I had! I guess I can't complain, still my best round ever, but man, so many what-if's after that round.

[B Keller]

That sucks man. It is also why I don't count up my score until I'm done. I know if I am playing well but not what my score is so I don't put more pressure on myself to do or not do something that would crater the round.

[Gebus]

That sucks man. It is also why I don't count up my score until I'm done. I know if I am playing well but not what my score is so I don't put more pressure on myself to do or not do something that would crater the round.

I second that!!! I am a very moody player... my friends always tell me forget the score think about the shot in front of you.

[Doctorfro]

It's hard to do but if it all possible, try not to keep track of your score as you play. I know, you almost always know where you stand but if you get down the stretch you put undue stress on yourself to break this record or get past a certain threshold. Trust me, I know. My goal everytime out is to break 80. You know how many times I shoot 80? Or I have 79 in site and I finish with a double bogey? Today I took it shot by shot and tried real hard not to keep track but I knew where I stood and I made a double bogey on the 16th and after a monster drive at 17, I hit a fat iron and couldn't get up and down. I shot 80!! Somehow gotta figure out how to ignore the scorecard. I feel your pain.

[soloredd]

It's hard to do but if it all possible, try not to keep track of your score as you play. I know, you almost always know where you stand but if you get down the stretch you put undue stress on yourself to break this record or get past a certain threshold. Trust me, I know. My goal everytime out is to break 80. You know how many times I shoot 80? Or I have 79 in site and I finish with a double bogey? Today I took it shot by shot and tried real hard not to keep track but I knew where I stood and I made a double bogey on the 16th and after a monster drive at 17, I hit a fat iron and couldn't get up and down. I shot 80!! Somehow gotta figure out how to ignore the scorecard. I feel your pain.

This is probably great advice but at the end of rounds, I can't remember what I got on each hole and I like to keep track of # of putts and how my driving was. Plus, for my handicap, it's necessary to be accurate, in my opinion. I should go out and just play a round without scoring, though.

To the OP, this happened to me as well. Thought I had an 89 once but I ignored a 2 stroke penalty I took early in the round. Marked it on the card but the score I placed did not include the penalty.

[Zeph]

I can't help but keep track of my score as I play. If I don't do it, I keep thinking that I should do it all the time. If anything, playing well gets me more focused on the next shot.

[Fairway_CY]

If anything, playing well gets me more focused on the next shot.

Agreed. I don't so much focus on my gross score as I do my net score. Before each round, I make my card with how many handicap strokes I get based on my course handicap... and then I figure out the 'adjusted par' for each hole. I then play the hole that way. My goal, every time I play, is to be right at (or below) net par. If I'm +2 or better at the end of the day... I know I've played at or above my potential. If I'm +3 or worse... I'm frustrated. It keeps me focused throughout the round. Plus... I LIKE the pressure standing on the 18th tee knowing that I need a net birdie to get into red figures or something. It makes me concentrate on what I'm doing... and if I hit a poor tee shot... I can STILL recover if I'm getting a stroke on a hole (which right now, I get at LEAST one stroke on every hole) and make a net par or birdie with a poor shot.

To the OP - I've done that before (not breaking 80). It happens quite frequently, actually. I'll believe I've posted a number and then when I recount... it's actually a stroke or two higher. Frustrating... but - you'll get to that sub-80 plateau. Good luck! CY

[B Keller]

This is probably great advice but at the end of rounds, I can't remember what I got on each hole and I like to keep track of # of putts and how my driving was. Plus, for my handicap, it's necessary to be accurate, in my opinion. I should go out and just play a round without scoring, though.

I take a notebook and record all my strokes to keep stats and such. I just don't add up anything until I am done. My first hole would look something like:

1 - D (436) FH 241 3H (195) right 193 chip 12' Putt = 4 So on the hole I know I hit the fairway and drove it 241 yards. My approach was right of the green and went 193. I was able to get up and down to save par. If it is windy I will show the direction it is blowing on the hole or if anything important or of note I will put that too. After I am done and have a minute to compute it I find out how I did. Perhaps this makes me a nerd, but oh well.

[USA 79S]

Congrats on the new low score. Maybe you miscounted the 2nd time and did get a 79 My buddy writes in his + "x" every time we go into the last hole, then he never writes in the last score or total. He also has short term memory loss and forgets to count some bad shots - but its not for money so I don't care, he'll learn the hard way if he goes into a tourney.

[doctork]

That is a classic D'OH moment there, Meddle.

Look on the bright side. You'll get to experience breaking 80 for the first time, twice!

Confident you'll actually get it done soon.

Best of luck,
DoctorK

[tsajjad]

aww man. That must have been hard. two 5 foot putts and u wud have gone 78. ouch. Dont worry though as doctorK said 'll get to experience breaking 80 two times now. =D Cheers.

[Doctorfro]

This is probably great advice but at the end of rounds, I can't remember what I got on each hole and I like to keep track of # of putts and how my driving was. Plus, for my handicap, it's necessary to be accurate, in my opinion. I should go out and just play a round without scoring, though.

I should've made myself more clear. I meant don't keep score in your head. I pretty much know at every given moment when I'm out there where I stand: +2, +4, whatever. I always keep a card and track putts, fairways, etc. If somehow you can simply write the score down and your stats but, go brain dead as far as keeping where you stand. If I could do this I would probably do far better. If anyone has a clue, help us out.

[rubbery]

Sounds a lot like the first time I flirted with the 70's. All I needed to do was par a short par 4 to shoot 79. I snap hooked my drive into a water hazard, dropped, came up short, and missed the chip for 79. Since then I have never counted my score until I'm finished; all you do when you do that is putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.

[B Keller]

If somehow you can simply write the score down and your stats but, go brain dead as far as keeping where you stand. If I could do this I would probably do far better. If anyone has a clue, help us out.

I don't write anything on a scorecard until after the round. Like I posted above, I write down essentially what every shot does, but don't tally anything until the end. I know if I am playing well or not, but I don't know where my score is. For example, the 85 I shot last week I knew I was playing better than ever, but I didn't think it was that low. I figured I was flirting with 90. Then Saturday I knew I was playing like crap on a poor course that was playing much longer than it was marked. I was somewhat surprised it was a 101 and not a 110 at the end of the day. Especially when you factor in another 12 on one hole....