First 18 hole ever

[TBennettGolf]

Today I played at my first 18 hole ever and I shot an 87 which I heard isn't too shabby for a first timer. I shot a 42 on the front nine and a 45 on the back nine. I'm still young to the game though, relatively 5.5 weeks into the game but I have an athletic background to me which helps a lot. The only problem that I have right now is that I get into my head too quickly and that ruined me in the back nine. I'm only 22 years old as well, so I have a lot of learning to do. Any tips on how to improve my game? Struggling area's are chipping and sometimes hooking the hell out of my drive. Putting is usually a two putt if I'm on the green... sometimes one if I'm under an 8 footer.

[boogielicious]

  TBennettGolf said:

Today I played at my first 18 hole ever and I shot an 87 which I heard isn't too shabby for a first timer. I shot a 42 on the front nine and a 45 on the back nine. I'm still young to the game though, relatively 5.5 weeks into the game but I have an athletic background to me which helps a lot. The only problem that I have right now is that I get into my head too quickly and that ruined me in the back nine. I'm only 22 years old as well, so I have a lot of learning to do. Any tips on how to improve my game? Struggling area's are chipping and sometimes hooking the hell out of my drive. Putting is usually a two putt if I'm on the green... sometimes one if I'm under an 8 footer.

Excellent! Great start. Be warned, there will be harder rounds ahead!

For chipping/pitching, check out this thread.

[Natural Patrick]

  TBennettGolf said:

Today I played at my first 18 hole ever and I shot an 87 which I heard isn't too shabby for a first timer. I shot a 42 on the front nine and a 45 on the back nine. I'm still young to the game though, relatively 5.5 weeks into the game but I have an athletic background to me which helps a lot. The only problem that I have right now is that I get into my head too quickly and that ruined me in the back nine. I'm only 22 years old as well, so I have a lot of learning to do. Any tips on how to improve my game? Struggling area's are chipping and sometimes hooking the hell out of my drive. Putting is usually a two putt if I'm on the green... sometimes one if I'm under an 8 footer.

If that was your first 18 ever. Then that would be considered a very good score. I have do agree with Boogie though. You will have tougher rounds ahead.

[SavvySwede]

  Natural Patrick said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBennettGolf

Today I played at my first 18 hole ever and I shot an 87 which I heard isn't too shabby for a first timer. I shot a 42 on the front nine and a 45 on the back nine. I'm still young to the game though, relatively 5.5 weeks into the game but I have an athletic background to me which helps a lot. The only problem that I have right now is that I get into my head too quickly and that ruined me in the back nine. I'm only 22 years old as well, so I have a lot of learning to do. Any tips on how to improve my game? Struggling area's are chipping and sometimes hooking the hell out of my drive. Putting is usually a two putt if I'm on the green... sometimes one if I'm under an 8 footer.

If that was your first 18 ever. Then that would be considered a very good score. I have do agree with Boogie though. You will have tougher rounds ahead.

If you look at his past posts he does say he played a bit when he was younger and he is playing a par 3 course.  Still a good start though.

[NotPortlyNJ]

  SavvySwede said:

If you look at his past posts he does say he played a bit when he was younger and he is playing a par 3 course.  Still a good start though.

Whew!  Makes me feel like I'm not a complete klutz not being able to break 100 after 3 years at this!

[Natural Patrick]

  SavvySwede said:

If you look at his past posts he does say he played a bit when he was younger and he is playing a par 3 course.  Still a good start though.

Hmm, I must have missed the part about it being a par 3 course.

[TBennettGolf]

Yes, I have been playing Par 3 9 holes for the past few weeks, but those holes are 195 yards and under. The 18 holes I just played at on Sunday was a Par 72 not a Par 54... If I shot an 87 on a Par 54 I would be totally embarrassed of myself. I have a devoted mind to this game and most of you guys probably hear this a lot, but I truly believe I can get into the Web.com Tour within a few years if I take lessons, keep playing avidly like I do already, and don't get discouraged after a few bad days. Thanks for your guys input though, I truly appreciate it. I'll upload a video in a few days to show you guys my swing to see if you guys can critique it for me as well.

