First competition, humiliating experience

[devilsadvocado]

The club I belong to is incredibly annoying because they are constantly holding these mini tournaments. This is great if you are good enough to compete, but if you are a high handicapper newcomer to the sport, like myself, it is extremely frustrating to not be able to use the course which I've paid good money to have access to.

Yesterday, I went to play and though I thought the calendar had said no tournament, sure enough I was mistaken and there was one, a $5 shotgun. This was the last straw so I just said •••• it and entered. They put me in a group with two sweet older women (one in her late 40's, and the other in her late 60's). They both kicked my ass.

I haven't played that badly in a long time and I suppose I can attribute it to nerves (first tournament and first time playing with strangers as I always go alone or with my brother-in-law). The truth is, though, that even if I had shot my best score they still would have beaten me.

Anyway, the women I played with ended up finishing 2nd (the younger one) and third. It made me feel a little better to learn that they were pretty exceptional players.

[Fourputt]

You have to test your game under pressure to really know where it stands. The important thing is to learn something from the experience. The more you play in competitions, the easier it will become.

Was this a handicapped tournament?

[bpschmid]

Gotta watch those 65 year old ladies...they've been known to poke it out there at least 165 yards...seriously though, as a beginner just go practice and play as much as possible...stop concentrating on who you're trying to beat.

[rafal]

If I had an opportunity to play $5 tournaments I'd do it every other day. You have no idea how good tournaments are for your development as a golfer. You should also play more with strangers. Mental toughness is paramount.

[Lefty-Golfer]

tournament golf is such a different anmial. I played last weekend in my club championships. My flight is 9-12 HC top 8 out of 25 qualify for match play...87 was 3 way tie for the cut line...LOL. preasure does that to you. Sunday in match play I won a tough match, all square through 11 but i got hot and won several in row to win 4&3...finished par par par to end the round after the match was over. Score 84!! As soon as the match was over it felt like a weight was off my shoulders and could swing so loose. it is crazy the way it effects you...I love it.

[te3point5]

It makes you really appreciate how good tour players really are.

[Shorty]

If I had an opportunity to play $5 tournaments I'd do it every other day. You have no idea how good tournaments are for your development as a golfer. You should also play more with strangers. Mental toughness is paramount.

Exactly.

It's a funny thing. I've been playing golf for 30 years and, apart from the first year or so, I would say that in that time I have played less than 10 rounds that WERE NOT competition rounds. That's just the way it is here in Australia. Golf is affordable and the average golfer is a member of a club and plays competition rounds every time he tees up, frequently with guys he's never met. That's why I guess I find it funny reading about players here who say that a great round was ruined by 4 penalty strokes, or that they would have broken their handicap if only..etc. etc. More than half of my rounds are ruined by 3 bad swings or bad choices which lead to wiped holes in stableford and 7s or 8s in stroke. In competition you can't say "i'll put that down as a 5 because x, y or z". You always play in a group and you never mark your own card. Every shot is counted, every penalty is taken. That is why people who do not play competition often misrepresent their handicap. UNknowingly, it seems, too. Not to mention this BS about gimmes. I've missed plenty of 2 footers in my time. People who take gimmes do it because they know they might miss the putt. It doesn't speed up play. Obviously, in comp, you can't do it, so again, you find out if you can or can't putt. Last Saturday, for example, I needed bogies on the last two holes (par 4s) to have a Nett 71 (par). I finished 8, 7, which made it a nett 76. Two bad swings means a terrible round. You try to focus on the positives, but the reality is that your score is what yopu shot yourself, with noone to blame. Play competition as much as you can. It's the only way to know how good or bad you are.

[Zeph]

I'd consider you lucky. If I could play in more tournaments, I would.

[motteler621]

competitive golf is something that you have to get use to and the only way is to keep playing in tournaments etc.

[dizzle247]

I'm with everyone else on playing more tourney's i would too.

