Playing 9 or 18 by yourself.

[submrnr729]

My season is probably 50/50 partner(s)/solo; half playing rounds on a regular basis with customers and playing partners, and half playing at a local course by myself.  I really enjoy the rounds that I play alone for some reason, surprising as I consider myself very extroverted (I am energized being around people).  There is a course that on Thursdays and Fridays in the summer is generally pretty open around 3; I can get on the course ahead of the couples league that starts at 3:30 and finish and be home by 5:15 - 5:30 for dinner with the family.

When I play a round by myself, I walk, and I think this is what I like the most about my solo rounds.  There is no pressure to get the round in under 2 hours (for 9) and I take in more of the outdoors when I am out there walking the course.  I'm not zipping around from shot to shot on a cart trying to get through the round.  I am still respectful to the rules of golf, and will let others play through accordingly and as necessary.  Or I will pass on playing through so that I can slow down a little more, I just make sure that my play is not negatively impacting anyone else's.  When I play with customers or my usual partners we play at a good clip and finish our rounds in ~4 hours.  But there is just something about the leisurely stroll on the course with my clubs on my back walking to the next shot.  Love it.

[metrybill]

Suggestion: Cut your 9's and 18's when you play alone into thirds: first 3rd, play worst ball to sharpen your short game; second 3rd, play best ball to find your potential; and play the final third tofind  out where you actually are in your game.  Metrybill

[thanw]

I purposely plan about half my rounds so I can play solo. Tuesday mornings seem best for that.

[gnorris74]

playing 9 holes alone is a great way to fine tune your game and a great way to relax. no better feeling then cutting out early and going to walk 9 holes while everyone else is at work or in class for me since i am in college

[athomson9]

I'm an introvert, so by playing alone I'm able to really analyse and mull over my shots, technique etc whereas I''m not able to do that when in a group. I think its best to get a mix of the two if I'm honest, I would get bored very quickly if I constantly played alone.

[cipher]

I have an early bird membership. $550 for the year. Have to tee off before 7am. I usually go out 5:30-6:00am an get in nine 3-4 times per week. I like the peace an quiet of being alone with a stressful job and young kids in the house. It is a nice break.

[thefinlex]

I play quite a bit of golf solo.I'm very lucky in that from my house its a 10 min stroll along the beach to my home course so when the bug bites I can nip down and play a handful of holes just to keep my hand in.Its a seaside links course in the traditional out and in layout so i just play 5 or 6 holes out and then walk across to the adjacent inward tee and play back in as the 9th is the farthest point from clubhouse and while i love dropping a few balls here and there and practising by myself i dont necessarily want to go all the way out to end of course without company!,its just perfect in the evenings once the kids are sorted and course is empty...

[7 iron]

I prefer to play with other people because I have met some amazing golfers and interesting people that way (like the one who has played almost 1500 courses over his 60 year golfing career).

I also like to play with other golfers, especially better ones, because I like to compete, even if just a friendly game, as it makes me stay focused and play better.

However, there have been many times when my golf buddy couldn't play and I've gone it alone.   It is during these times that I'll practice an extra shot every now and then and decide that perhaps another club or shot technique would be better in that situation, something that may not be obvious if playing by the regulations.

Yesterday I got to see some amazing sights, golfing alone:  a beautiful sunset, hundreds of Canada geese by the pond and got too up and 3 20 yard chip shots to a foot from the whole!  Up and downs that made the whole day worth it!

[WhichGolfClubs]

I have never played (golf) by myself....

[MS256]

I used to play about half of my rounds by myself. Not my choice but there were many days at the club I belonged to when nobody showed up to play all day long.

At the time I didn't mind too much because I could play as much as I wanted and I had a golfing goal to work towards. After a few rounds playing multiple balls, walking down the ditches looking for golf balls, feeding the fish, and just hanging out practicing my short game, I was always glad to see a vehicle pull into the parking lot so I would have a playing partner.

Now I rarely get the urge to play unless it's either with family or friends or there's a money game going. I worked at a golf course all week this week and every day the owners told me I could get a cart and play a round after work for free. Since nobody was there to play with I never even took them up on the offer.

Not much point unless I was just in the mood for some practice since even if I played a great round, or hit a great shot, nobody would see, and nobody would care. I did play 9 holes by myself last week and shot a 31 with an eagle, missed a hole in one on a tough par three by an inch, and nobody around to make any of it matter at all.

