Playing 9 or 18 by yourself.

[Bucki1968]

Now that school is about to be out for the summer I usually end up playing alone most of the time. I get the golf course when they open and am usually the first one out so I get some exercise and can work on my game. I enjoy it. I get a lot of other thinking done also and still get home in time to cut the grass or do some laundry for the wife so that she doesn't have to which leads to other great benefits!

[PeteK]

I played 9 holes solo yesterday late morning.  Practically had the entire course to myself.  It was my first round by myself and I rather enjoyed it.

[NuckandCup]

I do it several times a week...my club is slow in the afternoons.....most of the time I walk in 3 hrs and never see a soul on the course. Very tranquil. I love playing golf alone, I am used to it, I was an only child growing up in the 70s, and no one played golf back then...played many, many rounds by myself.

[DutchGolf]

I prefer playing with others, but as they do not want to play as much as I do, I sometimes play 9 holes alone, which is great practice for a beginning golfer, playing with 2 or 3 balls or try some shots again, or drop a ball on a interesting spot and see what I can do. On some occasions, I even listen to some relaxing music between shots. I really believe it is a better way of practice than at the range, where the situation is always quite the same.

[Stormin]

One of the true benefits of playing alone is the "follow up shot." More times than once I have dropped another ball next to the one I just fired off incorrectly to see if I can correct the error in my first swing. It does't always work, but being all alone I know that I am not holding anyone up. The last nine holes that I played alone probably had a "follow up shot" on every other hole.

[danL]

I prefer to play by myself. If I ended up alone for the whole round, great, had some time to think about my game and how to improve. If I get stuck with some people I don't know, that's cool as long as they're not dicks, I like making new acquaintances. One of the most fun and memorable rounds I've ever played was with 2 random college guys from the local university that I'd never met in my life. You only get one go round on this world, there's not enough time for inhibition and nervousness. They might be better than me at golf, but there are things I'm better than them at. Don't let that worry you, just have fun and try to improve.

[Bryan Kasper]

Unfortunately, I dont play solo often enough anymore. I have a saturday round with with my kid from the BBBS program, my wife, and her kid from the program. Sunday I have a regular foursome, monday morning I play with the club pro, and tuesday night is league play. If im lucky, ill get 9 in alone on wednesday night. Thursday night the wife and I always do something together, and I keep friday nights free in case she wants to do something or hang out. We are both extremely active people, with a lot going on, and a lot of friends. Thankfully we found a balance. Its a good thing we decided against having kids, because our whole lives would have to change, and neither of us wants that.

well this post certainly made me not want to have kids so i can golf more. haha

[ryan772]

I generally go out by myself 90% of the time, but i usually try to pair myself up with another group that isnt full. Since ive been playing at my course for a couple months now ive even played with some of the same groups multiple times even though i dont "know" them.

[Psyber]

I'm new but so far I've only played solo since I want to get some consistency before playing with others. I play an executive course by my house after work and on the weekends 2-3 times a week and I have no problem going solo. It is South Florida in the summer so a lot of people have fled north till the winter. Unlikely I will be able to play solo once the summer ends. I won't be able to play in the winter after work anyway because of the light but I am going to see if I go at 7AM if I can squeeze in the back 9. As it is I can play 18 in just under two hours with a cart here.

[Grndslmhttr3]

I play 9 by myself after work all the time. I'll admit that I do stay focused better when I have other people to golf with, but any golf is better than no golf, right?

[Bryan Kasper]

just played a round all by my lonesome today( with the occasional chit chat with the group ahead of me at the tee box) and i loved it. i didn't ever feel rushed, and i  was really able to hone in on what i need to do every shot, without thinking about someone watching.

i think its great if you are starting out as you can really get a feel for your swing and improve before having to worry about anything else.. i would f=definitely recommend a few rounds by yourself if you have not done so yet.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

I probably play 95% of my rounds alone.  The way I look at it is I don't want somebody looking over me while I'm getting my feet wet (so to speak).  In due time, I will look for playing partners more.  I just don't want to ruin their day when I get into a hacking routine.

