Do you enter a score every single time you play?

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

Except practice rounds as declared by the rules.

As long as you don't make a double on the first hole then decide it's going to be a practice round.

[GolfLug]

Yes.

My "practice" golf on the course tends to be 3-5 holes, hitting multiple balls.

Yes, for posting I think it is a min of 7 holes for a 9 hole score and 13 holes (not sure why not 14) for a 18 hole score.

[imsys0042]

Every round with the following exceptions:

1 -  I play multiple balls for a shot, or take additional shots.  I have asked the pro shop about this (and here) about the policy.   Their statement is that it is fine to not post a score where you've hit a number of extra balls.   The only caveat is that if you do that more than occasionally, then it can be a problem for tournament play since you have played additional rounds, not recorded, that give you an advantage.   So it's effectively a "practice round" declared.

2 -  a round where something extremely weird happens that makes it un-postable.   I posted last week about an incident that really shook me up on the course, and it threw me to such an extent I don't think it was a fair round to post.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Except practice rounds as declared by the rules.

As long as you don't make a double on the first hole then decide it's going to be a practice round.

I try to count as many doubles as possible. tap-tap putts also count too!

My son corrected my score on one hole where I got a 5 after I told him 6. Not good to go either way. . .probably worse to give yourself more strokes, actually.

[SoundandFury]

As long as you don't make a double on the first hole then decide it's going to be a practice round.

Lol.  It's funny, seems like most assume that people would be more apt to not report a bad score than a good.  I'm the exact opposite.  Besides the situations I mentioned, I post everything, but it's the good scores that I would prefer not to report than the bad...

I don't and will never understand vanity 'caps.  When I go into a tourney I'd MUCH rather play as a 12 than a 9, etc.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf

As long as you don't make a double on the first hole then decide it's going to be a practice round.

Lol.  It's funny, seems like most assume that people would be more apt to not report a bad score than a good.  I'm the exact opposite.  Besides the situations I mentioned, I post everything, but it's the good scores that I would prefer not to report than the bad...

I don't and will never understand vanity 'caps.  When I go into a tourney I'd MUCH rather play as a 12 than a 9, etc.

Well, just be careful when playing club tournaments. They have hawks watching every stroke you make and "miss".

[SoundandFury]

Well, just be careful when playing club tournaments. They have hawks watching every stroke you make and "miss".

Oh I know.  I don't sandbag dude, I hate sandbaggers like the plague.  I've played matches against "16 hdcps" who shoot mid 70's and have the f*ing nerve to say "man, I was really on today."  I'm just saying that when I enter a score and see my trend drop, my reaction is "shit.", not "awesome!".

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lihu

Well, just be careful when playing club tournaments. They have hawks watching every stroke you make and "miss".

Oh I know.  I don't sandbag dude, I hate sandbaggers like the plague.  I've played matches against "16 hdcps" who shoot mid 70's and have the f*ing nerve to say "man, I was really on today."  I'm just saying that when I enter a score and see my trend drop, my reaction is "shit.", not "awesome!".

Sure, they just didn't miss as many 6" putts. Sure, that's it, right?

[MrFlipper]

Quote:

IMO, unless one enters every score, it's too tempting to enter "select" scores only, whether it is for vanity handicap or sandbagging purpose.

Amen! I'm sure folks here are honest, but I've known so many decent upstanding types who managed their handicap both ways (vanity and sandbagger) that the overwhelming percentage of folks who play and don't post scores are managing their handicaps (consciously or not).

+1. I decide pre-round if I am going to post or not.

I do not post rounds for which I am specifically practicing a piece and know will skew my HCP. Also, I make sure I post the ESC number.

Everyone is always working to improve something. Why does that qualify to not post a round? If you said this to a handicap committee, they would laugh you out of the room.

So the general consensus is yes.  I get the idea, but to me that means you take every single round super serious.  I consider myself a serious golfer: I play a lot, I actively work at improving, and I play competitively a handful of times per year . . . but there is no way I take every single time I tee up a ball that seriously.  Sometimes I play with my wife (she would certainly not have as much fun if I treated it as a serious round), at least once a month I play a round with three clubs (even if I'm trying to score, how could that be reflective of the state of my game?); sometimes I play with dudes who play maybe 2x a year and those rounds involve a cooler of beer, music, and general shenanigans, etc.