[rickwinger]

In my work I am on 24/7 call with Saturday and one other day of the week of my choosing as designated "days off." So, barring emergencies I split the "one other day a week" and try and play on Tuesday and Friday afternoons each week. Depending on the time and the weather I'll play 9 or 18.

I'm sociable and enjoy people but dealing with people is my job, so if I can work into a group and play that's fine. That said, I am also completely happy playing by myself.

On those occasions when I play by myself I often do a personal "best of two balls one man scramble" and use the time for practice. This works particularly well on Tuesdays as the course is not often crowded on those days.

Either way the strategy gets me time on the course and away from the office.

[phan52]

Originally Posted by WhichGolfClubs

I have never played (golf) by myself....

I certainly haven't played 18. I've played a lot solo late in the day, carrying my bag and working on the game, but that never exceeds 9 holes and is more often 5-7.

[JimmiJones]

I basically work 72 hours in 6 nights, then have 6-8 days off. So I tend to play with my old man a lot during the off stretches. We are members of the same private course a mile from my house. But I played 18 by myself in the rain today and played very well. Something about being alone and being able to completely control the pace makes the round a lot more relaxing for me. I am a new golfer and playing with pops usually means playing with some of his single digit cronies which can be a bit stressful.

[BillC]

I like to walk 9 on weekday late afternoons. My course gets quiet after about 3PM. I'll join a single or group of they are available, but otherwise I have no problem playing alone. I sometimes hit 2 balls from the tee, then play the best one on each shot all the way into the green. Can't handicap these scores, but I get plenty of handicap play in my leagues.

[MS256]

I still can't seem to find any motivation to play alone. Today none of my friends or family were around so instead of sitting by the pool and doing nothing I decided to try to suck it up and play a round.

I made pars on 1 and 2 and a tap in birdie on 3 and then a foursome was waiting on the fourth tee box. They asked me if I wanted to play through but up ahead I could see that there was a group on holes 4, 5, 7, and 8 so I told them to go ahead and I might try to find an empty spot somewhere.

Since nobody was on the 203 yard par 3 sixth and the tee box was close by, I decided to just go ahead and play that hole. Missed the green by a few feet but had an easy chip and putt for another par...Ho Hum.

I was thinking of what I wanted to do next and decided to just call it a day and walked off at one under for four holes. I can remember when there was no way in the world I would have quit a round while still under par but now I just think even if I hit the best shot in the world it wouldn't matter.

I need to find some motivation from somewhere. I still really look forward each week to the money game on Saturday and any round I play with family or friends but no desire at all to play alone.

[Hacker James]

The ONLY time I play golf is when I am by myself or with somebody.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by MS256

I still can't seem to find any motivation to play alone. Today none of my friends or family were around so instead of sitting by the pool and doing nothing I decided to try to suck it up and play a round.

I made pars on 1 and 2 and a tap in birdie on 3 and then a foursome was waiting on the fourth tee box. They asked me if I wanted to play through but up ahead I could see that there was a group on holes 4, 5, 7, and 8 so I told them to go ahead and I might try to find an empty spot somewhere.

Since nobody was on the 203 yard par 3 sixth and the tee box was close by, I decided to just go ahead and play that hole. Missed the green by a few feet but had an easy chip and putt for another par...Ho Hum.

I was thinking of what I wanted to do next and decided to just call it a day and walked off at one under for four holes. I can remember when there was no way in the world I would have quit a round while still under par but now I just think even if I hit the best shot in the world it wouldn't matter.

I need to find some motivation from somewhere. I still really look forward each week to the money game on Saturday and any round I play with family or friends but no desire at all to play alone.

Big difference between us.  At my home course on a Sunday you'd never get out alone.  You are guaranteed to be paired up with someone, and that's what I prefer it anyway.  I can always find someone to play with there, even on a Tuesday afternoon.

[MS256]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Big difference between us.  At my home course on a Sunday you'd never get out alone.  You are guaranteed to be paired up with someone, and that's who I prefer it anyway.  I can always find someone to play with there, even on a Tuesday afternoon.

Most of the time if I hang around the clubhouse for a little while somebody will show up to play with, but today seemed like foursome day and every group going off had arrived with four people. I did see some singles on the back nine but it looked like they were almost done with their round.

They make no attempt at that course to match people up in groups of four like the more crowded courses do. No need for it since the course is never full.

Singles, doubles, or triples can show up and play alone or together anytime they want. I even saw a group of 8 on Thursday morning that they let play together (but they were the only players on the course that morning).

Since I work there (and I'm the only employee) I have my own cart and can play anytime I want (if I had the time). During the week I have no time to play.