I walked the back nine this morning.  I was the first out and left my little footprints in the dew all down the fairways.  I had a notion to make a big or HELP in one of the fairways that has the tee box way up on the hill.  I did not see anybody on my tail until the 17th green when I noticed two cart roofs peaking over the hill watching me putt out.  I also walked the front nine this evening alone and was moving along pretty good until I got all the way down by the green on the 6th hole.  I went to tag my Game Golf but it was not with me.  That wasted a little time retracing my steps.  Walking alone is just peace and quiet and gives you time to reflect on what just happened or is about to as you approach the ball.  You don't get that when riding with people and jumping out of the carts to hit.

[Skenny]

I have only one concern about playing alone: If I ever get an Ace, that's probably when it will happen. Would prefer a witness......

[Ongle]

I did get paired with one obscenity-spouting club-thrower, that wasn't the most fun 4.5 hours I've ever spent... but that was the exception not the rule.

You have to be really self absorbed/blinkered to act like that in front of a complete stranger! I often play by myself due to friends being busy/not liking golf or sometimes I just like being on my own and playing. It's a nice time for some quiet self reflection. I don't really like being paired up as it's a bit of a gamble. I've played some great rounds with some really nice people but have also been joined to a group who couldn't hack it beyond 40 yards. The funniest was playing with a friend and we had a guy ask to join us. He then proceeded to smoke weed most of the way round and give us scores that bore no resemblance to how many shots he took on the hole! This was typified by him having 5 shots at getting out of a green side bunker, failing, so picking the ball up and throwing it at the flag. It was a good throw to be fair, finishing only 1-2ft from the hole. He then asked if we'd give it to him?!!

[Moppy]

I play at twilight alone a lot, but I am starting to wish I had a partner. When the light fades, which it is doing earlier now, I start losing balls off the tee that feel OK and sound OK, but I just can't pick them up in the sky a lot of times, I have pretty nasty floaters in my eyes than can make me legally blind for a second or two when they float across my vision. If a ball goes in the first cut of rough, I need to know approximately where it is to find it. So as it gets later, I just drop a ball between 150 and 100 and play the holes as par threes.  Maybe I need to go with my three wood rather than driver, to keep them lower...

[Elmer]

I have only one concern about playing alone: If I ever get an Ace, that's probably when it will happen. Would prefer a witness......

I know a guy who has indicated he has had atleast 5, but they were all while he was playing alone. Then again I would not trust him if he told me to was day time and I could see the sun out.

I would like to think that I am regarded as honest enough that if I got one while playing alone, someone would believe me.

I play at twilight alone a lot, but I am starting to wish I had a partner. When the light fades, which it is doing earlier now, I start losing balls off the tee that feel OK and sound OK, but I just can't pick them up in the sky a lot of times, I have pretty nasty floaters in my eyes than can make me legally blind for a second or two when they float across my vision. If a ball goes in the first cut of rough, I need to know approximately where it is to find it. So as it gets later, I just drop a ball between 150 and 100 and play the holes as par threes.  Maybe I need to go with my three wood rather than driver, to keep them lower...

I have lousy depth perception, so my issue is watching the ball go out and land and then judging where it went to.

I find a partner keeps an eye on my ball.

[severian]

I play at twilight alone a lot, but I am starting to wish I had a partner. When the light fades, which it is doing earlier now, I start losing balls off the tee that feel OK and sound OK, but I just can't pick them up in the sky a lot of times, I have pretty nasty floaters in my eyes than can make me legally blind for a second or two when they float across my vision. If a ball goes in the first cut of rough, I need to know approximately where it is to find it. So as it gets later, I just drop a ball between 150 and 100 and play the holes as par threes.  Maybe I need to go with my three wood rather than driver, to keep them lower...

I play alone a bunch too and have the exact same problem.    I also hate hitting into the sun as it sets.

[Ongle]

I know a guy who has indicated he has had atleast 5, but they were all while he was playing alone. Then again I would not trust him if he told me to was day time and I could see the sun out.

I would like to think that I am regarded as honest enough that if I got one while playing alone, someone would believe me.

I have lousy depth perception, so my issue is watching the ball go out and land and then judging where it went to.

I find a partner keeps an eye on my ball.

The only thing with that is, that if you watch it down and get the line, depth perception is kind of irrelevant isn't it? Just walk up there on the line and you'll find it. You can feel how well it came off the face and you know how far you hit the club.

This is something people like playing with me for (apart from my witty repartee!). I'm very good at judging where a ball will land whilst it's still in the air. 99 times out of 100 I'll call something as coming up short or long and it'll come down exactly where I said it would.

If only that was an important aspect of golf, I wouldn't be shit!