Is playing alone wearing anyone else out?

[vangator]

80, walking, and getting up in your grill.  Does she give lessons?

this is Gretchen's sister Maxine...

[cipher]

I actually prefer to play alone.  I can play quicker, and for me (95% of the time I play unlimited twilight) that means more golf.

Same here.  I have really learned to enjoy it.  That being said it is nice to play with friends/family, sometimes both, now and then.

[Golfingdad]

It would be nice to occasionally to play by myself, but I think that the only way to do that around here on public courses is to play 9 holes in the late afternoon or evening.

My absolute favorite way to play is in a twosome or threesome with nobody in front of us or pushing us.  That's a rarity though. :)

[GangGreen]

My first choice would be to play with friends, but second choice would be to play alone vs. being paired up with strangers. For whatever reason, I find that I get way too self-consious when I play with people I don't know (even though I know they could absolutely care less about what I'm doing). I tend to be more deliberate and focused when I'm alone and, when I play with friends, we usually have a gentlemen's bet going so that usually keeps me on my toes. That's not to say I haven't met some great new people on the course, but one of the previous posters compared golf to fly fishing (I think) and its a good comparison for me as well. When I used to fly fish I'd either want to enjoy the camaraderie of the day with my buddies or the serenity of the surroundings on my own.

[mcanadiens]

Being a social misfit, I play alone fairly often.

It's fine for the most part, but sometimes it's hard for me to stay in touch with reality that way. My anger is more likely to get out of hand if something bad happens. Perhaps seeing someone else helps me understand that golf really is tough and I shouldn't expect to hit every shot perfectly.

[nevets88]

Company or none, neither wear me out. The commute does. Even on weekends, traffic is a pain. I just hate driving. :-)

[Strandly]

I tried to book a tee time as a single here and they wouldn't even let me, they said just show up and they'll get me on.  I was a little skeptical of this at first but in all the times I've played I haven't waited more than 10 minutes to tee off let alone been turned away.  I'm gonna ask them how many times I've played this year when the season ends because I think their computer tracks it when I scan my season pass but it feels like I've played 50 rounds already.  I've only been paired up 3 or 4 times of all those times and it doesn't bug me.  In fact playing so many rounds as a single kinda made me prefer it since I can hit dozens of extra balls, swear like a sailor, take a leak, etc.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

@Valleygolfer i can understand where youre coming from, especially if it seems like youre playing alone all the time.  that would def get tiring.

i dont mind playing alone, except for the fact that i have terrible eyesight and another person watching helps me tremendously.

I'm sure I could knock off a few more strokes if I played with someone.  It does get frustrating when you hit a good drive that might have landed just in the rough and you get down there and can't find the damn thing.  My nephew has played for 30 years and I noticed that he has a knack for finding all the balls no matter where they were last seen.  I think I know where they went but usually come up empty.  The ones I hate the most when playing alone are the really great ones (sound & feel) off from the driver and you never lay eyes on it since it was hit off from the tee.  I hit another just in case and then head out for a search and drive around for 10 minutes if nobody is behind me.  Low and behold the thing is sitting right down the middle of the fairway and all the way to the end.

Come to think of it, I did play a few holes with a cousin that was fast approaching from behind.  At first I said no when ask to play with them.  I did not want to hold up there threesome with my version of the game.  After a little bit of prodding they got me to play with them.  For some reason, my drives came alive while I was hitting with them and the putting and pitching wasn't too shabby.  Still had trouble with the second shots.

[Aflighter]

I have been playing seriously for about 4 years and most of my rounds are played alone, mostly due to the time I can play. My two sometimes playing partners are great to play with but one is an hour plus away and the other can only play once in a while due to ministry work and his family. If I play 12 times a month I might play with someone 3 times if I am fortunate. I love to play still but would love to get a regular foursome. I guess I am just venting...

Im not sure if they have a tour up there but check and see if the golfweek am tour is up there.Best way to play golf competitive with people.

[Valleygolfer]

No golfweek tour @Aflighter . I'll assume that is where your screen name is from. I think we do have some with the New England golf association.

[MS256]

For the first 5 or 6 years that I played I didn't mind playing alone. I had regular playing partners that didn't play as much as I did so ended up as the only person on an empty course many, many days.

I had so many things to work on and was stubbornly determined to be a halfway decent golfer so I would spend hours and hours on the course playing practice rounds. Since there was no range it was about the only good option. I would usually play a round by the rules and then play more rounds using multiple balls move the balls to create hard shots that I wanted to work on. Sometimes I would number a couple of balls and play both of them against each other to see which ball would win.

For the last few years I lost interest (or something) and almost never play alone. The last time I did I had an exceptional round that included 2 eagles. When I came home my wife asked me how I played and I disgustedly told her that I played really great, nobody saw a single shot that I hit, and nobody cared. Haven't had any desire to play alone since then and may never play alone again.

[CarlSpackler]

I don't mind playing alone or getting paired up with someone. I actually enjoy the peace and tranquility of walking the fairways solo.

[boogielicious]

I don't mind playing alone or getting paired up with someone. I actually enjoy the peace and tranquility of walking the fairways solo.

I played last Monday after an outing.  No one in front of me.  I did 9 in 1:10.  Funny thing is I found 6 or 7 golf balls they left behind.  Two of them on the green!

[CarlSpackler]

I played last Monday after an outing.  No one in front of me.  I did 9 in 1:10.  Funny thing is I found 6 or 7 golf balls they left behind.  Two of them on the green!

Hopefully they were good ones.

[jgreen85]

If I'm playing the quick round to get my fix in, I prefer to play alone or w/ just one other player, so I can get around asap. However, if I'm playing a nice/new (to me) course, I prefer to play with others.

It all depends on how much time the boss (my wife) allows me to be out. Unfortunately for my golf game, I started playing after I got married, so I'm having to claw back free time on the weekend. I'm up to two rounds guaranteed per month. just requested once a week and looks like we'll "compromise" at two regular rounds and one tournament round per month, so I'm up to 3. It'll probably get easier when my daughter is a little older and I can take her out with me.

[Flav]

It'll probably get easier when my daughter is a little older and I can take her out with me.

That has made it easier for me for sure. She now has her own starter set. If it's a day where I call and it's dead she goes with me and chips on to the greens and putts. Will get her going on hitting onto the greens after she gets a couple lessons under her belt. Chipping is about all I want to attempt to show her.

[Yukari]

I always get paired up with others when I go out as a single, which is about 90% of the time.

I like meeting new people and playing with others.  It doesn't bother me one bit.  I actually enjoy getting paired up than going out by myself.