In my opinion your handicap is meant to reflect your ability as a golfer, and in any of those situations above, I don't see how that would serve any purpose.

Can't you play a round that qualifies for handicap by following the rules, in a light, social, fun way with your wife? Why not? Honestly, I don't understand. If you choose to play with 3 clubs, or 8 or 10 or 13 or 14, what does it matter? Why is that not a handicap round? The general shenanigans guys, same thing. I think what your idea of a handicap is, isn't really what it is meant to be, and you have to post all your scores or it's not a real handicap, right? Cause other folks in those situations are posting their scores---

Thanks for posting...  I couldn't remember if you entered practice rounds our not.  Last week I played 9 for the express purpose of practicing my driver after a lesson. It went poorly and I was not going to enter my round.  But then I thought to myself if it had went well I would have wanted to enter it... so I entered the crappy round.  And will enter every round going forward.

Good for you! You should post it. Everyone is always working on something.

I disagree. I play a bit of "client golf" for work and as a general rule, I do not post those rounds. During these rounds, most of my focus in on personal and business discussions. I still try my hardest to hit good shots, but my focus is not really on my score. If a client wants to swat a 4 footer for bogey back tome and say "that's good," I'm certainly not going to correct him.

I hear you here. If you are not allowed to play a regulation round, nothing you can do about it. Playing 3 holes in the evening, 3 balls at a time, isn't a round so sure you don't post it.

I'm sure folks here have good intentions, but all these comments about high numbers of practice rounds, reasons not to post a round, (and these are full rounds) are all the reasons used by vanity cappers and sandbaggers to massage handicaps. Again, I'm not accusing anyone of anything, I don't even know you guys, and I know you all mean well, but most every handicap committee would have serious issues with what you are doing, and folks with legit handicaps who post their scores are either going to be licking their chops (vs. vanity handicappers) or refusing to play at posted handicaps (vs. sandbaggers). If you just figure your own handicap with an online app, that's cool, but recognize it isn't being done like a USGA approved handicap would be done, and shouldn't really be compared to one.

Okay, I'm ready. Beat me about the head and shoulders with a 9 iron And if I offended someone, I apologize now, because honestly that was not the point. The point is, with minor minor exceptions, you should post all your scores. If you don't, your real handicap probably isn't what you think it is.

[SoundandFury]

Amen! I'm sure folks here are honest, but I've known so many decent upstanding types who managed their handicap both ways (vanity and sandbagger) that the overwhelming percentage of folks who play and don't post scores are managing their handicaps (consciously or not).

Everyone is always working to improve something. Why does that qualify to not post a round? If you said this to a handicap committee, they would laugh you out of the room.

Can't you play a round that qualifies for handicap by following the rules, in a light, social, fun way with your wife? Why not? Honestly, I don't understand. If you choose to play with 3 clubs, or 8 or 10 or 13 or 14, what does it matter? Why is that not a handicap round? The general shenanigans guys, same thing. I think what your idea of a handicap is, isn't really what it is meant to be, and you have to post all your scores or it's not a real handicap, right? Cause other folks in those situations are posting their scores---

Good for you! You should post it. Everyone is always working on something.

I hear you here. If you are not allowed to play a regulation round, nothing you can do about it. Playing 3 holes in the evening, 3 balls at a time, isn't a round so sure you don't post it.

I'm sure folks here have good intentions, but all these comments about high numbers of practice rounds, reasons not to post a round, (and these are full rounds) are all the reasons used by vanity cappers and sandbaggers to massage handicaps. Again, I'm not accusing anyone of anything, I don't even know you guys, and I know you all mean well, but most every handicap committee would have serious issues with what you are doing, and folks with legit handicaps who post their scores are either going to be licking their chops (vs. vanity handicappers) or refusing to play at posted handicaps (vs. sandbaggers). If you just figure your own handicap with an online app, that's cool, but recognize it isn't being done like a USGA approved handicap would be done, and shouldn't really be compared to one.

