Biggest Round to Round Score Differential?

[MEfree]

On Friday, John Daly shoots 63, his best PGA tour round in a number of years then comes back out on the same course on Saturday and fires an 86 for a 23 stroke score differential.

What is your biggest round to round score differential (either good to bad or bad to good)?

My worst round of the year was a 102 (windy conditions with greens at 12 and some ridiculous pins as well as a DGAF 12 on 18).

My previous round, on an easier course was 81 and my next round on the same course was 84 for handicap but I think I had a shot (or two) adjustment, so it was likely an 85.  Two rounds prior to the 102, I shot 73 as part of the forward tee experiment.  My previous round on the course where I shot 102 was 83 (for handicap, don`t recall if there were any adjustments) and my low round for the season on that course was 78 (same tees, but easier conditions)

So my largest differentials are:

29- for the season, all rounds, all courses

21- round to round, different courses

19 (or 1-2 less)- round to round, same course

24- for the season, all rounds, same course

How consistent/inconsistent were you?

[rustyredcab]

Morning round = 75 (previous best round ever was an 89) Round of my life.

Afternoon round in slightly better conditions and same pin placements = 95

Reversion to the mean. This was on a very competitive buddy trip and was by the book. Took me two more years to break 90 again.

[Chas]

A statistician yet .... :-) So, was it a "random high", i.e. a 'random low' in golfing parlance? In plain terms, what the heck happened that fine morning rustyredcab? If I shot a 75 like that they'd have to call in an air ambulance.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by Chas

A statistician yet ....

So, was it a "random high", i.e. a 'random low' in golfing parlance?

In plain terms, what the heck happened that fine morning rustyredcab?

If I shot a 75 like that they'd have to call in an air ambulance.

Short course (Mt. Woodson outside San Diego). I used a 5-iron off the tee because my woods were wild. It was very wet and cart-path only. My partner was a guy who had a very hard time getting to his ball because of health issues. I was like his caddie -- getting him clubs and walking off yardages. My entire focus was on him and getting our cart on pace. I knew I was scoring well, and had never looked for one of my balls all morning, but thought it might be about an 85 (which would have been a personal best). I made a few long putts but just hit a lot of greens and lagged well enough that I never felt much pressure. Took driver out on one hole and drove the ball about 50 yards OB into a huge boulder. The ball bounced off the rock and came back into the center of the fairway exactly where a perfect 5-iron would have landed. It was just one of the days. The only one of those days.

[k-troop]

72 to 80, same course on consecutive days. On my current 20 HCP rounds, my low is 71 and my high 81, so that's about as big as the spread gets for me.

[Chas]

Thanks rustyred, that makes complete sense.  I've played Mt. Woodson a couple of times and it remains the course where I've lost the most balls - resulting in big numbers of course.  That course may be short but it is tough tough tough imo.  Next time I'll hit a mid-iron off of many of the tees like you did, I'm sure it would greatly improve my score there.  I'm restricting myself to 3W on most tees these days, unless the fairway is very open.

Anyway, congratulations on shooting 75 on that course, which really requires precision and ability to deal with elevation changes - and the ability not to be distracted by the excellent views and by the pilots (like myself) who use the course as a good visual to start your 45 degree leg before entering on downwind for RWY 24 at RNM.  Sounds like that was no "random low".

Pity Mt. Woodson isn't in the JC system or I'd play there more often.

[Beachcomber]

I'm not sure what my biggest round to round differential would be... But this has to be close....

Back in the Summer of 1994 or 1995 (can't remember if I was a Junior going into my Sr year... Or if I was a graduated Senior??) - I played in a US Jr Amateur qualifier event in Columbus, Ohio.  The qualifier was a 36 hole event, spanning two consecutive days - played at two different courses.

Day 1 - Wedgewood Country Club, Powell, Ohio

I shot a 76 with a few doubles and knew I gave strokes back to the course.

Day 2 - Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio (this is where they play the Memorial Tournament)

I shot a 98 - and wanted to quit golf after I was done.

Needless to say... I didn't make the cut.

Edit: Looking at my most recent GHIN - my last 20 rounds range from a low of 74 to a high of 85.  I remember the 85 was a day we played 27 holes, and it was the 2nd round of the day... It was miserably hot and I wasn't having much fun!!! LOL

[The Bogeyman]

I'm usually pretty consistant with shooting a little over 100 but the other day on my home course I shot an 89. I'm pretty anxious to get back on that same course and see how much of a fluke this is...I have been putting in quite a bit a practice though, so i guess i'll see next week.

[iacas]

I'm fairly certain I shot about 90 at Turnberry (Ailsa) and then shot 73 or 74 the next day at Castle Course, St. Andrews.

