What are your Golf superstitions?

[BamaWade]

I'm not superstitious, but there is one little behavior I've always had that sure sounds like a superstition:  I'm a tee scavenger/recycler.  BUT, used to be, upon finding a tee on the tee box I'm about to play off of, I'd never use that tee on that box; I'd pocket it and use it on a later hole.

Because I self-check silliness (check...but always correct??  hmm ), these days I make myself use the tee immediately to abolish any thoughts of superstition habits creeping in.  It still crosses my mind every time, though.

Only applies to my non-drives, but even if I find a broken/short tee pressed to the exact height I want for an iron/mw/hy - in the exact location between the tee markers that I want to hit from - I still usually pull it then re-tee (though, through said self-check, I occasionally force myself not too).

Funny, related aside:  Since I joined my CC in June, I've pocketed ~100+ plastic tees.  They must sell 'em in our shop, because they're all the same, and folks leave 'em everywhere.  I had to force myself to quit scavenging them because I overflowed my tee pocket and had to empty them into a box in my car.  I could literally pickup 30-40 a round, and I play 3-4 days a week at least.  Clean those suckers and sell 'em...I could probably make enough to pay for these billion(ish) gloves I use in the summer, ha!

BamaWade

[Patch]

Off the course, when out hiking, or doing something out of doors, if I find a golf ball, I will pick. The pretense is every golf ball needs a home. Lots of folks around here will use open desert areas as a driving range. 

On course, I always hit away from people's back yards. Even if it might cost me a stroke. 

[SG11118]

I've got a few:

1. Never hit a brand new ball off the first tee.  A new ball on the first shot of the round tends to hit a tree, cart path, or water hazard far more often than a used ball.  

2. If I'm walking, I always carry my bag to the teebox.  Don't want any negative thoughts about how far it is going to be to go retrieve another ball should I need to hit a provisional. 

3. No red tees. 

[Vinny Cap]

11 minutes ago, SG11118 said:

I've got a few:

1. Never hit a brand new ball off the first tee.  A new ball on the first shot of the round tends to hit a tree, cart path, or water hazard far more often than a used ball.  

2. If I'm walking, I always carry my bag to the teebox.  Don't want any negative thoughts about how far it is going to be to go retrieve another ball should I need to hit a provisional. 

3. No red tees. 

Good ones.  I def like 1 & 3.  No red tees ever!

 

1 hour ago, BamaWade said:

Only applies to my non-drives, but even if I find a broken/short tee pressed to the exact height I want for an iron/mw/hy - in the exact location between the tee markers that I want to hit from - I still usually pull it then re-tee (though, through said self-check, I occasionally force myself not too).

Funny, related aside:  Since I joined my CC in June, I've pocketed ~100+ plastic tees.  

I am like you on the tees, never hit from the same spot/height even if its perfect.  Move it a little then swing away!

I also find many perfect plastic tees and usually save the good ones.  I don't have as many as you.  On the bright side, you will never have to buy any Tees ever!

[Fairway_CY]

I'm not sure I have any superstitions, honestly.  I have some idiosyncrasies, for sure... but no superstitions.  

Recently, I've been in the habit of keeping my ball mark repair tool, ball marker and 2 tees in my right pocket.  The tees are plastic Disney World tees that are practically unbreakable.  I've been using the same few tees since the beginning of June.  

I don't like to carry a second ball in my pocket because I feel like I'm putting the idea in my head that I'm going to lose the ball I'm playing.  Similarly... I won't open a new sleeve of balls during a round unless I've lost the final ball from the previous sleeve.  It's inviting disaster.  

If I'm playing a tournament round and I find an obviously lost ball somewhere, I leave it where it was.  I figure it was a bad ball for the previous owner and I don't want to have it in my bag with my balls.  Now... if I'm playing a casual round, I will pick up most balls and put them in my bag to give to my son when I get home, but... never during a tournament round.

I think that's about it.  I'm sure I've got some others, but they aren't conscious thoughts... they just kind of happen.

CY

[CyboNinja]

Whenever I'm putting I position my ball so that all I can see is white. No logo, no arrow, just white. Extra lines distract me from the line I am aming for. 

Also I refuse to wear gloves. Even if its wet I'll just use my towel. 

[Gator Hazard]

11 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

I wasn't going to mention that one. 

Lol!  People who know me will say "here is the line", "here is you". I'm never behind the line.

I wrestled with a dude who never washed his sweatpants from wrestling practice. I used to lose 5 lbs of water weight a day in practice. He was lazy so maybe half but none the less. You can imagine what it was like having to wrestle with a guy who would make Pig Pen pinch his nose. I told him to wash his stuff, it was disgusting. He said no. I  stomped him every time he had to practice with me. If I had to practice double leg takedowns with him his thighs were gonna be sore afterwards for me enduring the stench. The sweat pants used to be white but were gray brown on fronts after a while.  I eventually took his place on varsity team as a sophomore when he was a senior.  It was JV or quit for him,  he quit.  No one missed him, or the gag inducing smell.

