Is this a practice round?

[CCC]

When playing 18 holes, at what point would your round become a practice round - or one that you will enter into your official handicap score? I mean, you might start off thinking that "this is gonna count". But then,.....

For instance, you play more than one ball per hole (even once). You are trying out new clubs. You are trying out new swing parameters. You're on the road to scoring 120. I'm thinking either of these would make your round a practice round. :)

Most of these situations would only come into play when you are playing alone. I hope so anyway.

 

[SavvySwede]

4 minutes ago, CCC said:

When playing 18 holes, at what point would your round become a practice round - or one that you will enter into your official handicap score? I mean, you might start off thinking that "this is gonna count". But then,.....

For instance, you play more than one ball per hole (even once). You are trying out new clubs. You are trying out new swing parameters. You're on the road to scoring 120. I'm thinking either of these would make your round a practice round. :)

Most of these situations would only come into play when you are playing alone. I hope so anyway.

 

You decide at the start of your round if you're playing a practice round or not. Changing your mind later in the round is basically vanity capping.

[CCC]

I agree.

[Golfingdad]

38 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

You decide at the start of your round if you're playing a practice round or not. Changing your mind later in the round is basically vanity capping.

Of sandbagging, depending on the quality of the round and thought process.

[Patch]

I never play a round of golf with out a goal in mind. Most of the time it's the number 80. Other times it might be 30 or less putts. I never practice when I play. I might goof off when playing with old friends, but that's about it. Of course I have been known to play a little 2 ball, but that is usually one ball against the other. 

All my practice is done on the range , the short game area, practice greens, around the homestead, or out at the dry lake. 

[chilepepper]

I practice on the range. I enter all my scores. It's the only way I can have a true index. True to me. 

[Lihu]

Playing alone, then you can't post.

Normally, practice needs to be declared before you tee off. However, if you only have time to play 6 or 12 holes then you can't post the 6 and the 12 is a 9 hole round.

I'm also thinking that if your partners leave before the 7th hole, you can't enter a score either given the new non-solo play round requirement for posting. If on the 7th then the remaining 2 holes can probably be used as is or you need to use best probable score? Lately, if this happens, I just don't count the score. Too bad, I shot well below my handicap one time and couldn't count it.

[MacDutch]

Before you start playing you decide its a round that counts. If you play ONE second ball (not a provisional), you add a two stroke penalty. If you play a next extra ball you add another two stroke penalty and so on. If you hit a ball thats not in play (for instance a drivingrange ball) you add a two stroke penalty.

[9wood]

9 hours ago, CCC said:

When playing 18 holes, at what point would your round become a practice round - or one that you will enter into your official handicap score? I mean, you might start off thinking that "this is gonna count". But then,.....

For instance, you play more than one ball per hole (even once). You are trying out new clubs. You are trying out new swing parameters. You're on the road to scoring 120. I'm thinking either of these would make your round a practice round. :)

Most of these situations would only come into play when you are playing alone. I hope so anyway.

 

I think you make a valid point. During the winter I purchased numerous clubs including a new driver, hybrids, and irons and did not know what to expect from them until I spent some time at the range with them and then got out and played some actual rounds of golf with them. The first six rounds my distances were off with these new clubs which caused me to score a bit on the high side. It took me 5 or six rounds before I could say I now am pretty comfortable with my new clubs and what distances to expect from them.

[mcanadiens]

Here's a situation I run into sometimes with the golf cop rule. ... Fully intending to post the round, I start 18 holes paired up with someone and then they quit at the turn. Later I might join up with a different group. This happened a week ago. I had company all but No. 10 and No. 11. 

Not that the round was really great or poor, but it seemed silly to not post it because of two holes. Holes that I scored honestly in the first place. 

[Dave2512]

Only situation where I decide not to post a score mid round is if we catch slow groups and I break away from my group and circle back to oreviously played holes. 

Doesnt hsppen often and I can get away with because I am a super-regular. If I do that its just because I want to spend my time playing golf not waiting. If it's dead behind us I may fall back and camp on a green practicing short game. 

[Missouri Swede]

6 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

Here's a situation I run into sometimes with the golf cop rule. ... Fully intending to post the round, I start 18 holes paired up with someone and then they quit at the turn. Later I might join up with a different group. This happened a week ago. I had company all but No. 10 and No. 11. 

Not that the round was really great or poor, but it seemed silly to not post it because of two holes. Holes that I scored honestly in the first place. 

You post the scores you shot for all holes except 10 and 11.  For those holes, you post your "par plus" score. From here

Quote

How many holes can a player play alone to post the score?

The player must be accompanied for at least seven holes for a nine-hole score or 13 holes for 18-hole score. This is consistent with Section 5-1 and the minimum number of holes played under the Rules of Golf.

For the holes played alone (not accompanied), the player would treat these as not played under the Rules of Golf and post according to “par plus” any handicap strokes the player is entitled to receive.

(For more information, see Section 4-2).

Note: If a player plays nearly all holes accompanied but just a few alone, the holes played alone are calculated using “par plus,” keeping in mind the maximum that can be played alone in a round eligible for posting is two holes for a 9-hole score and five holes for an 18-hole score. Some examples would be starting out alone and joining up with a player(s), or starting out accompanied and finishing the round alone. 

 

[SavvySwede]

59 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

Here's a situation I run into sometimes with the golf cop rule. ... Fully intending to post the round, I start 18 holes paired up with someone and then they quit at the turn. Later I might join up with a different group. This happened a week ago. I had company all but No. 10 and No. 11. 

Not that the round was really great or poor, but it seemed silly to not post it because of two holes. Holes that I scored honestly in the first place. 

 

49 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

You post the scores you shot for all holes except 10 and 11.  For those holes, you post your "par plus" score. From here

 

Or just post the score. We all know that rule is a joke.

[Lihu]

38 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

Or just post the score. We all know that rule is a joke.

This makes more sense. I find myself getting too lax when golfing alone, and this might give me more incentive to play better.

[saevel25]

50 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

Or just post the score. We all know that rule is a joke.

Pretty much

[mcanadiens]

2 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

Or just post the score. We all know that rule is a joke.

And that's what I did. 

When I play in the couple of little club events that I will, those guys are going to get an HI reflective of my abilities as a golfer. That said, I'll always pair up with people if asked.

[Fourputt]

14 hours ago, CCC said:

When playing 18 holes, at what point would your round become a practice round - or one that you will enter into your official handicap score? I mean, you might start off thinking that "this is gonna count". But then,.....

For instance, you play more than one ball per hole (even once). You are trying out new clubs. You are trying out new swing parameters. You're on the road to scoring 120. I'm thinking either of these would make your round a practice round. :)

Most of these situations would only come into play when you are playing alone. I hope so anyway.

 

When I play golf, I'm there to play golf.  Since I almost never play alone, I don't really get many chances to play a "practice" round anyway.

[DrvFrShow]

I guess it depends upon how serious you are about your handicap. Do you play or do you intend to play in tournaments or a league? If you do, you probably should enter the real score. If you don't it doesn't matter anyway - do what you want. The women's leagues in my area start at the crack of dawn. I tried it for two years. I'm allergic to waking up when it's dark outside. Like it's 2:50 a.m. right now. If I were playing in the league I might as well pull an all nighter. So I didn't re-up this year. I get my beauty rest and no handicap.