Golf is a strange game...

[ILLZ]

Yesterday I went out and put down a 39 on the front... my best 9 hole score by 2 (previously I've shot a 41 and a bunch of 42's). I was elated, I told every starter and ranger as we made the turn. I could smell 85. Then on the back it fell apart and I turned in a 52 for a 91! Ridiculous. 12 strokes difference?

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

It happens.... try and build on that 39. It probably didn't help that you were telling everyone and it was clearly on your mind. I'm sure you put a lot of pressure on yourself.

My best 9 hole score is a 34 (many years ago) and I backed that up with a 47

It sounds cliche but focusing on one shot at a time is very helpful. The best 18 hole rounds I've had are when I'm just playing golf, writing down the score and adding them up when I'm done.

[You're Away]

That's why I never add up my score until I'm done. I usually have a pretty good idea when I'm scoring well but it's easier to play one-shot-at-a-time when I don't add the pressure of trying to keep a good score going.

Of course my buddies up north knew this and always added up the scores and made sure to tell me at the turn

Chris

[lamebums]

Oh, it's just golf. I went out in 41 in my club championship, and dumped the back side with a 56. Just the other day, I racked up a 48 on the front, and came back with a 37. On the same course, where the front is considerably easier than the back.

It's just a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I'm afraid.

[laconic517]

you wanna talk about strange,

after shooting 68 on friday, i played on sunday and came out playing bogey golf through 8 with 1 birdie and 2 doubles and no pars.

Birdied 9, then had no pars until the 17th hole, I had 6 birdies on the back nine with 1 par a bogey and a double, to shoot -3 33 for a +4 76 with 1 par. I only hit 9 greens, but made 8 birdies, it was pretty sick. Good thing we were playing skins in my group and i racked up plenty of money from it.

edit: a good thing that you want to work on when doing stuff like you did is try your best to learn from what you were thinking and what went wrong, so youll take some positive out of it. If you feel yourself getting anxious/excited/or nervous and you know it doesnt help your game, concentrate on your breathing and it helps a lot.

[ILLZ]

This is obviously not out of the ordinary by any means, for any golfer. I think it happened mainly because I was so emotionally deflated from the front 9. I parred 1 and 2, bogeyed 3, and parred 4, Walking to the 5th tee I'm thinking about how it's set up to be a great round. Parred the 5th, bogeyed 6, parred 7. Now I KNOW it's an outstanding round. Bogey on 8. So I'm standing on 9 tee knowing I need a par for 39. Play it safe and hit hybrid off the tee, in the right rough about 165 out. I hit a 5 iron just off the green. Played a nice little bump and run to about 5 feet and drained the putt. I was so elated that the back 9 was almost an afterthought.

[CG031]

I feel ya man...had this happen so many times..

all i gotta say is your not alone

[Undr Par]

isn't it strange that it seems very few times we can put together a good 18 holes.....either the front was bad, or the back was awful....

believe this or not, 2 weeks ago I went out and shot a 44 on the front.....then turned right around and posted a 54 on the back, I was thinking about my score to much.

so 2 days after that I go back and only play 9, I didn't even keep score, (no pressure what so ever) and just by hits alone, I know my score was decent, but there was no pressure to beat a certain score or anything like that, so a week after that I went and played 18, and shot a 87.....41front, 46back.....I was pleased...sometimes just go out there and don't even keep score, it seems to help me...I'm going Friday and no plans to keep score, just working and having fun

[Scratch-Hopeful]

I know what you mean. I have a younger brother(junior in HS, I'm going to be a freshman in college) who I played with last night and he shot a 33 compared to my 43. Add in the fact that he hadn't played for three weeks while I have missed a night in a month and there's a slap in the face. We're also equally talented in golf I think but it just happens that when he gets going, watch out.

[teece31]

Haha... I know just how you feel. I've shot 73 as a 33-40. An 81 as a 44-37. And shot a 159 in a two day-er with a 73-86...

[bayareamtnbiker]

A similar thing I've noticed is that after hitting a fantastic drive, I'm more prone to a weak 2nd shot. Also after a weak drive, I'll crank out a great hole-saving 2nd shot.
Strange game for sure.

[dayll]

#17 is a long par 3 over water which I have played over twenty times. The last few times I've played that hole I've hit the green or came very close each time.
Yesterday while I'm driving to the course, for some inexplicable reason, I suddenly picture myself chunking a ball off the tee into the water. WTF! When I get to 17 tee I'm one up in a friendly but very competitive match and you know what happens! Topped shot into the water. Livid, I re-tee and lay one out there fifteen feet from the pin. Golf is strange - yes - but my brain is even stranger. dayll

[Stuart]

Yep. It's a very strange game. But people are even stranger.

Why when we are playing so great, do we start then thinking about what we're doing. Who hasn't heard that you're supposed to play one shot at a time and not worry about your score?

I guess we've all experienced doing what we're not supposed to do. I shot even par on my home course for the front 9 a few weeks back, and then inexplicably shoot 8 over for the back 9. And naturally the back 9 is easier than the front.

To add insult to injury, a couple days later, I decide to play the back 9 first, and shoot a pretty good 6 over. Moving on to the front 9 I shoot even par through 7. Standing on the tee box of 8, I decide to add up my scores. Elated that I'm actually doing very well, I say to myself, don't mess this up. Naturally I shank the ball off onto the previous fair way for a bogey, followed by a double on 9.

Gotta love it.

[iacas]

Why when we are playing so great, do we start then thinking about what we're doing. Who hasn't heard that you're supposed to play one shot at a time and not worry about your score?

I can think about the score I'm shooting and not have it affect me, or at least have it affect me in a good way (i.e. "I'm playing well, no need to go for easy birdies at the last three holes" or whatever).

[DDBowdoin]

Looking around at the score card can definately affect my game but I've been trying to overcome this habit lately. I played a strange round yesterday where my front nine was just terrible... I think I played the front 10 over. Then come around the back and go even. Fun game...

if theres anything I need to work on, outside of the swing, is dealing with playing partners. My partner yesterday who I was paired up with hooked a drive on the 3rd hole and snapped his driver over a bench. It rattled me... why, I have no idea. Thats the sort of stuff I need to work on, playing with so many strange characters at my cheap local munis.

[Dent]

Ya its crazy, best ive posted on the front was 38. And on the back a 36, but not on the same day. I need par on the last hole for a 79 last week. Big mistake. I bogeyed, why? Because i counted my score at the tee on 18.

[DDBowdoin]

I do that all the time, especially with a tough finishing hole... stand on the tee, alright put it down the middle, whoops pull left in the rough