Okay, I'm ready. Beat me about the head and shoulders with a 9 iron And if I offended someone, I apologize now, because honestly that was not the point. The point is, with minor minor exceptions, you should post all your scores. If you don't, your real handicap probably isn't what you think it is.

Not offended at all (being offended just means you can't control your emotions), just disagree.  If you're posting on this thread, or you follow this site, you're likely more passionate about golf than the majority of people out there.  And you take the game seriously.  I just think there's a time and place for it (which is most of the time, just not all the time). There's not reason in my mind you have to strictly follow USGA rules every single you step foot on a golf course.  Sometimes it's just about being outside and hanging out with your buddies, not lining up 2 footers.

[imsys0042]

Everyone is always working to improve something. Why does that qualify to not post a round? If you said this to a handicap committee, they would laugh you out of the room.

My only comment on this is that I don't have access to a range that is not on both turf and flat enough to gauge something like how far I hit different types of wedge shots, or deal with sidehill, downhill, uphill shots (of which my course has a lot, even in the fairway).  For hitting drives, shapes of shots or general working on your swing, I would agree.   If you are doing swing changes or trying to correct something, they wouldn't delay a tournament so you have to go out with what you have.   However, there are some things, at least where I play, that I can only go out on the course and get information on.

And the pro shop where I play advises this as well, so I assume that the handicap committee would be fine with it.   With the caveat that you don't have a one per week "practice round".   Of course, you can also go to a specific spot when it's not busy and work on this as well, and only do that.

[Golfingdad]

Amen! I'm sure folks here are honest, but I've known so many decent upstanding types who managed their handicap both ways (vanity and sandbagger) that the overwhelming percentage of folks who play and don't post scores are managing their handicaps (consciously or not).

Everyone is always working to improve something. Why does that qualify to not post a round? If you said this to a handicap committee, they would laugh you out of the room.

Can't you play a round that qualifies for handicap by following the rules, in a light, social, fun way with your wife? Why not? Honestly, I don't understand. If you choose to play with 3 clubs, or 8 or 10 or 13 or 14, what does it matter? Why is that not a handicap round? The general shenanigans guys, same thing. I think what your idea of a handicap is, isn't really what it is meant to be, and you have to post all your scores or it's not a real handicap, right? Cause other folks in those situations are posting their scores---

Good for you! You should post it. Everyone is always working on something.

I hear you here. If you are not allowed to play a regulation round, nothing you can do about it. Playing 3 holes in the evening, 3 balls at a time, isn't a round so sure you don't post it.

I'm sure folks here have good intentions, but all these comments about high numbers of practice rounds, reasons not to post a round, (and these are full rounds) are all the reasons used by vanity cappers and sandbaggers to massage handicaps. Again, I'm not accusing anyone of anything, I don't even know you guys, and I know you all mean well, but most every handicap committee would have serious issues with what you are doing, and folks with legit handicaps who post their scores are either going to be licking their chops (vs. vanity handicappers) or refusing to play at posted handicaps (vs. sandbaggers). If you just figure your own handicap with an online app, that's cool, but recognize it isn't being done like a USGA approved handicap would be done, and shouldn't really be compared to one.

Okay, I'm ready. Beat me about the head and shoulders with a 9 iron And if I offended someone, I apologize now, because honestly that was not the point. The point is, with minor minor exceptions, you should post all your scores. If you don't, your real handicap probably isn't what you think it is.

Good post.

There's not reason in my mind you have to strictly follow USGA rules every single you step foot on a golf course.

Sometimes it's just about being outside and hanging out with your buddies, not lining up 2 footers.

Sometimes?  It's like that almost every time ... but again, how does this not marry up with being able to post a score?

If you're playing 2 or 3 balls per hole late in the evening, I get it, it's not a real round and there's nothing you can post, but if you play a round with one ball at a time, it's not really that hard to record and post a score.

