Bad Play, Walking Off Mid Round

[bplewis24]

Quote:

Not entering scores if you think they are aberrations, and arbitrarily deciding for yourself if your round is reflective of your game (and choosing not to enter it), is worse than sandbagging.

Call it how you see it, but keep in mind I quit after 9 holes and posted that score.

Regardless, it's not hurting anybody but myself to not post a score in the high 90s or hundreds which would be a +10 or more differential to even my current index.  I doubt anybody in my club would have a problem with it, and they are already suggesting that I'm going to be "penalized" for having too high of an index for the NCGA championship I qualified for.

Brandon

[Bullitt5339]

I have memberships at 3 different courses and there are times when I know I'm only going out to play 3 holes, maybe 9, maybe 11.  Doesn't matter, it's all in how I feel and time available.  I typically try to stay as a single if I know I'm only playing a partial 9 though.

I have quit playing after 5 holes when I planned on playing 18 before simply because my mind wasn't in the game.  No aggravation, no horrible shots, but after 5 holes, I decided I didn't feel like playing anymore.  I feel that if you're not playing in a tournament or for money, noone should care how many holes you play.

[sean_miller]

  Bullitt5339 said:

Originally Posted by Bullitt5339

I have memberships at 3 different courses and there are times when I know I'm only going out to play 3 holes, maybe 9, maybe 11.  Doesn't matter, it's all in how I feel and time available.  I typically try to stay as a single if I know I'm only playing a partial 9 though.

I have quit playing after 5 holes when I planned on playing 18 before simply because my mind wasn't in the game.  No aggravation, no horrible shots, but after 5 holes, I decided I didn't feel like playing anymore.  I feel that if you're not playing in a tournament or for money, noone should care how many holes you play.

My course has 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9(duh), 11, and 13 hole loops. I play the 4 hole loop a lot - all I have time for most days.

[zeg]

  Mr3Wiggle said:

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Just trying to see where people draw the line.  Some have major issues with mulligans and not putting out, but some feel fine with ditching the round entirely when their game is not there.

There's really no reason to worry about someone abandoning a terrible round when it comes to their handicap. Reverse sandbagging or vanity capping only hurts that golfer in the end. It's the guys who post the inflated scores you have to worry about.

Technically speaking, it's probably a violation of the handicap rules if your purpose in abandoning the round is to manipulate your index in either direction. If you're just quitting because you're tired of playing for the day, there's no rule against that.

  Mr3Wiggle said:

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

It can be a slippery slope.  For me part of golf is dealing with the adversity and grinding it out.  Stopping mid-round hurts that mentality for me.  I know some guys that stop keeping score after one double bogey or bladed sand shot.

Lest you get the wrong idea from my posts, I feel the same way here. I've only ever skipped a couple holes, one time on the 9th hole which is technically walking off the course I guess. About 99% of the time, I think it's better to stick it out to try to learn how to put the wheels back on mid-race. If it's really looking like it's going to ruin my day, though, that's when it's time to remember that it's about enjoyment.

[sacm3bill]

  Golfingdad said:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

The part that I find hard to believe is that, of all people on this site, I am supposed to believe that Shorty cares what people think of him?  Sorry, not buying it.  And the other thing that amazes me is that this thread has generated so much buzz.

Any thread Shorty posts in usually gets a lot of buzz. I have a feeling his antics are encouraged (or at least tolerated) by the mods for that very reason. :-)

[zipazoid]

  sacm3bill said:

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

Any thread Shorty posts in usually gets a lot of buzz. I have a feeling his antics are encouraged (or at least tolerated) by the mods for that very reason. :-)

Tell me about it. I'm still trying to figure out why he told me 'Shame on you' for having the pic of me & Jack as my avatar.

Oh well...for reasons known only to him & God. And God ain't talking.

And so far, neither is Shorty.

[jetsknicks1]

  zipazoid said:

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Whatever. Thanks for your your opinion on my 'form'. None of my business.

That's what "Public" forums are for. If you don't wish to read other's opinions or you feel it's none of your business, don't post.

[Mr3Wiggle]

  walk18 said:

Originally Posted by walk18

I think the line is pretty clear: if you're playing to post a score for handicap purposes, there are no mulligans or gimmes.

Wait...so there are rounds you play that aren't for handicap purposes?  When do you determine this.  Seems clear as mud.

[Mr3Wiggle]

  darkhunter139 said:

Originally Posted by darkhunter139

See now that's kind of stupid. If you get frustrated enough to quit after one bad hole I doubt you are going to be having much fun anyway.

When I said I quit before when I was doing bad (this only happened to me once or twice) I meant real bad. My score probably would have been over 130 if I kept playing, I had no idea what I was doing wrong and I felt like I would get nothing but frustration out of finishing my round.

And I don't keep an official handicap anywhere either.