I bowled competitively when I was younger and my first tournament I should at least 40-60 pins under my average. The nerves is what really gets you and once you can learn to tame those down during high pressure situations, your game will sky rocket because you're not focused on impressing anybody but yourself.

I love playing with strangers too. I personally like to sand bag my skill and tell them I suck. If they're shooting a 0 handicap spanking me up and down the course, well, I was right when I said I sucked :p.

[wubskis]

Exactly. It's a funny thing. I've been playing golf for 30 years and, apart from the first year or so, I would say that in that time I have played less than 10 rounds that WERE NOT competition rounds. That's just the way it is here in Australia.

I wish that were the case here in the UK, but well, you need some pretty serious money to join any of the clubs around where I live. There's a course about half a mile up the road from me, but it is ridiculously overpriced for a good front nine but seriously dull back nine. I've seen some UK clubs with a 'student rate' which would be amazing, it would essentially let me play over my easter/summer break, but again, none of the local courses do that. Fantastic.

I'd love to be able to play "seriously" more often, because my mental strength is atrocious right now and could definitely do with a boost. Sigh, England, etc.

[Shorty]

Here's the difference in a nutshell:

Player in competition double or triple bogeys holes 1,2,17 and 18. the rest are pars or birdies. Middle 14 , say, 1 under par.
He types his scores into the computer in the clubhouse and his score is up there scrolling on the screen along with everyone else's. People say "X must have played like crap" He drives home feeling like shooting himself because of the missed opportunity. People think he's a hacker. His handicap goes up. The screen shows the total, not the many great shots he played.

Someone else does the same thing in social play.
People ask how he did. "Fantastic!! I under in a 14 hole stretch".
He feels like his "ballstriking" is coming along and he's on the way to being a "scratch golfer", whatever that means stateside

In competition, you realise that it's all about scoring.
Which is a good reason for a lot of people to avoid comps if they want to maintain their sanity.

[clubchamp]

Don't sweat it, when I was 18 I played in a match play tourney and I smoked the first 2 guys I played. I was a 5 handicap and the guy I played in the final match was 68 year old 8 handicap. Now don't get me wrong I knew he was a respectable golfer but it was the second of the day he already doesn't hit it very far and now he will be tired. I was right he didn't hit it very far and he also didn't miss a fairway. He just kept making pars and very few mistakes so I got rattled and started making bad decisions. I think he made 1 birdie and was 1 over par when we finished the match 4 and 3. I was pretty upset after losing but I also looked back at it I learned I needed to get a better short game. This guy could get up and down from anywhere and it just drove me insane the whole match. I also learned to never take any opponent for granted because they could have the round of their life that day. Keep playing in tourneys and it will all come together...

[Mizzoujohn]

Exactly.

Sounds awesome. I wish it were that way here. I've played a few hundred rounds in my life , NEVER played a competitive round. Here, there isn't really anything in the way of tournaments unless you are a member somewhere, which I am not.

John

[warbirdlover]

Remember you're playing the course and can not control what others do. And I once played with two 70-80 year old women. Their artificial joints creaked and groaned when they walked. They could hardly walk. They hit their tee shots 100 yards, straight down the middle. They hit their next shot 100 yards, straight down the middle (and the next one if needed) and then came the amazing part. They put their short irons ON the pin hole after hole after hole. I'm talking within 3 feet on every hole and they made the putts. They almost beat me. Both were in the low 40's for nine holes. It was a real learning experience for me.

[motteler621]

Alot of ametuers think it would be so much fun to play a tournament until they actualy play in one. Atleast thats how it was for me. Back in high school I would have to play tournaments and matches against kids who would pull up in their bmw's with the latest and greatest clubs their parents bought them. They had lessons all their lives from top dollar instructors and were scratch players. That got kind of lame after awhile. I dont really have that much of a desire to play in a serious tournament unless maybe its for a club I am part of and know alot of people. That would be cool.

[Lefty-Golfer]

Here's the difference in a nutshell:

Quoted for truth. many of the best ball strikers are at home but the chippers and one putters are still playing.