Back to topic: I usually put a spare ball in right hand pocket, ball in play between goes in left. Left bottom pocket is two or three tees of varying length. Right bottom pocket is divot repair tool. My ball marker is the nerdy hat clip magnet thingy. Left hand side of brim out of eyesight. I don't call those superstitions, I call them being organized. 

[iceman777]

Never use anything but brown wood tees

[boogielicious]

20 hours ago, Jeremie Boop said:

I don't have any. I'm not superstitious at all though so that probably explains it.

I don't either. I have routine things like my ball, marker, tees and repair tool are in my right pocket, but that is because I am right handed.

18 hours ago, chilepepper said:

lightning.....won't play in it. 

That's not a superstition. That is a sign of intelligence and respect for Mother Nature. ?

[Yukari]

None. However, as a respect I never tee off first if someone birdies a hole and I don't. Even if we play ready golf. 

[jkelley9]

I have zero superstitions in golf, and probably anything else for that matter. Not to downplay anyone else. It's just not how I operate, personally.

Of course the thought will pop in my head sometimes. But I will usually completely dismiss it or "challenge" it, because I don't really want to be tried by it in the future. For example, if I always have a spare ball in my right pocket, and I lost a ball on the previous hole and forgot to replace it I won't think it's bad luck or anything, I'll just tell myself "okay, whatever" and hit my shot, even though I always like to have a spare ball in my pocket.

[paininthenuts]

I have to carry 4 coloured balls and 16 white balls in my bag

[TourSpoon]

My preferences are:

Red sharpie to mark my ball with either a single red dot, or three red dots in triangle formation just above and right of the logo. 

Yellow tees, or lime green (although I will use any tee that is not plastic, even red)

Medium sized white bath towel with the end of it wet

On a par 3 I will use a broken tee, any color will do. Even broken tees need love. 

These things make me feel better, although they are not deal breakers. That is why I said preferences. 

[NJpatbee]

I have habits but not superstitions:  I always carry a dime and a quarter to mark the ball, I keep my tees, ball markers and golf ball in my right hand pocket since I have a glove on my left hand and it does not work well in pockets.  Nothing too exciting.

[6ixman]

I can never play with a glove, and I always keep cash in my right pocket along with tees and a ball marker

[ScouseJohnny]

I prefer balls numbered 0, 2, or 4. My favourite is 2. I dislike 1, and I hate 3. I'll play balls numbered 3, (because they come in the box of balls and I can't just discard them), but only for practice rounds on my own. And I do sometimes give away the #3 sleeve to my friend's kid.

I always mark my ball with a 1982 twenty pence piece, with the Queen's head facing the green (tails side up, in other words).

I keep an old, orange Wilson Aviator ball in my bag. Not superstition - just nostalgia, it was in the bag my Dad gave me with my first half set of (cut down) clubs in 1985, when I was 8.

 

Edited August 7, 2016 by ScouseJohnny

[Buckeyebowman]

On 8/5/2016 at 11:07 PM, CyboNinja said:

Whenever I'm putting I position my ball so that all I can see is white. No logo, no arrow, just white. Extra lines distract me from the line I am aming for. 

Also I refuse to wear gloves. Even if its wet I'll just use my towel. 

I do the same, and also on tee shots. I don't want to see anything but white! I also don't wear a glove, although I keep a pair of rain gloves in the bag just in case. But usually, if it's raining that hard, we'll just quit!

Like BamaWade, I will not use a tee I've found on that tee. I figure there's a reason it was left there. Bad Juju!

When I'm ready to begin play, in my left pocket I have my ball, which must be white, no optic yellow or orange, or weird "shimmery" balls that Volvik makes. Along with the ball will be 3 full length tees, which must be white or natural wood in color. No red, green, blue, pink or other colored tees allowed in my pocket or my bag. Also will be one "shorty" tee for the par 3's. Also white or natural wood.

If I find tees along the way, they also go into the left front pocket no matter how many tees end up being there. If I don't find any I will wait till I run out completely before replenishing my supply to its original strength. I haven't bought tees in at least 20 years!

In my right pocket goes my ball mark repair tool. A "PitchFix" that works like a switchblade, which is cool since it's not always stabbing me in the thigh! My money clip and car keys MUST go into the pocket of my bag that the PitchFix came out of!

And that's about it for me.

Oh. And I NEVER take my cell phone on the course with me.

[Mdjagg]

Unfortunately I CAN'T let my club head covers touch the ground before I hit or putt. I walk, so throwing it in the cart doesn't happen.  Every time a head cover falls off my bag, I miss the putt, or I put it in the woods.  I watch people throw their head covers on the ground between their bag and where they're hitting and it makes me laugh at how ridiculous it is.