I totally agree.

[walk18]

  Mr3Wiggle said:

Wait...so there are rounds you play that aren't for handicap purposes?  When do you determine this.  Seems clear as mud.

Yeah a practice round would be a round not for handicap purposes. I would think that should be determined before the start of the round. Not sure why there's confusion on this..

[Mr3Wiggle]

  walk18 said:

Originally Posted by walk18

Yeah a practice round would be a round not for handicap purposes. I would think that should be determined before the start of the round. Not sure why there's confusion on this..

There's confusion because we aren't talking about practice rounds at all.  We're talking about rounds in general where you are playing so bad you just say screw it and walk off the course.

[zeg]

  walk18 said:

Originally Posted by walk18

Yeah a practice round would be a round not for handicap purposes. I would think that should be determined before the start of the round. Not sure why there's confusion on this..

Note that, as far as I can tell, a "practice round" is not an official concept under the USGA handicap rules. Rule 5-1 (http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Handicap-System-Manual/Rule-05/) covers this, and you're required to post any round that meets the definition of an acceptable score. Basically, if you play by the rules and the course is in active season, of regulation length, and rated, then you have to post.

The only recognized exceptions are, paraphrasing: 1) playing fewer than 7 holes, 2) playing during an inactive season, 3) playing a short (< 3000 yard) course, 4) playing under conditions of competition that require fewer than 14 clubs or similar restrictions, 5) playing on an unrated course, and 6) playing with nonconforming equipment. There is no mechanism by which you can just declare a round to be practice, you have to actually break the rules.

Of course, this is as simple as agreeing to waive a rule, so you probably only technically need to declare at the beginning that you are not playing under the rules of golf. Again, technically speaking, you'd have until the 6th hole to decide that, by the way, because if you played 7 holes by the rules, you would be required to post a 9-hole score.

[carrx]

Consider this:  if you were to post that abnormally high score, it's likely going to be thrown out (because your index only includes the 10 best of your previous 20 scores).  Therefore, if you decline to post, you're more likely to artificially move your index down.  The end result of which, is a vanity handicap.

I have a friend that does this type of stuff all the time.  "I'm not going to post that, I just had a really bad day," or, "I'm slicing so bad, this isn't really how I play."  Well, that friend is currently a 9.6 handicap who can't shoot better than 88 when there's a bet on the line.  He doesn't like to gamble much, and believes it's because he's a choker when the pressure is on.  Truth be told, he just isn't really a 9.6.

I think you should post all of your scores, especially when going through a swing change.

One exception to that (and it does come up during summer months) is that I sometimes don't post when I'm out playing with buddies on a twilight or super-twilight round.  Specifically, there are times when we're behind a slow group, and know we can't finish after nine, we may double back to the 1st tee (assuming it's open) and play as many holes as we can before dark.  I suppose I should post those as 9 hole scores, but it happens rarely and I generally don't post.

  Gresh24 said:

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Not entering scores if you think they are aberrations, and arbitrarily deciding for yourself if your round is reflective of your game (and choosing not to enter it), is worse than sandbagging.

[Mr3Wiggle]

  carrx said:

Originally Posted by carrx

Consider this:  if you were to post that abnormally high score, it's likely going to be thrown out (because your index only includes the 10 best of your previous 20 scores).  Therefore, if you decline to post, you're more likely to artificially move your index down.  The end result of which, is a vanity handicap.

I have a friend that does this type of stuff all the time.  "I'm not going to post that, I just had a really bad day," or, "I'm slicing so bad, this isn't really how I play."  Well, that friend is currently a 9.6 handicap who can't shoot better than 88 when there's a bet on the line.  He doesn't like to gamble much, and believes it's because he's a choker when the pressure is on.  Truth be told, he just isn't really a 9.6.

I think you should post all of your scores, especially when going through a swing change.

Boom!  Carryx nails it!

[phedrick]

I agree with Ernest Jones.  I am out there for myself, and not anyone else.  Yes, I suck at golf, but I do enjoy it..... as bad as I do, I would rather be there then working.

[sacm3bill]

  Ernest Jones said:

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

A crappy day on the course is light years better than a great day at work!

  JBird said:

Originally Posted by JBird

I have been tempted to leave the course a few times but always remember that a bad day on the course is better then a good day at work.

  phedrick said:

Originally Posted by phedrick

Yes, I suck at golf, but I do enjoy it..... as bad as I do, I would rather be there then working.

Well yeah, but it's not like going to work is the only other alternative.

[bplewis24]

A crappy day of golf (for me) is unbearable.  I typically don't take off work to golf, so I'd rather be at home playing video games or something than shooting off hosel rockets all over the place.

Brandon

[BuckeyeNut]

I've quit after 9 holes a few times, but slow play was probably the biggest contributing factor.