[SavvySwede]

  TBennettGolf said:

Yes, I have been playing Par 3 9 holes for the past few weeks, but those holes are 195 yards and under. The 18 holes I just played at on Sunday was a Par 72 not a Par 54... If I shot an 87 on a Par 54 I would be totally embarrassed of myself. I have a devoted mind to this game and most of you guys probably hear this a lot, but I truly believe I can get into the Web.com Tour within a few years if I take lessons, keep playing avidly like I do already, and don't get discouraged after a few bad days. Thanks for your guys input though, I truly appreciate it. I'll upload a video in a few days to show you guys my swing to see if you guys can critique it for me as well.

Well now I have to say I'm skeptical. Nothing personal, it's just that a new user pops up with claims like this every month only to quickly disappear. Good luck and I'll be looking forward to your video.

[Cupcakus]

Sounds fishy to me too. My first week I thought I shot a 42 on 9, but after actually learning the rules and scoring honestly it was really a 60. If this is true it's a great start, but there are no mulligans, or OB drops in tournament golf.

[TBennettGolf]

That's perfectly fine and I full on understand any doubts that people have. That just makes someone with the drive to do something they want to do that much more. Thank you guys for your comments and trust me I'm here to stay for the long haul.

[TBennettGolf]

Today was my second time at an 18 and I shot an 87 again. Par 71, I did absolutely horrendous on my front 9 (+12) because I kept lifting up my god damn head which led to not making true contact. Although this was my first time not golfing since last Sunday, which in my hopeful defense, through off my game a little. Then on the back 9 I was only +4. I took a 10 minute break after the front 9 to recollect my thoughts and shake the bad shots off. As I stated before in previous posts that my driver is not my strong suit, so instead of teeing off with my driver I used a 3Wood to hit straighter shots and to try to make it in the fairway. For the most part my tee shots were anywhere from 250 to 270 and I had one that rolled to about 285. I'm still only 2 months into the game and I know for a fact an 87 is not bad at all, especially being consistent with it two times in a row. A few things I need to work on is my terrible grip and my awful attitude when I hit a bad shot. Any advice is appreciated SandTrappers, thanks!

[Righty to Lefty]

You said it yourself....work on your attitude and enjoy the journey.  Golf is hard so try to not make it harder by beating yourself up for a poor shot. We all hit them...even the pros.  Also your head doesn't have to remain still though it should remain steady.  When you walk your head is steady but it isn't still.  It is still moving up and down as you walk.

[Slice of Life]

If you've been playing for 2 months, and legitimately (following the rules of GOLF) shot an 87, you have no reason to be upset.

I'm happy with an 87, and I've been golfing for a long time. Keep your chin up and keep hittin' the links.

[Lihu]

  TBennettGolf said:

Today was my second time at an 18 and I shot an 87 again. Par 71, I did absolutely horrendous on my front 9 (+12) because I kept lifting up my god damn head which led to not making true contact. Although this was my first time not golfing since last Sunday, which in my hopeful defense, through off my game a little. Then on the back 9 I was only +4. I took a 10 minute break after the front 9 to recollect my thoughts and shake the bad shots off. As I stated before in previous posts that my driver is not my strong suit, so instead of teeing off with my driver I used a 3Wood to hit straighter shots and to try to make it in the fairway. For the most part my tee shots were anywhere from 250 to 270 and I had one that rolled to about 285. I'm still only 2 months into the game and I know for a fact an 87 is not bad at all, especially being consistent with it two times in a row. A few things I need to work on is my terrible grip and my awful attitude when I hit a bad shot. Any advice is appreciated SandTrappers, thanks!

First of all I don't know too many people who shoot 87 within 2 months of playing, hitting 250-270 yard drives, having an approach game that puts you near the green on every hole, then 2 putt most of them. Because, that is what it takes to shoot an 87. In any case, +12 is pretty common for a beginner, +4 is not so. Be prepared for many disappointments in the future as you improve your game. . .

[SavvySwede]

Please don't start a new thread after every round. There is already a thread where everyone posts about their rounds. I'd put up a link to it but my phone's browser lacks that capability.

[Moppy]

  TBennettGolf said:

Today was my second time at an 18 and I shot an 87 again.

This looks like a "Gilbert" post.

[Lihu]

  Moppy said:

[QUOTE name="TBennettGolf" url="/t/83620/shot-an-87-again#post_1178785"]   Today was my second time at an 18 and I shot an 87 again. [/QUOTE] This looks like a "Gilbert" post.

No, I've met Gilberg he jokes around, but is a pretty solid golfer. . .

[Moppy]

  Lihu said:

No, I've met Gilberg he jokes around, but is a pretty solid golfer. . .

Never said he wasn't. But he likes to yank our chains.