[Fourputt]

So the general consensus is yes.  I get the idea, but to me that means you take every single round super serious.  I consider myself a serious golfer: I play a lot, I actively work at improving, and I play competitively a handful of times per year . . . but there is no way I take every single time I tee up a ball that seriously.  Sometimes I play with my wife (she would certainly not have as much fun if I treated it as a serious round), at least once a month I play a round with three clubs (even if I'm trying to score, how could that be reflective of the state of my game?); sometimes I play with dudes who play maybe 2x a year and those rounds involve a cooler of beer, music, and general shenanigans, etc.

In my opinion your handicap is meant to reflect your ability as a golfer, and in any of those situations above, I don't see how that would serve any purpose.

I don't see the prohibition that says I can't play a qualifying round when I  play with my wife.  These days I play at least once a week with her, and those scores are just as legitimate as any others.  I play by the rules, but that doesn't make me a pill to play with.  I have fun, kid around, but I still count everything.  Fun golf and rules golf are not incompatible - in fact, for me they are inseparable.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

I post every round I play. Doesn't matter if it's a competitive round for money, a casual round with my wife, a tournament round, or a round with my "non-golfing" buddies that include beers and music in our cart. There have been years where I posted 100 rounds of golf to my handicap.

[SoundandFury]

Apparently you guys have never been 4 beers deep and made a bet with your leftie buddy on who could shoot lower playing wrong handed with the other guy's clubs for the back 9.

Don't worry, it was the middle of the week and we were the only ones out . . . just want to make sure that's clear before I get roasted for holding other groups up.

[imsys0042]

Good post.

Sometimes?  It's like that almost every time  ... but again, how does this not marry up with being able to post a score?

If you're playing 2 or 3 balls per hole late in the evening, I get it, it's not a real round and there's nothing you can post, but if you play a round with one ball at a time, it's not really that hard to record and post a score.

I agree.   Mr. Flipper captures a lot of this correctly.   You handicap also captures how you play, so if you play a lot of "casual" or "not serious" golf, then it's going to reflect that.   And if you are working on your driver when you don't normally hit it, then that's what you do, but you post a round that reflects that you did something different than you normally do.

It becomes a problem when it's more than 1-2 times per year, IMO.   I have a charter to work on my wedge game, for example, I need to know the ranges for 4 wedges x 4 different swings with each, so it helps to find a flat hole on the course and then get some stats.   If the range was ever just me, I could pace it off and leave something that marks distances, but I've yet to find that.   But the important point is that I go out and do that once, then take that information to the range and work on it.   And if I find it not working out as I thought when I play, then write it down and analyze it later.   I think in 5 years of being at my club I've probably done this 3 times where a round is un-postable because I take at least a couple of holes and hit a bunch of balls to find something out.

[rkim291968]

I don't see the prohibition that says I can't play a qualifying round when I  play with my wife.  These days I play at least once a week with her, and those scores are just as legitimate as any others.  I play by the rules, but that doesn't make me a pill to play with.  I have fun, kid around, but I still count everything.  Fun golf and rules golf are not incompatible - in fact, for me they are inseparable.

I play with my wife and record & submit my score and hers, too .   She is a vanity handicapper and will go easy (?) on her score.   Actually, she doesn't care about her handicap index but I do for entering a team team tournament together.    So ... I secretly count all her strokes and record it as close as she scored.   Still, she will take some gimmies putts which I know she can miss.   Then again, I don't argue with her ways to keep our marriage in wonderful shape.

[imsys0042]

I don't see the prohibition that says I can't play a qualifying round when I  play with my wife.  These days I play at least once a week with her, and those scores are just as legitimate as any others.  I play by the rules, but that doesn't make me a pill to play with.  I have fun, kid around, but I still count everything.  Fun golf and rules golf are not incompatible - in fact, for me they are inseparable.

I post every round I play. Doesn't matter if it's a competitive round for money, a casual round with my wife, a tournament round, or a round with my "non-golfing" buddies that include beers and music in our cart. There have been years where I posted 100 rounds of golf to my handicap.

And an important point, captured with these quotes as well, is that you have to learn to play your game under different conditions.  So any type of round, you need to have a routine, the right mindset and the right way to approach the game so that you are playing your own game and scoring as you want to.