Granted, it was 45 MPH steady wind with 65 MPH gusts at Ailsa, and I was hitting 3I, 3I, 5I to medium-length par fours, but still, it counts. :)

[jamo]

I shot a 74 in a practice round and then an 93 in a tournament a few years back (and I almost did the same this year, at the same course no less).

[BuckeyeNut]

Several years ago when I played to an 8HC..............

It was a 36 hole club tourney:  96-78

The wind was insane on the first day.............I normally play pretty well in the wind, but not on this day.  LOL

[johnclayton1982]

One gorgeous Friday afternoon I shot a 74 (Par 70, so i guess more like a 76).  Similar to Red, above, I was talking to my playing partner about a business deal that was important and not really paying much attention to the golf.  I hit 3 or 4 long putts, including a 60 footer on 9 for birdie and a 40 or so footer from the fringe for par at 16.  I wasn't paying attention to the score until we tallied it up before 18.  I was pumped.

The very next morning, wanting to shoot in the 70s again, I hooked up with a random 3 some as the 4th.  Eager to impress on the heels of my 74, I tried to do way too much and shot a 97.  Yes, a 97.  And it could have been much worse - my ball was headed OB on #3, hit a telephone pole, and bounced back into the fairway for my only par of the day.  The worst part was the starter, on the tee, who is a good friend of ours had heard about my round and congradulated me on a 74 before we tee'd off.  My playing partners were looking at me like wtf is wrong with you, how is your handicap (At the time) under 7.  It was embarassing.  I started with an 8 on the first hole par 5, then on #2, a tricky par 3, i hit my tee shot horrifically fat and it went about 3 feet, then i hit it fat AGAIN and it moved about 6 feet.  I started 8-8 for +8 headed to the third tee, when I promptly hit the telephone pole.  The rest of the round was OK, but its hard to overcome +8.

Like iacas, I recently shot a 110, but I think it was actually more like an 80 :P.  It was at TPC Louisiana from the Dye tees (the PGA tournament tees, ~7400 yards) in 35* weather with swirling winds.  It was really hard to make my 4 iron go more than 140 yards into the wind.  So I kinda don't count that, even though I shot 80 a few days before.  Weather can really mess you up on the course.

I haven't been in the 70s since that Friday afternoon.  I think there is alot to be said about your mind being somewhere else other than the score when you play golf.

[WUTiger]

Time frame is Spring 1978. I had just gotten out of Marine Corps, and my wife and I stayed on about a month in California before moving back home. I carried about 15 HDCP at the time. Good distance off the tees, but a bit wild with my irons.

Several of the big-name courses out there I played from the back tees to have the "pro" experience.

Played Pebble Beach (par 72) - back tees about 6,900 yards if I remember. Got 4 pars and 8 bogies - but still shot 101.

A week later I play Torrey Pines - South (par 72). Back tees were about 6,800 - probably somewhere between current whites and blues. Shot an 86, some 15 shots better . I remember getting up and down several times for par.

Big difference: wild irons at Pebble, so-so irons at Torrey.

[Bullitt5339]

Last week, I shot 84 on Friday and then 108 on Sunday on the same course from the same tees, so a 24 shot differential.

I chalked it up to "one of those days".  I couldn't do anything right, my short game generally saves me from my tee shots, but I bladed about 6 shots over the green on Sunday and had 5 Three-Putts.  Just wasn't in it, never was comfortable over the ball and just didn't feel right swinging the club all day.

[Par Fore]

Tournament round in Jacksonville in 2007 on a tough course.......made a 12 footer for an 8 on the last hole, shot 80.....then lost on the 5th hole of a playoff in my flight......hit the ball so well that day, except for 18....

Tournament a week later, shot a 103, tweaked my back on the 3rd hole, suffered through the rest of the round....it was my first time at Sawgrass, so wasn't going to give up.....long, painful day.....worst hole was 17, put 3 in the water, LOL

[Willsaysgogo]

I'm not sure about round to round but I shot a 56 on the front and a 41 on the back a couple weeks ago. I was topping everything on the front.

[Golfingdad]

I shot a 74 this summer (best ever on a par 72, second best ever period) and sandwiched it between an 88 and an 89.  In fact, the next best round I've shot since has been an 82.  I thought at the time that I had made a breakthrough, but have since realized that, at least for now, its an outlier.

[MEfree]

Yesterday, Marco Dawson was leading the McGladrey Classic with a 62 that included 9 birdies, 23 putts (1.38 per GIR/+3.74 strokes gained). Today, thru 14 holes he is +6 with no birdies, 30 putts (2.2 per GIR/-5.38 strokes gained).  Talk about a hot putter turning cold in a hurry.